UMass Amherst looks to develop 16 acres it owns in Newton

Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller reports UMass Amherst is looking to see if any developers might be interested in doing something with 16 acres of prime land just up the road a bit from the Boston line at its satellite campus where Mount Ida College used to be.

Possible ideas might include housing for both recent UMass graduates and senior citizens - the latter of which could "serve as a practicum for UMass students in a number of disciplines."

That would still leave UMass Amherst 50 acres on which to teach and stuff but, of course, not grab any students from UMass Boston, which has its own property redevelopment deal at the old Bayside Expo site in Dorchester.

We will be in close communication with UMass officials with respect to the RFP process and will keep everyone informed. This might be a very big deal for this section of Newton, and we’ll want to be right on top of any potential changes. (Notably, as this property is owned by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, our City may have fewer formal controls over their decisions. Any potential proposal would require thorough evaluation by our Law Department.)

In the meantime, Newtonites with any questions or suggestions shouldn't contact Fuller. Instead try UMass at universityrelations@umass.edu.