Newton’s prevailing theory is that building a lot more inventory will lower the cost of housing. Then, please tell me why Manhattan is not affordable? They have greatly densified over the last few decades. Or Seattle? Or Washington DC? Surely there must be cities that you can cite where the cost of housing did, in fact, go down as the result of building more units? After all, we keep hearing this narrative over and over. And so I ask those on the City Council supporting this upzoning, to provide DATA – NOT THEORY- to us skeptics.
Ultimately, you are asking residents to accept the annihilation of our historic village landscape (sure, maybe not in 1 year, but in 10 — and I plan to be around in that time). At the very least, the City should offer data that supports this densification. Please convince us that the sacrifice of our villages will bring us more affordable housing to meet our goals, and tell us exactly what those goals are!
Your colleagues at Newton Housing Partnership (NHP) don’t seem to be convinced either. An excerpt from a 11/15/2022 letter regarding a policy on an Affordable Housing Overlay (AHO) written by NHP’s David Rockwell and Charles Eisenberg:
“It is important that attention continue to be paid AHO by Newton policymakers, we believe, because both of the pending rezoning efforts, which we support as important opportunities to foster more vibrant village center communities over the long term, are aimed primarily at encouraging more market-rate, not necessarily affordable, multi-family development in our village center and transit-oriented locations.”
Lastly, what really perplexes me is why aren’t we prioritizing the building of 100% affordable units? Isn’t this a crisis that we need to address? Why isn’t there more planning or consideration for non-profit developers?
Margaret Ward
