Council to utilities: Show us your two-year plan before more approvals

City councilors warned utilities companies this week that they want to see a long-term picture of future utilities projects in Waltham before issuing more approvals.

Council President Robert G. Logan said the council expected to receive new requests from utilities companies in the near future. The council’s request actually is backed up by its own regulations — City Council Rule 95 requires utility companies to submit a two-year construction plan before the council can approve any new projects, to coordinate the city’s own construction and avoid constantly repaving streets.

Over the past few years, the council hasn’t enforced this rule, and both councilors and their constituents have expressed frustration with the disruption caused by local utility projects. Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy brought up Rule 95 at a March Traffic Commission meeting, and the Ordinances and Rules Committee voted this week to send a letter to National Grid and Eversource saying it intends to apply the rule strictly going forward.

Additionally, the City Council:

• Filed away a series of older motions dating from 2022 to 2026 and asked the Planning Department for an update on public parking lot car chargers. (Committee of the Whole)
• Voted to sell the Arthur J. Clark Government Center to a private housing developer. (Committee of the Whole)
• Requested that Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy attend its Oct. 19 meeting to explore transportation options in North Waltham. (Economic and Community Development)
• Preliminarily approved two fuel storage permits for life sciences companies. (Licenses and Franchises)
• Approved a total of $455,768 in Community Preservation Act funding requests from the Community Preservation Committee for additional work to preserve and restore the steeple of the First Parish Church; restore 43 south-facing windows at Gore Place; and complete exterior restoration work at the Felton Street Community Day Center. (Long-Term Debt)
• Preliminarily approved a fast food permit for a Cava location in the Market Basket plaza. (Ordinances and Rules)
• Requested comment from the DPW, mayor’s office and Police Department on proposals for regulations around leaf blowing and snow removal. It also requested the mayor, city solicitor, and DPW director attend its next meeting to discuss changes to snow removal regulations. (Ordinances and Rules)
• Requested the Law Department draft a home rule petition to provide health insurance to the mayor and city councilors. (Ordinances and Rules) 
• Sent a special permit application and a rezoning request for the Felton Street neighborhood to the Law Department for review. (Ordinances and Rules)