NEWTON, MA — City councilors are weighing a Beacon Street proposal this week that could bring four new live/work units to the Four Corners area.
The project at 1100-1102 Beacon Street is being proposed by One Stop, LLC. The developer is seeking a special permit and site plan approval for a three-story building with four attached live/work units on a 5,331-square-foot lot in a Business 2 zoning district. The proposal also asks the city to allow three stories, permit additional height, and waive three of the eight parking spaces that would otherwise be required.
The City Council’s Land Use Committee was scheduled to continue reviewing the proposal on Tuesday, June 2. The matter had already been discussed during public hearings on April 14 and May 12, according to a Planning Department working memo.
City planning staff said the live/work use itself is allowed by right in the district. The more complicated question is what “live/work” should mean in practice, since Newton’s zoning ordinance does not include a formal definition for it.
Under draft conditions before the council, each unit would have to be occupied by the same resident who operates the business there. The first floor would be limited to business use, while the second floor would be limited to residential use. The business and residential portions could not be rented separately to another tenant.
The city is also considering limits on what kinds of businesses could operate there. Allowed uses would include studios for artists, musicians, photographers and writers, along with professional offices, crafts, software development, tailoring, barber shops, hairdressers, repair shops and real estate brokerage offices.
Other uses would be barred. Restaurants, daycare centers, veterinary hospitals, microfulfillment centers and retail sales would not be allowed under the draft conditions.
The proposal also includes restrictions meant to reduce neighborhood impacts. Each unit could have no more than one business, no more than one nonresident employee, and no more than two customers, clients, patients or patrons inside at the same time. Business-related vehicles for employees or customers would not be allowed to park on site.
The parking waiver is one of the main pieces of the request. Planning staff wrote that meeting the full eight-space parking requirement would be difficult because of the lot’s size, shape, and topography. The memo also points to nearby transit options, including an MBTA bus stop less than 350 feet away and Green Line stations in Newton Centre and Newton Highlands less than a mile from the property.
Planning staff described the project as fitting with the Four Corners area, which already includes a mix of commercial, multifamily and residential uses. The memo also says the project could help diversify Newton’s housing stock and respond to the growth of remote and hybrid work.
The Land Use Committee’s handling of the Beacon Street proposal could end up mattering beyond this one property. Because Newton does not currently define live/work units in its zoning ordinance, the conditions attached to this project may become an early example of how the city treats similar housing and business proposals in the future.
See Also:
Newtonville Church Approved For Condo Conversion
Newton South Principal Departing District At The End Of The School Year
Newton City Council Approves FY27 Budget
Newton-based Family Support Center Set To Shut Down
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