Newtonville Village Center Zoning Input Session draws 140+ participants

On December 8, the Planning Department held an online Village Center Zoning Input Session to hear feedback, receive comments, and answer questions related to the proposed zoning map for Newtonville. Over 140 residents attended the meeting. The Planning Department summarized public comments in real-time in notes appended to a map displayed online.

Betsy Harper said Trio has been a huge success, the heights in the plans should be higher, and “density is your friend” because it helps in solving problems of climate change. Ed Olhava agreed, noting that we are in a climate crisis and buildings should be bigger and taller. Lisa Monahan of Newton Highlands agreed that more density would be useful and that buildings could be taller, and she said she likes how the plan is centered on public transit. Brooke Lipsitt also spoke about the benefits of density, adding that density also allows for more affordable housing. Miranda Barrows said she was very supportive of more density in the village in order to address the climate crisis and the housing crisis.

Burt Granofsky said he is a big fan of dense development because it brings down property prices. He asked, “How will we offer open space and services for the additional people who will be here?” Genine Tillotson said you cannot talk about increasing density without dealing with problems of transportation and greenspace.

Ralph Abele disagreed with arguments based on climate and said that there are lots of negative climate impacts of development such as increased run-off. Shari Goldin said that “density is not your friend” because it causes health problems, noise pollution, and air pollution.

Ralph Abele also said that the zoning proposal is a “Trojan horse for real estate interests to do what they want.” Lindsey Fieldman asked, “Who does this benefit except developers?”

Lindsey Fieldman expressed concern about the extension of VC1 into residential areas, nothing that the plan adds over 100 VC1 and VC2 areas added in Newtonville, more than any other village. She asked about the movement of commercial activity into VC1 zones, and Deputy Director of Planning Jen Caira said that, in response to what the Planning Department has heard from the community, commercial activity will never be allowed in VC1 zones, which will be kept all residential. Patrick Slattery and Christopher Coy each asked, “What is the advantage of VC1 over current zoning?”

Peter Bruce noted that development in Newtonville is causing gentrification and the village is losing affordability as expensive apartments and condominiums are replacing existing housing. He also said that transit-oriented development and walkable villages do not have much impact on climate. Martina Jackson noted that the plans do not accurately reflect climate changes, which include loss of trees and heat islands.

Martina Jackson also said that “transit-oriented development” is a misnomer for Newtonville because the commuter rail trains are always late and they stop eight times less frequently in Newton than in Wellesley. Christine Klaehn agreed, saying that the rail line is not efficient or effective. Barbara Bix noted the “lack of transportation” in this area due to poor train service and the cutting back of MBTA buses.

Ellen Fitzpatrick expressed concern that the plans make no mention of the Newtonville Historic District. Barney Heath, Director of Planning, said that historic-preservation protections will remain in place. Ralph Abele and Christine Klaehn also expressed concern about the impact of the plan on the historic district in which they live. Christine Klaehn said, “What kind of neighborhood do we want? Not a bunch of high rises.”

Susan Reisler expressed concern about gentrification. She asked, “Who are we welcoming?  What happens to businesses?,” citing the replacement of local businesses with more expensive ones. Mary Lee Belleville asked if the Charles River Regional Chamber was making any outreach to businesses that might be displaced. Sean Roche said that we need a strategy for displacement and that gentrification happens when demand outstrips supply. He recommended setting maximum sizes for housing units to promote supply. Steve Murphy agreed that there should be very small units in order to be more green.

Carolyn Gabbay talked about the “overwhelming and out-of-scale” visual impact the plans would have on Walnut Street and said that the lack of 3D images of the plans makes it very difficult to understand the impact of these plans. She expressed concern that local businesses will be replaced by out-of-state chains.

Margaret Wazuka also would like to see 3D renderings of buildings on Walnut Street. She and others made distinctions between Walnut Street and Washington Street, in terms of width and in terms of north-south vs east-west orientation and its impact on sunlight. Donalyn Kahn noted that the narrower street, Walnut, will be “cavernous.”

Kathleen Greiser and Lynn LeBlanc asked if there are any studies to show that real estate prices actually are lower and carbon footprints are actually smaller with denser development. Alison Conant said that it is not proven that greater density leads to net environmental benefits or more affordable housing (unless it is required).

Alan Schlesinger and Christopher Werth each said that the plan goes too far geographically, east and west on Washington Street.

Peter Harrington said that saying “each village is different” means discrimination. Kathleen Greiser noted that the plan includes Four Corners (which is not a village) and excludes Chestnut Hill.

Ann Duval asked how VC1 and VC2 would encourage home ownership, vs. renting. She feels that there is no diversity in this plan and not enough focus on low-income residents. Steve Murphy also said that this plan is not making anything more affordable, and Lori Green said there should be more affordable housing. Christopher Werth agreed that there should be more opportunities to own property, vs. renting.

Annie Raines, a resident of Court Street, expressed concern about narrow setbacks and noted that Court Street is about ten feet lower than Washington Street, which would accentuate negative impacts of development on Washington Street. Concerning displacement, she said that no one on Court Street can afford to move elsewhere in Newton, and she asked what the Housing Trust could do to help those people.

Carolyn Gabbay expressed concern that no one had studied what removing special permits would cost. She asked, “How much do we lose in mitigation payments by going by-right?”

Andrea Levin expressed concern that the pace of this Village Center Zoning effort is too fast because “we already have over 1000 units in the pipeline,” and she asked what are we doing about congestion that exists already.

Councilor Deb Crossley, chair of the City Council’s Zoning and Planning committee, closed the session by saying that we are not anywhere near the end of this process, that these current sessions are taking public comment but not in public hearings, which will occur later, on January 9 and 23. She noted that every Friday Packet contains all the commentary received.

See these materials for the session: video recording, information packet, and notes taken by Planning Department.