City Council Committee Reports – April 5 – April 13th

Land Use – 04/05/2022 Committee Report: The Land Use Committee voted to approve the following:

Request for a Special Permit/Site Plan Approval to raze a detached garage and construct additions exceeding FAR, to allow an oversized dormer, and to allow a retaining wall exceeding 4 feet within the setback at 20 Morton Street – See Special Permit documents and see Draft Board Order.
Request for a Special Permit/Site Plan Approval to construct a two‐story rear addition and enclose it below an existing porch, further extending nonconforming FAR at 52 Oldham Road – See Special Permit documents and See Draft Board Order.
Request for a Special Permit/Site Plan Approval to construct a new dwelling with retaining walls along the sides and rear of the property exceeding 4’ in height at 26 Magnolia Avenue – See Special Permit documents and See Draft Board Order.
City Council Appointment of Bruce McVittie as a neighborhood representative for 275 Grove Street, Building 3 Liaison Committee

All other items were held.

Public Facilities – 04/06/2022 Committee Report: The Public Facilities Committee voted to approve the following:

Request authorization to appropriate and expend an amount of funds and authorize a general obligation borrowing of an equal amount for the replacement of the residential water meter system and project oversight and authorization to apply any premium received upon the sale of the bonds or notes, less the cost of preparing, issuing, and marketing them, and any accrued interest received upon the delivery of the bonds or notes to the costs of the project and
Request for a grant of location to relocate one jointly-owned pole, (P. 358/23) 7’ + in a southerly direction from its existing location to accommodate a new driveway.
Request for a drain main extension in NEWTONVILLE AVENUE from the end of the line manhole west of property to be extended easterly +180 ft to a manhole in front of 164 Newtonville Avenue.

All other items were held.

Public Safety and Transportation – 04/06/2022 Committee Report: All items were held at the Public Safety and Transportation Committee meeting.

Programs and Services – 04/06/2022 Committee Report: The Programs and Services Committee voted to approve the following:

Appointment of Elizabeth Sockwell as a member of the Urban Tree Commission.
Appointment of Edward Chapman as a member of the Parks and Recreation Commission.
Request to transfer $80,000 Full-Time Salaries, Clinical Health, to fund the reconfiguration of some of the office space in the Health & Human Services Department
Request for a Home Rule Petition with two amendments to the City of Newton Ordinances to align them with the union contracts which require uniformed Police and Fire Department personnel to live within a 35-mile residency boundary of Newton. See Draft Council Order.

All other items were held. See Memo from Councilor Noel regarding enforcement of the leaf blower ordinance which was taken up and discussed in Committee but held.

Zoning and Planning Committee – 04/11/2022 Committee Report: The Zoning and Planning Committee voted to approve the following:

Appointment to the Zoning Board of Appeals
- Jennifer Pucci
Two appointments for Alternate membership to the Newton Historic Commission
- John Sisson
- Anne Marie Stein
Request a Resolution from the City Council confirming its support for pursuing an ordinance that would require large property owners to report annual energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, and then reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions over time, to further the objectives of the Newton Climate Action Plan.

All other items were held.

Finance Committee: The Finance Committee met on Monday, April 11th. There is no report in the Friday Packet online and there is no video recording of the meeting on NewTV and no audio recording of the meeting online. But thanks to Chair Becky Grossman – we have the votes! The Finance Committee voted to approve the following:

Request to transfer $50,000 from Elections-Work by Other Depts. to fund the reconfiguration of some of the office space in the City Clerk’s Office
Request to transfer $80,000 from Full-Time Salaries, Clinical Health, to fund the reconfiguration of some of the office space in the Health & Human Services Department
Request to accept and expend $49,340 from the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture Grant to be used for the solar project at 303 Nahanton Street at Newton’s Angino Farm consisting of 30 solar panels (10.1 KW) to be mounted on the roof of the barn.
Request to transfer $20,000 from the City’s Energy Stabilization Fund for the required City matching share to complete the solar project at 303 Nahanton Street at Newton’s Angino Farm
Recommendation from the Community Preservation Committee to appropriate $88,554 in Community Preservation Act funds from the FY22 Unrestricted funds to the control of the Planning Development Department for a grant to the Newton Community Farm for the rehabilitation and restoration of the ca. 1855 farmhouse including excessive water and moisture remediation and the installation of a new electrical system, water heater and kitchen ceiling.
Request to accept and expend an $81,250 grant from the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) program.
Request to establish a departmental revolving account within the Department of Public Works Engineering Division per MGL Chapter 44, Section 53E1/2 to allow for National Grid payments-owned road repairs. The account would have an annual spending limit of $500,000.
Request to appropriate and expend an amount of funds and authorize a general obligation borrowing of an equal amount for the replacement of the residential water meter system and project oversight and authorization to apply any premium received upon the sale of the bonds or notes, less the cost of preparing, issuing, and marketing them, and any accrued interest received upon the delivery of the bonds or notes to the costs of the project and to reduce the amount authorized to be borrowed for the project by a like amount. NOTE: The Public Facilities approved as amended to $16,625,000 – Subject to Second Call

All other items were held.

Land Use – 04/12/2022 Committee Report: The Land Use Committee voted to approve the following:

Request to amend a previously approved Special Permit/Site Plan Approval to allow an updated Comprehensive Sign package to include relief as follows; to allow freestanding signs, to allow a freestanding sign exceeding 100 square feet, and to waive the definition and maximum size of directional signs at 1‐55 Boylston Street – See Special Permit documents and Draft Council Order
Request for a Special Permit/Site Plan Approval to convert a detached garage to an accessory apartment that reduces side and front setback requirements at 88 High Street – See Special Permit documents and Draft Council Order
Request for a Special Permit/Site Plan Approval to construct a two‐story addition and single-story one‐car garage addition, exceeding the maximum allowed FAR, reducing the required setback and to construct a retaining wall within a setback exceeding the maximum allowed height at 42 Oakwood Road – See Special Permit documents and Draft Council Order
Request for a Special Permit/Site Plan Approval to construct a new garage greater than 700 sq. ft. with accommodation for more than three vehicles, and to waive end stall maneuvering space at 244 Dudley Road – See Special Permit documents and Draft Council Order
Request for a Special Permit/Site Plan Approval to raze the existing structure and construct a three-story single‐family dwelling, exceeding the maximum allowed FAR at 115 Elinor Road – See Special Permit documents and Draft Council Order

Joint Finance and Programs and Services Committee: The Finance Committee and the Programs and Services Committee met on Wednesday, April 13th at 7:00 p.m. The Report is not posted in the Friday Packet or online. You can watch a recording of the meeting on NewTV here and/or go to the “News” section in this newsletter for a synopsis of the meeting. The Committees took a straw vote on the FY2023 Budget. NOTE: The Committee did not have all of the documentation to review at the time of the vote due to the changes/restoration made over the past few days leading up to the meeting.

DEPARTMENT BUDGET & CIP DISCUSSIONS:
School Department

Programs and Services straw vote: 3 in favor (Baker, Albright, Krintzman) -0 (opposed) -5 abstentions. (Greenberg, Wright, Noel, Humphrey, Ryan) and in Finance, the vote was 2 in favor (Grossman, Kalis)- 1 opposed (Norton) – 4 abstentions (Oliver, Malakie, Humphrey, and Noel).

Finance Committee straw vote: 2 in favor (Grossman, Kalis)- 1 opposed (Norton) – 4 abstentions (Oliver, Malakie, Humphrey, and Noel)

All other items were held.

For reference, see the following:

City Council Committee Reports – April 5 – April 13th

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