Newton Zoning Board Clears Walmart Fulfillment Center For Auburndale
NEWTON — Newton's Zoning Board of Appeals has approved a Walmart microfulfillment center in Auburndale under the city's new variance law, while Mayor Marc Laredo has moved to fill the city's top planning post, nominating Catherine M. Feerick as the next Director of Planning and Development.
COMMUNITY & ARTS The Newton Free Library kicked off its 2026 Summer Reading Program on June 1, and the effort runs through September 4 for kids, tweens, teens, and adults. The library has also shifted to summer hours, closing on Sundays in July and August while keeping its regular Monday-through-Saturday schedule, including 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. hours Monday through Thursday.
The library is hosting a Newton Disability Pride Celebration for kids on Sunday, July 19, from 2 to 4 p.m., part of its ongoing slate of summer programming at the Homer Street building.
ELSEWHERE IN THE NEWS "Newton Board Approves Walmart Fulfillment Facility Under New Variance Law" — Newton's Zoning Board of Appeals has cleared a roughly 20,000-square-foot Walmart microfulfillment center in the Auburndale neighborhood, which the retailer will use to store and quickly process online orders, per Patch (read it at https://patch.com/massachusetts/newton/newton-board-approves-walmart-fulfillment-facility-under-new-variance-law).
"Newton Finds Next Leader Of Planning And Development" — Mayor Marc Laredo has nominated Catherine M. Feerick, who currently holds a similar post in another community, to become Newton's next Director of Planning and Development, Patch reports (read it at https://patch.com/massachusetts/newton/newton-finds-next-leader-planning-development).
"Newton Private School Receives Large Endowment To Fund New Dining Center" — A Newton private school has landed $11.7 million in state-backed financing to help complete a roughly 19,700-square-foot dining center that will replace a facility more than a century old, according to Patch (read it at https://patch.com/massachusetts/newton/newton-private-school-receives-large-endowment-fund-new-dining-center).
COMING UP The library's Winnie-the-Pooh Escape Room runs 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both Monday, July 20, and Tuesday, July 21. On July 20, the library also hosts "The Scoop on Solar Energy" from 7 to 8 p.m., a Cookbook Club meeting from 7 to 8:30 p.m., and Local History Office Hours from 2 to 4 p.m. Make Way for Storytime sessions for kids are scheduled twice on July 21, at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.