Opponents of the proposed zoning often say the changes are too radical, creating too much change to our village centers. However, from the historical perspective, this proposal actually brings our villages closer to what they once were. They were denser, taller and teeming with life compared to today. This is…
Posts published in “Zoning”
On October 16, Ward 1 City Councilors Alison Leary and Maria Scibeli Greenberg, and Zoning and Planning (ZAP) Committee Chair Councilor Deb Crossley, docketed an item for the October 26 ZAP meeting to allow the current Nonantum VCOD plan to be removed from consideration. Instead, the plan would be referred…
Among organizations engaged in this year’s Village Center Zoning reform efforts is the Newton for Everyone Coalition, which was formed earlier this year to educate and support the City’s Village Center Zoning efforts. It currently includes these Newton organizations: Newton Interfaith Clergy for Housing Equity (NICHE), Uniting Citizens for Housing…
The proposed village-center rezoning reflects thoughtful compromise and tradeoffs. A core tradeoff: balancing intensity of multi-family residential development in existing commercial areas against a broad desire to minimize multi-family redevelopment, aka teardowns. City councilors Pam Wright and John Oliver (and others, including like-minded candidates in contested races) have recently and…
Climate change is accelerating rapidly. Extreme heat is the deadliest natural hazard in the U.S. “Heat islands” in the built environment amplify average temperatures and extreme heat, especially near major highways. This affects every Newton neighborhood. The National Climate Assessment shows more flooding in the Northeast, where the most extreme storms are generating 27% more moisture…
On October 23, the Zoning and Planning Committee voted to approve the proposed amendments to the Zoning Ordinance to create a Village Center Overlay District. The item has been in discussion since early 2021, after the Committee’s review and discussion of proposed amendments to expand multi-family uses in residential zones…
The Zoning and Planning Committee voted to hold all items (see Report and watch NewTV video): The following Amendments approved: The following Amendments that were rejected:
Various groups — church organizations, neighborhood organizations, and Area Councils — are hosting in various locations informational forums regarding the village center zoning proposal. Fig City News will endeavor to keep here an updated list of links to such forums that are recorded.
Over the past three years, the Newtonville Area Council (NAC) has focused much of its attention on proposed village center zoning redesign (the Village Center Overlay Design, or VCOD) because Newtonville has seen significant new development. TRIO – a large retail and apartment complex on the corner of Washington and…
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…
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…