U-CHAN (Uniting Citizens for Housing Affordability in Newton) will not be officially endorsing any candidates for City Council based on their stance on the Village Center Overlay District (VCOD) zoning proposal, as the short-term and material impact on very low-income households is minimal. As an organization that is well-versed in the multitude of roadblocks that slow or stop the creation of critically needed housing, U-CHAN does endorse the VCOD zoning proposal, even if its original bold vision has been tamped down. While zoning updates are not a silver bullet that will solve the housing crisis or lead to immediate changes, we strongly support the progress towards a more consistent process for housing creation in a wider range of projects, including smaller multi-family units, and in particular, projects that will create affordable housing for very low and extremely low-income families. The VCOD proposal also enables Newton to meet the requirements of the MBTA Communities law, which is a critical step in addressing our region’s intersecting housing, climate change, and transportation challenges, which disproportionately affect those who have been economically marginalized.
We encourage all Newton residents to participate in the upcoming election on November 7th, by mail or in-person at their local polling station. We ask you to join us as we continue to engage elected officials, in the city and state, and hold them accountable to increasing the quantity of truly affordable housing in the city of Newton in the near term, as a matter of equity.
Josephine McNeil and Emily Cagwin
Co-chairs of U-CHAN
West Newton