Petition to Ruthanne Fuller, Mayor and the Newton City Council

We, the undersigned, petition Mayor Ruthanne Fuller and the Newton City Council to protect the villages of Newton Lower Falls and Auburndale, now threatened by the current proposal by Mark Development. The project, which seeks to construct 1.425 million square feet of residential and commercial space at Riverside, including two 210-foot towers, will:

• insert a new urban neighborhood of unprecedented scope and density between the existing villages;

• increase existing traffic congestion on the Grove Street corridor and at all intersections and side streets throughout the surrounding neighborhoods;

• negatively impact the quality of life in NLF and Auburndale;

• jeopardize the historic, political, and social fabric of our communities.

In 2013, the City Council approved a development agreement, after five years of negotiations and considerable community input, that incorporated the stated interests of the community. We ask our elected officials to honor that agreement and protect our villages by rejecting the massive plan proposed by Mark Development.