The city of Newton, Massachusetts is currently at a crossroads with regards to city planning, especially due to the requirements put forth by the 2021 MBTA Communities Act, which requires more housing density close to transit stations. As we approach the city council election on November 7, the debate around…
Posts published in “Zoning”
The Newtonville Area Council and City Councilors Tarik Lucas, Emily Norton, and Pam Wright will host an in-person community meeting — How Will Village Center Rezoning Affect Newtonville? — on October 19, 6PM-7:30PM, at the Newton North High School cafeteria to discuss zoning changes under consideration by the City Council.
“Promote compact, energy-efficient development concentrated around public transit and other existing infrastructure.” Mass Audubon, Losing Ground 1. Preserves trees Sprawl is the worst enemy of trees. Because of limits on the number of people who can live in Newton and other towns close to Boston, people have moved farther away…
I am voting for Lisa Gordon for Ward 6 Councilor. I admire her clear thinking on the key zoning issues that will impact our community for generations into the future. She untangles the MBTA Communities Act, which has a state imposed deadline of the end of this year, from the…
Many numbers have been thrown around about how many housing units might be built with the proposed zoning. These high numbers are reported with no explanation of what they mean and how they were calculated. One does not need a math or engineering degree to understand and explain the plan…
Two different signs have become visible across Newton, representing two points of view about the City’s proposed rezoning plan. Save Our Villages Two months ago, signs saying “Save Our Villages” began appearing on Newton lawns. An anonymous Newton resident who opposes the City’s proposed rezoning plan ordered and paid for the…
Some City Councilors are pushing to separate the Village Center zoning and the MBTA Communities Act zoning with the goal of changing zoning only to meet the minimum theoretical number of housing units allowed under the new rules. By confining the zoning process to just the MBTA Communities Act requirements,…
The Charles River Regional Chamber recently announced that it “is partnering” with a coalition “housing and climate advocates, civic leaders and clergy in support of passing the proposed Village Center Overlay District, which will also allow the city to be in compliance with the state’s MBTA Communities Law.” The coalition, using the slogan…
The Planning and Development Board submitted this letter to the Council reporting its vote that the proposed Village Center Overlay District zoning amendment “meets all of the prescribed criteria for qualifications as a simple-majority vote threshold of the City Council.” This means that the City Council may pass the zoning…
Greg Reibman, President of the Charles River Regional Chamber, endorses the Newton’s proposed Village Center Zoning Redesign and its Village Center Overlay Districts (VCOD). He says the proposed changes in village center zoning allowing development “by right,” rather than by special permit, will gradually increase the supply of homes for…