Newton. November 21, 2011

The Ward 4 aldermen have struck a deal with the developer of a controversial large mixed-used development at the Riverside MBTA station, but they aren’t talking about it.

According to City Clerk David Olsen the three aldermen from Ward 4 – Lenny Gentile, Amy Sangiolo and Jay Harney – filed a docket item Thursday with his office requesting a change in zoning for the site of the proposed development. The docket item requests the board adopt a “Business 5/Riverside Zone: a mixed-use transit-oriented district” at the site of the T station.

The docket further requests that the zone allow by special permit – a single commercial office building that doesn’t exceed 225,000 square feet with a maximum of nine stories in height, two residential buildings with 290 units or less, and retail space that is 20,000 square feet or less and a multi-use community center.