Newton’s Zoning and Planning Committee unanimously recommended Catherine Feerick’s appointment as the City’s next planning director on Monday, July 20, following an hour-long discussion that explored her approach to economic development, housing, historic preservation, and public engagement.
Committee members questioned Feerick on some of Newton’s most pressing planning issues – including redevelopment, village centers, traffic, parking, housing production, and neighborhood character – before unanimously voting to recommend her appointment. The nomination now moves to the full City Council for final confirmation on Monday, August 10.
Mayor Marc Laredo announced Feerick’s nomination earlier this month, describing her as “a proven leader” with nearly two decades of experience in planning, economic development, housing, and community revitalization.
Upon confirmation, Feerick will succeed longtime Planning Director Barney Heath, who departed in January along with Deputy Planning Director Jen Caira, leaving vacancies at a time when Newton is navigating significant development, housing demand, and infrastructure planning.
Feerick most recently served as director of land use and economic development for Foxborough, where she helped oversee planning efforts related to this year’s FIFA World Cup. Before that, she served as economic development director in Attleboro, leading downtown revitalization initiatives and zoning changes designed to encourage housing and business growth.
Introducing herself to the committee, Feerick described herself as an “asset-based planner,” saying she believes that successful communities should build on their existing strengths rather than imitate other cities.
“You can’t create Silicon Valley here. You can’t create Hollywood here,” Feerick said at the meeting. “But you can create the best Newton.”
She said Newton’s distinctive village centers, historic architecture, and diverse neighborhoods were among the qualities that attracted her to the position.
“This is a community with an incredible diversity and depth of neighborhood culture and architecture,” she said. “It’s really exciting for me to dig into all of that, to learn a lot more about it, and to hear from all of you your ideas on where to go.”
Much of the committee’s discussion focused on economic development and the future of Newton’s village centers. Newton City Council Vice President David Kalis asked how Feerick would approach strengthening local business districts while preserving the unique character of each neighborhood.
Feerick said one of her first priorities would be spending time in Newton’s villages with residents, councilors, and business owners to better understand what makes each community successful and where improvements could be made.
“I’d like to get staff, councilors, and prominent business owners out in the villages and just teach me about what makes each of those villages work,” she said. “What are the areas that you see as choke points?”
Drawing on her experience in Attleboro, where she lives and served for several years as economic development director, Feerick said vibrant village centers depend on having enough nearby residents to support local businesses.
“In order for any of these small businesses and village centers to be successful, they need to have enough customers,” she said. “Once you get that backbone in there, we found that the quality and diversity of businesses really blossomed.”
Councilors also asked Feerick how she views the relationships between economic development, housing, and municipal finances. While noting that economic development now falls under the mayor’s office, she said planning decisions should ultimately strengthen Newton’s tax base while limiting the burden on taxpayers.
“What you’re trying to do ultimately is to increase the tax base without increasing the tax burden on individual ratepayers,” Feerick said.
She said commercial and industrial development generates significant revenue that helps communities maintain public services, while thoughtfully planned residential development can support local businesses and contribute to a city’s long-term financial health. At the same time, she said new development should be balanced with protecting neighborhood character and nearby property values.
Councilors also questioned Feerick about balancing housing production with historic preservation, traffic concerns and neighborhood character – issues that have fueled many of Newton’s recent planning debates.
Rather than offering sweeping policy prescriptions, Feerick repeatedly emphasized the importance of evaluating each neighborhood individually.
“Every single area that you go to is going to be completely different,” she said. “It’s everything’s a measure of wanting to preserve the wealth of residents while also making sure that in the future budgets balance.”
When asked about historic preservation, Feerick described older buildings as community assets that can often be adapted for new uses while helping revitalize surrounding business districts. She pointed to redevelopment projects she has overseen that transformed historic properties into community gathering spaces and attracted new activity to downtown areas.
Councilor Julia Malakie also asked Feerick about the city’s ongoing concerns over teardowns replacing smaller homes with much larger single-family houses. While acknowledging the issue, Feerick said she would need time to study Newton’s specific circumstances before recommending solutions.
“I think there are some problems,” she said. “There are some areas that the planning department is currently working on trying to find solutions. I’m very happy to review all of them.”
Public communication and transparency also emerged as major themes during the meeting. Responding to questions about community engagement, Feerick said planning departments should proactively communicate with residents about projects before misinformation takes hold.
While serving in Attleboro, she established a position for a community engagement specialist responsible for informing residents about major development projects through social media and other outreach efforts.
“When you’re communicating proactively about things that people may or may not be noticing, people get very excited about that,” she said. “Communication is vital.”
Throughout the meeting, councilors welcomed Feerick and praised her background in planning and economic development. Several invited her to tour their villages after she begins the role so she can better understand the unique opportunities and challenges facing neighborhoods across Newton.
Asked why she wanted to become Newton’s planning director, Feerick said the position offered an opportunity to return to the neighborhood-focused planning work she finds most rewarding.
“I’m a neighborhood planner at the end of the day,” she said. “To have an opportunity to dig back into neighborhood planning and how people live on a daily basis—that’s something that gives me a lot of satisfaction.”
The committee unanimously recommended her appointment. The nomination now advances to the full City Council for final consideration at its meeting on August 10.
See NewTV’s video of the conversation between Catherine Feerick and the members of the Zoning & Planning Committee.