City officials openly stating they are deliberately engaging in what is unlawful behavior to prevent an explicitly targeted legal business which has already lawfully completed the entire approvals process from opening is not something competent legal counsel would advise their clients to engage in, much less put into words or writing.
Newton is engaging in a series of unforced errors trying to appease emotional constituents over the current project rather than rationally moving ahead to amend zoning and bylaws for future projects.
"Oh, we never noticed gun shops don't have to go through notifying abutters like smoke shops and liquor stores do... let's change that (following a public comment period & city council hearings) to require notice and public comments for future applicants along with x,y,z criteria for a suitable site. Sorry we can't do anything about the current store because it predates the proposed changes to the bylaws."
For Pete's sake this location is within a 1/4 mile of four liquor stores and the pot shop next door. The new police station is going to be all of a block away and the opposite side of the street is the Mass Pike. The immediate neighbors aren't residential, it's office space, Cabots, Jeep dealership, Wholefoods, telephone exchange building, retailers, etc. This is one of the least offensive sites to residential abutters possible. The street behind it is mostly taken up by new multifamily housing, parking lots, and Frasier Engineering. Anyone complaining that somehow a tranquil environment is being defiled by another retail store... wow calm down.
