2020-2021
Newton Police Reform Task Force
On July 3, 2020, Mayor Fuller announced the formation of the Newton Police Reform Task Force, charged with undertaking a holistic assessment of the Newton Police Department and making recommendations to the Mayor on the Newton Police Department’s strategic direction for the future. LWVN will be following the work of this Task Force until it submits its recommendations to the Mayor in February 2021.
Information regarding the Task Force can be found on the Newton Police Reform Task Force page of the City of Newton’s website, including the Task Force Members, and its Goals, Responsibilities and Timeline.
The full schedule of currently planned Task Force meetings is as follows:
July 15
July 22
July 29
August 5
August 19 ** Community Open Session
August 26* Update to Mayor Fuller
September 9
September 16 ** Community Open Session
September 23
October 14
October 21** Community Open Session
October 28
November 11
November 18* Update to Mayor Fuller
December 2
December 9** Community Open Session
December 16
January 6
January 13
January 20
January 27
February 1* Recommendations due to Mayor
An email address has been established to respond to any questions, comments, or input that Newton residents may have at NPRTaskForce@newtonma.gov. A member of the Task Force will respond to all inquiries received as timely as possible.
LWVN is endeavoring to have an observer at Task Force meetings open to the public. Review our Observer Notes of those meetings.
Zoning Reform
Zoning is the set of laws governing such things as the size and shape of buildings, additions and renovations, and what types of activities can take place in which buildings. The City of Newton’s Zoning Redesign project is a multi-year effort to update and rewrite Newton’s Zoning Ordinance.
The current zoning redesign efforts build off of many years of research, study, and engagement. The 2007 Comprehensive Plan recognized the constraints imposed by our zoning rules, which sometimes prove inflexible for homeowners looking to change their property and create hurdles for new development.
In 2011, the mayor and the Board of Alderman created a Zoning Reform Group (ZRG) charged with articulating a process and framework for revising Newton’s zoning ordinance to facilitate the vision in the adopted Comprehensive Plan. The Zoning Reform Group Report created by this group has provided guidance to the overall Zoning Redesign process. The ZRG recommended a three-phase process to develop a plan for reforming Newton’s zoning ordinance:
- Phase I – Reorganize and reformat the current Zoning Ordinance to make it easier to use, resolve confusing or contradictory passages, incorporate illustrations and tables
- Phase II – Comprehensively rewrite the Zoning Ordinance and revise the Zoning Map to address the themes within the ZRG report and to better implement the Comprehensive Plan
- Phase III – Review the new Zoning Ordinance after one year to consider how well it has worked and make coordinated adjustments leading to an ongoing process of regularly scheduled zoning maintenance
Since that time, the City has been slowly leading a comprehensive Zoning Redesign effort to achieve several goals. Most recently in April 2020, the City Council’s Zoning and Planning committee reasserted the primary goals of the Zoning Redesign:
- Housing: A zoning code more responsive to a demand for housing that serves a range of incomes; Promote sustainable community development patterns
- Sustainability: Environmental stewardship, fiscal strength and meeting community needs
- Context: Preserve and protect what we like in our neighborhoods; Encourage new development to fit in the context of our neighborhoods and villages.
City staff and the Zoning and Planning (ZAP) Committee Chair and Co-Chair have developed a process to efficiently work through the draft Zoning Ordinance to achieve the goal of full adoption by the end of the 2021 City Council term. The process focuses around ZAP and incorporates constant community engagement in various forms to both inform and guide the City along the way.
More information and regular updates about Zoning Redesign can be found at the Current Drafting Status page on the City’s website.
Also see:
- The League Presents: The Zoning Redesign Process in Newton with Deb Crossley
- Topic Meeting: Zoning Reform Presented by Jay Walter
Redesign of City Seal
We see the Newton City seal on city letterhead, on recycling bins, and in the rotunda at City Hall. It shows Christian missionary John Eliot proselytizing to Waban and other native people in the 1640s. Why did city leaders choose this image for the seal in 1865? What does the image convey? Is the image and its message still appropriate? Is it time to reconsider the City seal?
The Mayor has convened an ad hoc working group to reconsider the city seal. Find information on the City Seal Working Group.
The City is looking for community input. You can provide input to the Working Group by :
- Filling out the online Community Feedback Form
- Emailing the committee at cityseal@newtonma.gov