Amid residents’ concerns about Newton moving toward having no houses with character or even backyards, the pace of home demolitions has decreased significantly recently, and the City’s regulation of home construction is facing on-going changes. The Zoning and Planning Committee has spent months trying to address community distress about teardowns…
Posts published in “Housing”
On April 22, the City Council approved two separate sets of amendments to Newton’s Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) ordinance. The first set, which passed unanimously, aligns Newton’s zoning with a new State Law allowing ADUs of up to 900 square feet by right. That state law had invalidated these old…
In her budget address to the City, Mayor Fuller outlined nine levers the City can pull to address our budget challenges, especially those related to funding schools. Of her nine points, only two were truly long-term solutions aimed at increasing revenue: a tax increase for everyone in the form of…
At the Newton City Hall War Memorial on April 15, Mayor Ruthanne Fuller received the 2025 Sheila Mondshein Award for Outstanding Leadership in Promoting Fair Housing. The award is granted annually by the Newton’s Fair Housing Committee. The group’s mission is to create diverse housing accommodations free of discrimination. “This…
In its continuing exploration of ways to update Newton’s Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance and build more “affordable” units, the Zoning and Planning Committee met on April 14 to hear recommendations by the consultant, RKG Associates. The meeting was in response to requests from several City Council members to consider adding an…
Newton for Everyone will host a talk by Dan Ruben — Housing and Climate Change: What’s the Connection? — on April 30 at 7PM, both online and in person at the Scandinavian Living Center (206 Waltham Street, West Newton). Register for attending in-person or online. Long-time Newton resident Dan Ruben teaches…
Although the Land Use Committee had voted unanimously to accept the withdrawal of applications for a zoning change and a special permit to allow for a four-story, 13-unit project at 386-390 Watertown Street, the topic was discussed again in the March 17 City Council meeting. The docket included both items…
Tuesday night was difficult for me as a member of the Land Use Committee. I witnessed a very promising, small infill development proposed for a vacant lot in the heart of a Nonantum be withdrawn by the applicant after months of meetings and negotiations. The proposed building included thirteen very modest-sized…
After much discussion and debate in the March 11 Land Use Committee meeting, the owner of 386-390 Watertown Street withdrew his request for a zoning change and a special permit. At the March 4 City Council Land Use Committee meeting, members had learned that the ongoing zoning change and special…
On March 10, the Newton City Council’s Zoning and Planning Committee met in a working session to discuss amending the City’s ADU Ordinance. Newton’s long-standing debate over the construction of Accessory Dwelling Units, or ADUs, was recently reignited with the passage of the Healy Administration’s Affordable Housing Act in August…