The Newton Board of Aldermen unanimously gave developers of the Chestnut Hill Square project a green light this week, approving a zoning changes and a special permit to allow the project to break ground next year.

The project, located at the site of the old Omni Foods on Route 9, will contain 90 residential units as well as shops, restaurants, a grocery store, a gym and a medical office building. Developers will also make traffic flow improvements on Route 9 and have pledged to preserve the site's mature trees, as well as add additional landscaping and park space. The development's total size is approximately 245,000 square feet.

The final vote in Monday's Board of Aldermen meeting was 20-0, with Land Use Committee chair Ted-Hess-Mahan citing the hard work and willingness to compromise of all parties for the outcome.

"The result was very gratifying, and I made a special point of thanking both the petitioners and my fellow aldermen. Everyone worked together collaboratively to make this a better project," Hess-Mahan said. "I'm sure everyone wanted something they didn't get, but the unanimous vote means all the aldermen saw value in supporting this."

After a public forum in September and a series of committee meetings, developers added larger pedestrian accessways to the site, as well as agreeing to a very specific timetable before the permits were granted.

View complete article at Boston.com.