Newton Centre in October 2026: Lockheart, the Harvest Fair and Plaza
October 8, 2026
October 8, 2026
"The folks who wrote to keep the pilot value a gathering spot, a place to get takeout from village restaurants and eat with family and friends," City Councilor Susan Albright said in March. She was arguing that the Newton Centre Plaza should stay up through October. October is here. Over the next four weeks, the village gets its biggest open-air weekend of the fall, its long-dark train station opens as a restaurant again, and the plaza Albright defended reaches its reevaluation deadline. Taken together, the month suggests that Newton Centre's gathering space is gradually moving toward the Green.
The 19th-century station building at 70 Union Street sits beside the Newton Centre Green Line stop. It went dark for nearly four years after Jamie's on Union closed in 2022. Before that it was the long-running Deluxe Station Diner. The MBTA sold the building in 2012. Fig City News reported that a company managed by Anthony Killough bought it for about $2 million in September 2025.
Wicked Local reported the new tenant open by Sept. 30. It's Lockheart, the Southwestern-style restaurant that first opened in Wellesley in 2022. "Lockheart is, I'd like to say, a place for everybody," co-owner Mark Hicklin told the paper. "We want people to feel comfortable walking in the door."
The reopening took a long time. Permit records show a demolition permit in January 2024 and a fit-out of roughly $1.2 million that March. A fire-protection acceptance test followed in June 2026. Newton's Board of License Commissioners approved the licenses 3–0 on June 16, contingent on final paperwork, with state approval still to come. Two months later, Fig City News found the state license still not issued.
What the building offers now:
At the June hearing, attorney Carolyn Conway described the restaurant as a family-oriented American bistro with an affordable menu. She said the kitchen would serve until at least 10 p.m. every night. A train depot with a patio is another outdoor table in a village that has spent the past year debating where its outdoor tables should go.
On the weekend of Oct. 17–18, the Harvest Fair takes over Newton Centre Green. The two available schedules describe different parts of the event. The city lists the Cushing Amusements carnival on the Green on Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. The Newton Beacon lists the fair itself on Sunday, Oct. 18, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Green Newton's GreenEXPO runs alongside it that Sunday during the same hours, with local sustainability exhibitors and activities for kids.
The city advertises live music on two stages all day. The community-stage lineup includes CK Brass, the Suzuki School of Newton, Creative Steps Dance Studio, the Conservatory at Highlands, City Hall Strummers, Thillai Fine Arts Academy and the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra. The vendor roster includes Newton Community Farm, Charles River Food Co-op, Newton Tree Conservancy, Fig City News and the Newton Beacon, along with local craft and jewelry sellers and city departments.
The city also says it is not accepting food vendors at this year's fair. It gives no reason, though the carnival poster advertises carnival food. Either way, anyone who wants a real meal that day will find it in the storefronts around the Green. Several opened this year:
| Spot | Address | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Formosa Bun & Dumpling Factory | 740A Beacon St. | Owner Kristina Pan's pan-fried bao, first popular at Newton's Taiwan Day; grand opening March 28 |
| Tea22 | 212 Sumner St. | Thai tea, Thai coffee and bubble tea in the former Pon de Joy space; soft opening in June |
| Something Sweet | 1280 Centre St., Suite 8 | Nostalgic and Swedish candy and chocolate, upstairs above Rosenfeld Bagel |
| Lockheart | 70 Union St. | Tacos and plates to share in the old depot |
Other storefronts changed hands too. Sweet Dream at 91 Union Street has closed, and Tess, a clothing boutique, now occupies the space. Citywide, Fig City News counted 187 places to eat in Newton as of August 2026. Of those, 62% are independently owned. Lauren Berman, Newton's Director of Economic Development, told the outlet that when a space opens up, other restaurateurs are usually eager to move in. She credited the village centers, which give restaurants a walkable base of residents and daytime workers.
The fair uses the Langley Lot as part of its site. That's the same lot where the pilot plaza has stood since its installation in May and June 2025. The debate over the plaza has often been framed as parking against people. On the city's own numbers, the parking loss is smaller than the plaza's footprint:
| Langley Lot change | Spaces |
|---|---|
| Spaces the plaza occupies | 24 |
| Spaces previously reserved for employees, Zipcar and a Bluebike station, now relocated and opened to the public | 16 |
| Net public parking lost in the lot | 8 |
The relocated reserved spaces moved to Centre Street, Lyman Street and Herrick Road. The city also points drivers to municipal lots on Cypress, Pelham and Pleasant streets. On fair weekend, those three lots matter more than usual.
The pilot's future is still open. In March, the City Council voted 15–9 against moving its end date up from October to June. Councilor Martha Bixby pledged to work with business owners and others on a comprehensive plan for Newton Centre. Councilor Tarik Lucas read a letter from a doctor with an office in the village who worried that losing parking could deter his patients. The Sept. 24 Traffic Council agenda still describes the plaza as "to be reevaluated by October 31, 2026." It lists the item under items not yet scheduled for discussion.
The more telling detail is the alternative the administration has floated. In an April update, Mayor Marc Laredo's office said that the community and many businesses enjoy having a gathering space in Newton Centre, and that the community and many businesses worry about convenient parking. The office said it was working with the Parks & Recreation Commission on using a small area of Newton Centre Green, the grass between Beacon Street and the parking lot, for a permanent plaza that would restore some of the lost parking. Parks & Recreation had the plaza on its Sept. 29 agenda as a discussion item. We haven't found any outcome from that meeting in the public record yet.
That puts the fair, the carnival and a possible permanent plaza on the same patch of grass. When the carnival rides go up on the Green on Oct. 17, they will stand on ground the city is studying as a long-term gathering place.
The plaza has held some of the village's busier moments in its pilot year. The city's page shows carolers there at the Holiday Shop & Stroll on Dec. 4, 2025. In July, minutes from the Economic Development Commission recorded that the spring preview farmers market was seen as a success by businesses and attendees. The minutes also note that arts and culture programming brought more foot traffic to the plaza. Whatever happens after Oct. 31, the city has said the tables and chairs could move temporarily to the Green with Parks approval, or go into storage while a permanent solution is pursued.
For more on the rest of the city, our Newton neighborhood page and our earlier look at how Newton's summer map reorganized cover the other villages.
If you own a home within walking distance of Union Street and the Green, a reopened depot and a possible permanent plaza are part of what your address offers. Jamie Grossman has followed Newton Centre for more than 30 years and would be glad to show you how these changes fit your home's value. Request a Personalized Home Valuation.
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