Newton, MA

Hotel Indigo in Newton is a new boutique hotel concept, and is the first of its kind in Boston’s western suburbs.

Plans to position its pool deck as a hip, happening entertainment venue…

…came to a halt last week when Indigo’s reps pulled their request for a “weekday entertainment license,” after being notified that such a license is prohibited by Newton’s noise and entertainment regulations.

The abrupt action calls into play whether the city of Newton should now take a long, hard look at its licensing regulations to determine if updating or revamping needs to take place.

In a report in today’s Boston Globe Richard Chmielinski, the assistant city solicitor said, ” Newton officials would have to amend, modify, or repeal sections of the city’s regulations, in order to give Indigo, the permission it seeks to provide recorded or live music, dancing, use of an amplification system, and televisions on its outdoor pool deck.”

This came as a bit of a shock to the Indigo folks who had been meeting with Newton’s licensing board on this matter for almost 2 months, and had been following the board’s requests to take further actions surrounding their license request.

Indigo’s plans had met with strong resistance by hotel neighbors who had been annoyed by a grand opening party held in June at Hotel Indigo which they said raised concerns about parking, trash, noise, drunk driving, and other assorted issues.

Hotel Indigo Guest Room

Following a year long renovation the Indigo, which is part of InterContinental Hotels, offers a heated outdoor pool, hot tub and relaxation deck, firepits, and cabanas. Cabanas are outfitted with LCD flat-panel televisions, and deck area heating provides extended seasonal enjoyment.

The design philosophy behind Indigo is intriguing.

Hotel Indigo Pool

The Indigo brand combines math, art and nature in perfect symmetry. Fans of the “DaVinci Code” will recognize this as Phi, or the Golden Mean. Hotel Indigo notes that Phi has been used for centuries and has been applied “to achieve beauty and balance in art, architecture, music, and design.”

Hotel Indigo can resubmit its license request for outdoor entertainment, if their legal team deems it appropriate.

For More:

Hotel Indigo

Boston.com/Rachana Rathi

*Hotel Indigo was formerly the Holiday Inn on Grove St. Newton

JOHN PRESCOTT

-BostonKayakGuy

Top Real Estate Agent for more than 14 years, serving the real estate needs of Wellesley, South Natick, Weston, Needham, Wayland, Newton, Framingham and other MetWest communities. www.johnprescott.net

JOHN PRESCOTT

Vice President

Century 21 Commonwealth

508-523-9252

BostonKayakGuy…The MetWest Scene

I just took a look at the MLS statistics for 2007 compared to 2006 for single family, condos and multi-family homes sold in Newton, Massachusetts. Here they are:

2007 2006

Total Sold 964 915

Avg. Days on Market 108 110

Avg. Sale Price $804,681 $784,769

Median Price $681,875 $647,500

As you can see from 2006 to 2007, the total number of single family, condos and multi-family homes sold in Newton, MA increased, the average days on market slightly decreased and both the average sales price and median prices increased. Thus Newton seems to be bucking the national trend.

This only goes to show that all real estate is local. There are many hot spots nationally that are bucking the national trend in real estate. Newton, MA seems to be one of them.

GO SEE MY WEB SITE - www.georgekoppel.com

An interesting and informative workshop on "Insulating Your Older Home" will be held on Saturday, February 9, 2008 from 1 to 4 pm at the Newton History Museum at the Jackson Homestead, 527 Washington St., Newton, MA. The workshop will be presented by the Green Decade Coalition and the Newton Historical Society. Admission is $30 or $15 for Newton Historical Society or Green Decade members. You can registed at www.greendecade.org/events. For more info you can call 617-965-1995 or e-mail info@greendecade.org.

Insulating your home properly is one of the fastest and most cost-effective ways to minimize your energy waste and maximize your energy dollars. And despite what you may have heard, it is possible to weatherize your older home without compromising its historical character. This workshop will include hands-on demonstration of various energy-saving tools, such as blower doors and infrared cameras. The workshop will also take an objective look at the different products and techniques for increasing energy efficiency. Learn how you can stay warm this winter, save money, and reduce your ecological footprint at the same time.

GO SEE MY WEB SITE - www.georgekoppel.com

The city of Newton, MA has a First Time Homebuyer Program and a Newton Connection Homebuyer Program that offer up to $115,000 toward the purchase of a home. The programs are open to applicants who live or work in Newton or have children in school in Newton. The family income cannot exceed federal income limits. For example, a household of four people cannot have more than $66,150 grosss income. Applicants can select the home of their choice in Newton and then may receive up to $115,000 to buy down the price of the property. Homebuyers make no payment on the funding assistance. Homebuyers must execute a deed restriction that limits the amount of appreciation that may be earned upon resale. Go to city of Newton site for information on these programs.

A training course for landlords and property managers on Fair Housing Basics will be held from 9:30 am to 12 noon on Wednesday, January 30, 2008. It will be held in Room 202 at Newton (MA) City Hall at 1000 Commonwealth Ave. The curriculum of the course is as follows:

• Applicable laws: protected classes, exemptions, prohibited acts
• Landlord rights
• Best business practices
• Consequences of housing discrimination
• Special topics: the lead paint law, disability and Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers
  

The course will be conducted by the Fair Housing Center of Boston.

GO SEE MY WE SITE - www.georgekoppel.com