I sent the following email to the City Council, Zoning Department, and Mayor Fuller regarding the proposed Zoning Redesign. I hope Newton citizens will review the exhibit, check out the survey, and reach out if they agree that the survey is problematic:
As encouraged by our City Council, I reviewed the online exhibit regarding zoning, and took the survey. I am deeply concerned about the way this survey was constructed.
Specifically, I feel that the questions in the section of the survey entitled “Mapping Zoning Districts” are in a framework that is biased (as in cognitive bias) and skewed.
- No information is given on the size of the villages — this is objective information which should be readily available to anyone who takes this survey.
- Too many issues are combined in this one section of the survey, with some of them almost below the radar.
- There are no options for someone who takes the survey to prefer a lowered required lot size (as opposed to NO lot size requirement) or varied options for discretionary review of proposed uses.
I fear these survey flaws are going to allow people to claim that the survey demonstrates “approval” of certain aspects of the proposed revisions because people didn’t understand the breadth of the questions or the impact of their answers!
I firmly believe that in order to receive fair and fully informed feedback from the citizens of Newton that this survey should be scrapped, and that a new one be developed to more accurately address the issues and better reflect the opinions of our citizens.
I am certainly in favor of more affordable housing in Newton, and more diversity, and believe that zoning laws can be improved. And I definitely see problems in the proposed zoning redesign.
Anne Goldbach