Newton Land Use Committee Approves 14-Unit Thurston Road Housing Project on 7-0 Vote

NEWTON -- July 7, 2026, Newton Land Use Committee advances 14-unit Thurston Road housing development and approves Langley Road retaining wall permits. The committee voted unanimously, 7-0, to approve a special permit for Hillside Development's 14-unit attached single-family project at 93, 103, and 0 Thurston Road, subject to second call, with attorney Terry Morris representing developer Danius Cooper and Ward 5 Councilor Julie Irish making the motion after two full public hearings. The project, reduced from 16 units since May, will include two income-restricted affordable units among 14 total and is located within a half mile of the Elliot Street Green Line station, qualifying it for a simple majority council vote. Outstanding conditions, including language on abutter privacy screening, a one-foot footpath easement along the western lot line, stormwater drainage near a 20-foot rear ledge formation, and transformer placement, will be finalized by planning and law before the item returns to full council. In a separate 5-1-1 vote, the committee approved retaining walls up to 10 feet high on two vacant lots at 335 Langley Road, with Councilor Randy Block the lone dissenter, calling the petition premature because the developer had no immediate plans to build.