A new zoning ordinance regulating the maximum frontage of a residential building is scheduled to take effect on March 1. It was passed by the City Council on October 20, 2025.
The ordinance pertains to what is called the “Residential Facade Build Out Ratio,” which is the ratio of the width of “Residential Front Elevation” — exterior walls of a residential building that face the front of the lot — to the width of the lot frontage itself.
In essence, it’s the width of the front of a house divided by the width of the front of its lot.
The ordinance requires that the width of the house not exceed 60% of the width of the front of the lot.
It also allows for two exceptions: buildings on lots with 50 feet or less of frontage are exempt from the new regulations, as are buildings that are smaller than 1.5 stories. Property owners looking to exceed the maximum ratio must apply for a special permit, which must be reviewed and approved by the Council.
Varying opinions
Councilor Lisle Baker, who chairs the Zoning and Planning Committee, told the Council at the October 20 meeting that he saw the ordinance as a means to regulate what he called “oversize” residential buildings.
“This is an opportunity for the Council to respond to the concerns we’ve heard in the community about the nature of our built environment and the oversized appearance of buildings, especially new construction,” he said.
In that October meeting, Councilor Rena Getz also voiced support for the ordinance, noting that a majority of homes in Newton already meet its requirements.
“There’s quite a bit of conformity in terms of the existing housing stock with the 60%, so that’s a benefit to the community,” she said.
However, not all Councilors were in agreement. Five of the Council’s 24 members voted against the adoption of the ordinance.
Councilor Andrea Kelley was among them. In that October meeting, she voiced concerns that the ordinance might pose problems for those with irregularly shaped lots.
“It seems to me that the current wording and scope doesn’t consider a majority of Newton lots, smaller lots, particularly irregularly shaped corner lots,” she said.
Councilor Kelley also noted that the ordinance — which allows for portions of a building set back 20 feet or more from the front of the lot to be excluded from the facade calculation — “appears to present the need to build further back into the site.”
Finally, Councilor Kelley had concerns about the need for a special permit application to override the ordinance, which she said could create an unnecessary burden for property owners.
“[The ordinance] creates the requirement for a special permit in some situations where currently it could be done by-right. This makes the process lengthier, more expensive, and convoluted to the detriment of residential property owners,” she said.
A tight deadline?
The March 1 implementation date for the ordinance has also caused controversy. (Building permits issued before March 1 are not subject to the new regulations in any way.)
At the Council’s October 20 meeting, Councilor Baker explained the rationale offered by the Zoning and Planning Committee for the deadline.
“We recognize there are people in the city who have expectations of carrying forward with a project and would like to see them finish that out,” he said.
When deciding on the deadline, Councilor Baker said that he had turned to the City’s Planning and Development commissioner for a recommendation.
“[The commissioner] had originally said January 1 … but upon reflection, after an inquiry from one of our colleagues, I asked him to think again, and he came back with March 1st as an effective date,” Baker said.
However, in a February 6 statement to Fig City News, Councilor Kelley said that she believed the deadline was too short. “That’s only three weeks,” she said.
The City of Newton has published a fact sheet about the ordinance.
Theo Younkin is a Fig City News student reporter, a senior at Newton South High School, and Co-Editor-in-Chief of the NSHS Lion’s Roar.
