Newton Center/Thompsonville Village Center Zoning Input Session draws 53 participants

On Thursday, December 1st, Barney Heath, Director of Newton’s Planning Department, joined by members of his staff, launched the third in a series of seven community presentations on the proposed Village Center Overlay Design. This meeting, focused on Newton Center and Thompsonville, was not meant to be a public hearing, Heath said, noting that the City Council’s Zoning and Planning Committee would hold those on January 9th and January 23rd. The Planning Department is seeking comments on what he called the current proposed zoning version 1.0, and they were particularly interested in comments from property owners and businesses. (See video of the meeting, session notes of comments annotated on maps, and the session packet.)

Fifty-three people attended the virtual meeting, including Deb Crossley, chair of the City Council;s Zoning and Planning (ZAP) Committee, City Councilor and ZAP member Pam Wright; Councilor Andreae Downs, chair of the Public Safety and Transportation Committee; Councilors Alicia Bowman and Brenda Noel from Ward 6; and City Councilor Julia Anne Malakie.

Zack LeMel, Director of Long Range Planning, gave a brief overview of Version 1.0, designed to create “active and vibrant village centers, creating space for gathering, safe for getting around” and at the same time to be “climate friendly” and sustainable. Noting that the Planning Department has been working on the rezoning plan for more than two years, he said they considered “what works, what’s broken, what we can fix.” The maps of Newton Center and Thompsonville outlined the three new village center designations — in blue for VC1, green for VC2, and red for VC3. In addition, there were drawings of existing Newton Center buildings in each category. All three of the new VC categories would allow “by right” development.

Sean Roche, who lives near Thompsonville and Newton Center but not in a proposed VC designation, expressed concern that there is “too much deference to height.” Density is the answer to sprawl, he said. He advocated offering more options for people who want to live here. He was one of several people who pressed for more housing development south of the Newton Center T stop. (The neighborhood closest to the Newton Center T stop did not have any VC1 up-zoning, unlike other T stop village centers.)

Jay Walter lamented a “missed opportunity” in not rezoning public parking lots and islands, and he voiced the concerns of many about the preservation of historic buildings, specifically churches like the Baptist Church at the corner of Center and Beacon Streets. Deputy Director Jen Caira explained that public use areas were not rezoned because the Planning Department wanted more time to think about their use. Russel Feldman wanted to include incentives to reinforce the preservation of historic buildings, thereby allowing more diversity. In responding to City Councilor Brenda Noel’s concerns about landmarked buildings in Newton Centre, Jen Caira said that the Newton Historic Commission (NHC), appointed by the Mayor, has to review and approve every change to an historic building. Mr. Heath said that it was nor the Planning Department’s intention to demolish historic buildings. Councilor Pam Wright responded that if buildings were not landmarked, they could go before the NHC and be torn down after a 12-18 month delay. She noted that none of the city’s thirty-six landmarked buildings are in Newton Center.

Kia Freeman was one of several people expressing confusion about the designation process, particularly about siting a multi-story VC3 property next to a VC1 or single-family home, with very little space between them. She expressed concern that putting the two designations together would lead to more tear-downs. Susan Bergman noted that townhouses were inaccessible for people in wheelchairs. She urged more tree-planting and emphasis on environmental preservation.

Mary Lee Belleville and others challenged the contention that Newton Center needed more development to make it more vibrant. She said the proposed zoning “will do more harm than good” and said that business owners were not notified of the rezoning changes, nor were they informed about the meeting. In her view, shared by others, if existing buildings are torn down, businesses will be displaced. Moreover, with new “setback” rules, restaurants will lose the option for sidewalk dining.

Daniel Kraft asked if there had ever been a three-story building on Langley Road where Johnny’s luncheonette now stands. Councilor Crosby responded that City Councilor Vicki Danberg, who was not present on Thursday, once told her that in the early 1900s there had been a three-story building on the site, but during an economic downturn, the building was demolished because of the increased property tax on multi-story buildings.

Beth Wilkinson and Gerard Slattery questioned the rationale for specific VC1 and VC2 designations. Beth wondered about the VC2 classification on the south side of Crescent Avenue. “That VC2 designation would allow dense development on a small, one-way Crescent Avenue.” In a follow-up email she explained:

“On the drawing of the map provided by the City, there is one VC2 area that includes the Sacred Heart Church, the rectory, the MacKenzie Center across the street, and the parking lot adjacent to the center. The representative of the Planning Department said that that parking area had to have the same designation as the MacKenzie Center because it’s all one lot on the Assessor’s database and because one lot cannot have multiple zoning classifications.

Since the meeting, I’ve checked the Assessor’s database and found that the church and the rectory next to it each is on its own lot. The MacKenzie Center and the parking lot across the street are combined into another lot.

It would make sense to us to make the zoning for that lot on the south side of Crescent Avenue to be VC1, just like the zoning for the buildings on the other side of the street that do not front on Centre Street—and like buildings adjacent to the MacKenzie Center that are further south on Centre Street. The land with the church and the rectory still would be VC2, creating the step-down zoning that the Planning Department recommends.”

Similarly, Gerard Slattery noted that property he owns on John Street in Thompsonville, designated VC1, would not be allowed today. Other properties on John Street — another dead end street — are designated as VC2. Terry Morris raised concerns that the four little apartment houses now on John Street — designated VC2 — which offer more affordable housing, will be torn down to make way for larger more expensive units.

City Councilor Andreae Downs, Chair of the Public Safety and Transportation Committee, said the goal of Village Center zoning is to “free people from cars,” adding that village centers should be “fifteen-minute neighborhoods” where people could walk to everything they need. In her view, there would be less traffic and more people. Leah Bird responded that we need “to be realistic about the affordability of Newton Center.” She said people were “getting sentimental” about what used exist in village centers and that village centers no longer include small hardware or produce stores because small businesses cannot afford the rents. She commented that developers are not developing for affordable housing or small businesses.

Rena Getz said there needs to be a review of who lives in buildings and who will be displaced by development. She advocated for incentives for developers to build more affordable housing.

City Councilor Alicia Bowman noted that we are in a housing crisis and village centers need to provide more housing. Seniors want to live in village centers where they will not have to drive, she said. She believes we should be less concerned about the height of buildings, noting that Casselman House on Sumner Street is a five-story apartment house for low-income elderly and disabled adults, and people walking by “don’t notice the height.” (Casselman House is the only residential property on the north side of the Sumner Street, which includes stores and the post office. It is four stories along the street and the fifth story is greatly stepped back. The opposite side of the street is multi-family housing, including a small apartment house.)

Jonathan Levin noted the heavy traffic throughout the city, which he ascribed to “densification.” Responding to many concerns about traffic, Barney Heath acknowledged that the “traffic is frustrating, and he wondered if “the traffic jams are caused by Newton residents or people passing through.”

Summing up the meeting, ZAP Chair Crossley reiterated that Version 1.0 is not the finished product, which would not be complete until April or May. “The construct is here to create a product,” she said. The hearings in January will invite “constructive comments.”

Barney Heath predicted that Version 2.0 will be available after the new year and invited people to check out the website.