Newton committee votes 7-0 to send Walker Center land to public schools

NEWTON -- September 18, 2025, Newton's Real Property Reuse Committee voted unanimously to transfer the Walker Center property in Auburndale to Newton Public Schools for educational use. The committee voted 7-0 Thursday, with Chair Councilor Vicky Danberg presiding, to recommend the city retain and transfer the approximately 26,000-square-foot Grove and Hancock Streets site, purchased in 2021 for roughly $1.45 million in ARPA funds, to the school department rather than pursue affordable housing development. Councilor Marc Oliver made the motion after a two-hour public hearing during which nearly every speaker urged the committee to preserve the land for Williams Elementary School, which has the second-smallest playground among Newton's elementary schools at 1.1 acres. Walker Center JAPG member and affordable housing professional David Hettes put the financial case starkly: "A six-unit development, approximately $6 million. Eight units, approximately $8 million," with no sustainable income stream to maintain a protected historic structure. The full City Council now has 60 days to act on the recommendation before it goes to Mayor Fuller.