Image courtesy of Cube 3

Northland Investment Corp. received approval to add housing and drop office space from its Newton Upper Falls development project.

Last summer, Northland proposed replacing 193,000 square feet of office space approved for the former Clarks Shoes headquarters in Newton Upper Falls with 100 apartments. Newton City Councilors voted 19-4 to approve the changes to the special permit on Monday.

Councilors supporting the changes said they will reduce the amount of new traffic generated by the project.

“We cannot ask a developer to address a currently existing, already bad condition. And yet we have,” Councilor Andreae Downs said. “The current proposal will improve their traffic numbers because they will be eliminating office, which is the bulk of their traffic numbers.”

The changes were part of a reduction in the overall size of the 1.4 million square-foot project by approximately 10 percent, including elimination of five smaller residential buildings. The project now totals 822 apartments, including 145 income-restricted units.

Developers said the changes were needed to make the project viable in the current real estate environment. The original development plan was approved in 2019, before the pandemic reduced demand for office space.

Councilors Randy Block, John Oiver, Julia Malakie and Pamela Wright voted against the changes.

Wright said the city’s commercial tax base has shrunk from 16 to 11 percent of the tax levy over the past 10 years.

“The city tax burden is then carried by the residential units, making it more difficult for families to stay here and new families to afford to buy in Newton,” Wright said.

The amendment also eliminates 300 parking spaces and a shuttle service to the MBTA’s Newton Highlands station.