Norwood Fights Plan For Housing Complex At Arena Site-This Day In Norwood History-June 7, 1974

Norwood fights plan for housing complex at arena site

For decades, the roar at the Norwood Arena had been the sound of racing engines, cheering crowds, and the unmistakable pulse of a local institution. But by the mid‑1970s, that familiar noise had been replaced by a different kind of rumble — the voices of townspeople, municipal officials, and planners locked in a heated debate over the future of the sprawling Route 1 property.

The arena, already scarred by a devastating fire the previous winter, was being dismantled by workmen, its grandstand and track reduced to twisted steel and broken concrete. As the last remnants of the once‑beloved sports plant came down, a new and far more contentious vision rose in its place: a proposal to build 496 apartment units alongside a major shopping center on the 100‑acre site.

This was not the first attempt to bring housing to the property. According to Acting Planning Board Chairman Thomas Riolo, town meeting representatives had rejected similar proposals on three previous occasions. But the developers were back again — this time led by Alan G. Zuker of Brookline and Atty. John Mulvihill, who planned to submit a petition signed by ten Norwood voters to force a new public hearing. Riolo confirmed that the hearing would likely take place on July 1, setting the stage for a special town meeting to decide the fate of the latest plan.

The developers already held the right to build a shopping complex on the site, but they were determined to pair it with a large‑scale housing component. Riolo noted that the most recent town meeting had rejected the housing plan decisively: “The proposal even failed to get a simple majority. You know it needs 2/3 to change the zoning from the present limited manufacturing,” he said.

Despite the town meeting’s stance, the Planning Board had voted 4–1 in favor of the Zuker proposal. The lone dissenter, Thomas F. Cavanaugh, a Boston school teacher, argued that Norwood was already oversaturated with apartments and that the new development would place additional strain on the public schools. Riolo countered that the developer estimated only 10–11 school‑aged children would live in the complex.

The project’s design called for 470 one‑room units and 26 two‑bedroom units, aimed at low‑ and moderate‑income families as well as retired residents. The developers projected that the multi‑million‑dollar complex would generate approximately $300,000 annually in taxes once fully built — a four‑year timeline. What the town might receive from the shopping center portion, however, remained unclear.

Riolo emphasized the financial stakes: “The housing plan would reflect between $2.50 and $3.00 on the tax rate.” At the time, Norwood’s tax rate stood at $38, based on a firm 100 percent valuation.

Norwood was growing steadily. With a population of 33,000 and roughly 2,000 apartment units already scattered across its 10‑square‑mile footprint, the town found itself at a crossroads. The question was no longer simply what to build on the old Norwood Arena site — but what kind of community Norwood wanted to become.

Boston Globe