The Zoning Board of Appeals approved the installation of a new Walmart Depot (microfulfillment center) in an existing 20,000 square foot building at 241-247 Riverview, adjacent to the City’s Resource Recovery Center on Rumford Avenue. The facility will be closed to the public and used solely for distribution of high-demand…
Posts published in “Zoning”
Newton homeowners will have more flexibility in where they can place raised garden beds after the City Council approved a zoning amendment on June 15 changing how the City regulates this increasingly common landscaping feature. The amendment, which passed with 17-3, with four Councilors absent, received one more affirmative vote…
The Zoning & Planning Committee met on Monday, March 9. See the report and meeting video. Held Present: Councilors Baker (Chair), Wright (Vice Chair), President Oliver, Albright, Gordon, Kalis, Getz, and Dahmubed.Also present: Councilors Block, Roche, Bixby, and Malakie.City staff: Katie Whewell, Acting Director of Planning; Nora Colello, Chief of…
Newton’s Zoning and Planning Committee met on March 9 with Brookline town officials to discuss Brookline’s proposal to rezone a stretch of Route 9 in Chestnut Hill. Committee members wanted to learn more about the proposal and its potential impacts on traffic, planning, and development along the Route 9 corridor. …
On March 2, the Newton City Council approved rezoning 148 California Street from Manufacturing to Business Use 2, a change that supporters said would ease leasing for businesses, while opponents warned it could undermine planning for the California Street corridor. The parcel contains about half of a shopping center that straddles…
At a meeting on Monday, February 9, the City Council’s Zoning and Planning Committee reviewed the status of potential projects proposed under the Village Center Overlay District (VCOD) zoning ordinance, following a request by Ward 2 City Councilor Susan Albright for twice-yearly updates. Nora Masler Colello, the City’s chief of…
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…
On Wednesday, July 9, the City Council’s Zoning and Planning Committee met to consider the “current state of Newton’s commercial office space,” as the Committee’s agenda described the discussion item. According to the agenda, the discussion was intended to focus on new commercial office leases, the current commercial office space…
I have been saddened by the conflict between the business community and the City Council over the format of the July 9 zoning meeting. Seeing all the back and forth about whether it was a discussion or a presentation, who would be allowed to speak vs. submit written comments, and…
The Zoning & Planning Committee voted to hold the following (see report and watch the meeting video): Present: Councilors Baker (Chair), Oliver, Albright, Wright, Krintzman, Kalis, and Getz Absent: Councilor Danberg Also Present: Councilors Lobovits, Block, Farrell, Malakie, and GreenbergCity Staff: Deputy Director of Planning Jen Caira, Senior Assistant City…
Amid residents’ concerns about Newton moving toward having no houses with character or even backyards, the pace of home demolitions has decreased significantly recently, and the City’s regulation of home construction is facing on-going changes. The Zoning and Planning Committee has spent months trying to address community distress about teardowns…
On April 22, the City Council approved two separate sets of amendments to Newton’s Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) ordinance. The first set, which passed unanimously, aligns Newton’s zoning with a new State Law allowing ADUs of up to 900 square feet by right. That state law had invalidated these old…