Alan Lobovits is a first-time candidate for one of the two Ward 6 At-Large seats on the City Council and spoke recently with Fig City News. The retired pediatrician and longtime Newton Highlands resident is running because he became increasingly aware and concerned about the impact of Village Center Zoning Redesign (VCOD) on local communities and what he believes is inadequate City Council outreach informing residents of the proposal.
Attending a Zoning and Planning Committee Public Hearing in June, Dr. Lobovits was particularly critical of the “superficial” presentation by the Newton Planning Department of the current version of VCOD, including the new Multi Residence Transit plan. He was disturbed that members of the public were not allowed to ask questions.
Realizing that he was not alone in seeking more information about the VCOD proposal – there were a number of Highland residents who he said did not have a deep understanding of the rezoning plans – he joined with several others, including members of the Newton Highland Neighborhood Association, in writing a letter that they distributed to 100 people in the neighborhood and cc’d the Ward 6 City Councilors. Twenty-five neighbors responded, although the local City Councilors did not. Some neighbors felt the incumbents needed to be challenged and urged Dr. Lobovits to run.
Among his concerns about the proposed zoning code is the change in allowable heights on narrow streets in village centers – for example, Lincoln Street in Newton Highlands and Walnut Street in Newtonville – which he says will create a “canyon effect” because the height of the buildings is out of proportion to the width of streets, and City Councilors do not seem to be taking that into account. He believes that five-story buildings on both sides of the street will cast constant shadows.
He echoed a worry expressed by small local businesses that they would be displaced during construction and would be unable to return to their former locations. “People like locally owned businesses, which give village centers their character,” he explained. He said, “TRIO is renting to chain businesses – e.g., Chase Bank, Chipotle, CVS, the New York Bagel Factory – because it couldn’t rent to local businesses.”
The proposed VCOD puts affordable housing at risk, according to Dr. Lobovits, because naturally occurring smaller homes and larger, potentially multi-family Victorians are tear-down targets. In their stead, developers are building more expensive new buildings that are much less affordable. “There is no evidence that prices go down with more development because of (current) costs,” says Dr. Lobovits. New development will necessarily be more expensive because it is more expensive to build now, he says, citing recent articles (one, two) that underscore the point. “There are approaches to making housing affordable. The VCOD isn’t one of them,” Dr. Lobovits says. He is committed to making housing more accessible to everyone.
“Don’t accept people’s arguments at face value,” he advises, lamenting the lack of evidence offered by the City in pushing for the VCOD. He envisions thousands more cars on the already overcrowded streets, with negative impacts on infrastructure and safety. He challenges the assumption that new housing will be in transportation hubs, that no one will use cars, and that everyone will suddenly use public transportation to do their shopping, run errands, deliver and pick up children. “People need cars,” he says. At the same time, Dr. Lobovits is a cyclist and champion for increased bicycle and pedestrian safety.
Overall, Dr. Lobovits is highly critical of the City’s job informing people about the VCOD. He found about the proposal by chance, but he feels that it is the City’s obligation to inform, and people need to have more opportunities to ask questions. Moreover, he thinks residents ought to have the opportunity “to vote on a zoning plan that could transform their community dramatically and lead to their own displacement.”
Dr. Lobovits has gained considerable financial-management expertise while serving as President of the Solomon Schecter Day School and as a founding member of the Gann Academy. He has been a supporter of food pantries, and he and his wife Lisa have lived in Newton for 40 years.
At the recent Nonantum meeting with local residents and businesses, Dr. Lobovits “was disturbed and inspired” by the fervor of the people protesting that the leadership of the City was not listening to them. “I will be careful to listen to everyone who will be affected,” he promised. Dr. Lobovits supports the nine current City Councilors who wrote a letter urging their colleagues to give the VCOD proposal more time and consideration.
More information is at his campaign website, alanlobovits.org.
Ed. Note: We have corrected the spelling of Dr. Lobovits’s name in this article and regret our error.
