Newton to Hold First Zoning Redesign Meeting Wednesday

NEWTON, MA – The city will hold its first rezoning meeting Wednesday night, as the zoning redesign process begins.

Newton's zoning ordinance has not been revised and updated since 1987, and in 2011, the mayor formed a task force to reform the ordinance.

Phase one of the plan, which reorganized the ordinance in order to clarify certain points, was completed in 2014. However, it did not amend the content of the ordinance.

The Department of Planning & Development has been hearing from residents and land owners about a few points that could be addressed with context-based zoning:

• Tear Downs. Concern from residents when property owners demolish homes that are usually smaller and older and replace them with much larger homes that may be out of context with the surrounding neighborhood, but are allowable under the current zoning.
• Special Permits. Many changes to homes require special permits, which can be an arduous process for the applicant and for the neighborhood.
• Enforcement. Currently, the zoning ordinance is difficult to understand and makes compliance and enforcement less clear for residents.
• Unpredictability. Residents are surprised by what’s allowed and have commented to staff that there is little predictability.

And tomorrow, this dialogue continues with the Zoning Redesign Kickoff Event at Second Church. The meeting is open to the public and runs from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Second Church is located at 60 Highland St. in West Newton.

For more information, contact James Freas at 617-796-1120 or zoningredesign@newtonma.gov.

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