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Land Use

Join Our Consensus Study Committees

League of Women Voters of Kalamazoo Area PoliciesAt its Annual Meeting held on June 12, 2022, the LWVN membership approved the formation of a Consensus Study Committee to update it’s zoning positions. This will be an intensive study of local zoning, and will be conducted in four stages:  research and study; consensus meetings; preparation of a study report; and determination if an existing position should be revised or deleted, or if a new position is warranted and development of that position.

We are inviting all members to join us in the conduct of this study.  There are lots of opportunities to participate, on whatever level and devoting as much time as you are comfortable with.

City of Gastonia - Applications and PermitsThe study will be focusing on five key areas:

  • review of Newton’s Comprehensive Plan
  • examination of current zoning techniques
  • examination of zoning ordinances that affect housing
  • reevaluation of our support for historic districts
  • examination of transportation goals

Anyone interested in participating should fill out this Form, letting us know what you are interested in and how much time you have to participate.  A LWVN Board member will get back to you with further details.

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Membership Approves Consensus Study Committee on Zoning

Newton zoning map

At its Annual Meeting held on June 12, 2022, the membership approved the formation of a Consensus Study Committee to Update Zoning Positions.

More information about this study and the reasons for it are described below.  This will be an intensive study of local zoning, and membership interest in welcome and encouraged.  Anyone interested in participating in this committee should Contact Us.

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The League Presents: Zoning Redesign, part 1

Deb Crossley
Newton City Councilor Deb Crossley, Chair of the Zoning & Planning Committee of the City Council  (ZAP)

In August 2020, I had the pleasure of having a conversation with Councilor Crossley, Chair of the Zoning & Planning Committee of the City Council  (ZAP). As a follow-up, this evening, to that program, I spoke with Deb about the City’s progress on zoning redesign, with a focus on:

  • A brief refresher on zoning principles
  • Actions taken to-date, since August 2020
  • Village Redesign, Phase I; citizen engagement/outcomes
  • Village Redesign Phase II; zoning to achieve public policy objectives

Please watch for an upcoming program on the MBTA Communities legislation and what it might mean for Newton.

Watch the video now

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Reimagining Our Village Centers

collage_vc

September 13, 2021 (Monday, 7:00-8:00pm) – Reimaging our Village Centers.  As part of the City’s community engagement efforts related to the redesign of the City’s Zoning Code, LWVN invited community members to get together to share their experiences of, and their future visions for, their village centers.

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LWVN supports the proposed Northland project

September 24, 2019

Newton City Council
Land Use Committee
Newton City Hall

Dear Chairman Schwartz and Members of the Land Use Committee,

The League of Women Voters of Newton (LWVN) supports the proposed Northland project because it leverages underutilized space that offers substantial improvements for Newton residents.  With this development we will be able to work towards our common goals of increasing housing diversity; mitigating the use of cars; creating new recreational open space; encouraging walking, biking, and use of the Greenway; attracting new shops, restaurants, and other kinds of employers and increasing our commercial tax base.

In the Globe article NIMBY? Not in these cities and towns Watertown, our neighbor, was cited as an example “In Watertown, which permitted 1,296 housing units in the four-year period, Community Development and Planning director Steve Magoon credited the town’s regulatory and elected boards with making the tough decisions needed to allow projects to go forward”.  We believe that Newton should also continue to step up to address the housing crisis in the metro Boston area.

The Newton City Council over the past few years made the difficult decisions to approve both the Austin Street and Washington Place projects.  With the Northland project, the City Council of 2018-2019 once again has the opportunity to make another tough decision and do the right thing by approving this development.

Northland’s proposal will provide a diversity of housing options that Newton needs, with an alternative to single-family homes, which many people – from young professionals, to seniors looking to downsize, to people who work in Newton – are looking for but cannot find right now.

  • It will increase the housing supply overall and provide much-needed affordable units.
  • With the newest proposal, 17.5% of the units will be affordable, producing 140 new affordable units, including 120 of affordable units at a blended 65% of AMI and 20 units of work-force housing for persons at 80 to 110% of AMI

The developer is committed to sustainability and is working with Green Newton to maximize environmentally-friendly features, including those listed below.

  • Passive House design in three buildings, exploration of Passive House design in the five remaining residential buildings and LEED for Neighborhood Development certifiability throughout.
  • The development will create new connections to the Greenway, plant 600 new trees, and will include 10 acres of active open-space available for public use.

And finally, the project will generate increased tax revenue for the City.

Overall, the combination of increased housing diversity, environmentally-friendly design, added green space, and additional tax income provide an opportunity that LWVN encourages the City Council to support.

 

Sincerely,

 

Marcia Johnson

President, League of Women Voters, Newton