A proposed four-home development at 60 Brookside Ave. in West Newton will have to wait at least another month, after Ward 4 Councilor Randy Block invoked a city charter provision to delay the full Council's vote.

Block "chartered" the item Monday, a procedural move that bumps the special permit decision to the Council's Aug. 10 meeting. He urged colleagues to first watch the Land Use Committee's June 16 discussion before casting what he called a quasi-judicial vote, arguing the committee has been straying too far from the narrow legal standard for special permits. "The key determination states the use as developed and operated shall not adversely affect the neighborhood," Block said, noting the criteria say nothing about whether a plan beats a by-right alternative or advances climate or housing goals.

The developer wants to tear down an existing two-family home and replace it with four attached single-family units across two buildings, with parking tucked underneath and one at-grade delivery spot. The plan needs two special permits — one for the added density, another for retaining walls taller than four feet needed to reach the underground parking. It's been through multiple redesigns since first appearing before the city in October, largely in response to neighbor and committee feedback.

The Land Use Committee approved the project June 16. Chair Andrea Kelley said the design fits the neighborhood's character, reads as a single- or two-family home from the street, and sits back similarly to its Brookside Avenue neighbors. She also noted a shift in public sentiment: some residents who originally opposed the project have since come around, based on recent emails to the council. Kelley said she wasn't sure why the item landed on "second call" for a full vote in the first place — and Block clarified he didn't place it there, just chose to speak up and delay it once it was.

The full City Council takes up the special permit again at its Aug. 10 hybrid meeting in City Hall Chambers. Residents can watch the Land Use Committee's June 16 discussion on Newton's public meeting video archive beforehand.