A proposed 14-home development on Thurston Road is one step closer to construction after Newton's Land Use Committee unanimously approved a special permit July 7.
The project still needs final approval from the full City Council.
After months of neighborhood feedback, the developer reduced the project from 16 homes to 14, cut the number of buildings from eight to seven, reduced curb cuts from six to three and lowered parking from 32 spaces to 29.
The changes also reduced the number of affordable homes from three to two. Those units will be restricted for households earning up to 80% of the area median income.
The approval includes more than 20 conditions, including:
- Preserving the public "Lupien Path" leading to Emerson playground.
- Paying nearly $269,000 for transportation and pedestrian safety improvements.
- Paying about $90,000 in sewer fees and a $65,000 inclusionary zoning payment.
- Installing privacy screening for neighboring properties.
- Meeting LEED Silver standards and complying with Newton's fossil fuel-free ordinance.
"The path is not going away," former property owner Laura Lupien Oakes told the committee.
Some residents continued to raise concerns about traffic, density and flooding near the playground and surrounding homes.
The development would be built across three parcels at 93, 103 and 0 Thurston Road.
The proposal now heads to the full City Council for a final vote.
