The City Council seemed unprepared for 600 people to attend the 6/26/23 zoning meeting. It was frustrating to see no plan to allow everyone to speak. Sending written comments is just not the same. Councilors must make this process more transparent. I sympathize with those who want to move into…
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We need to properly vet the documents and data on which housing goals are based. The state of Massachusetts doesn’t plan with realistic numbers. And Newton’s leaders follow the state’s numbers, which lead our politicians astray. After a recent query to the Mayor’s office, I found her claim that the…
Monday night’s “Public Hearing” for the proposed Upzoning of the Village Centers and surrounding neighborhoods was shameful. Over 6000 postcards were mailed and the Mayor promoted it as Resident’s opportunity to weigh in. It was advertised as a hybrid meeting in both the City Hall Chamber and Zoom. However, when…
One of the goals of the Newton Village Center Rezoning project is to increase affordable housing options in the city. A strategic and systemic plan for increasing density is a powerful and necessary tool for achieving this critical housing affordability goal. Other cities across the country have realized this fact. Minneapolis and three other…
Thank you to Councilor Marc Laredo for his recent questions to the City Council, as reported in Fig City News, regarding the zoning proposal. His thoughtful and thought-provoking questions raise many of the issues that the City has so far failed to address, despite similar feedback. He not only raises the…
Adding density, as legislated in the MBTA Communities Act and proposed by Newton, would transform the built environment in our village centers from New England village feel to Urban/City. It is unnecessary and does not address housing affordability. The Urban Institute has concluded that up-zoning does not lead to greater affordability.…
With the pervasiveness of gun violence in our country, many people are asking, “What can I do?” In Massachusetts, we are lucky to have some of the strongest gun laws in the nation, corresponding to lower rates of gun ownership and gun violence. Yet, even here in Newton, guns have…
Kudos to the Boston Globe‘s John Hilliard for his article about private golf courses in affluent communities and the tax breaks they receive. During the winter of 2021-22, my husband and I were snowshoeing at Charles River Country Club here in Newton. An employee of the club approached and told us that…
Dear Fig City News: While applauding your new Apple app,I’m appalled by the deep Android slapThat ignores all the non-Apple techies,Making them want to wring all your neckies. I hope you address this omissionAnd sooner than later commissionA coder who’s solely employedTo develop your app for Android. Sallee LipshutzCouplet Writer…
Looking at the recent plantings, the massive use of concrete and the surprisingly steep rebuilt banks at Levingston Cove, it seems like there will be very few places where you can spread a blanket. Eric BenderNewton Centre