Village Center Rezoning
Howard Rosenof
By now, I assume that everyone has seen the analysis of the village center zoning proposal developed and published by Councilors John Oliver and Pam Wright. For anyone who hasn't, it's below:
Density is "gross density" in units per acre overall,
accounting for streets and other land that can't be developed.
That's also the case for the required minimum density of 15
units per acre, as shown. However, this chart doesn't show the
total area proposed for rezoning in each village center, or the
number of dwelling units that could be built by-right in each
place. Thompsonville's proposed density is second only to that
of West Newton, but the area to be rezoned in Thompsonville is
much smaller than the equivalent areas in West Newton and
Newtonville. In order, the three village centers that are to be
rezoned for the greatest number of dwelling units are Newton
Centre, West Newton and Newtonville.
Newton's requirement under the MBTA Communities Act, to zone for 8330 units by right, is driven by the Green Line; if Newton only had Commuter Rail the requirement would be lower. In other words, the law recognizes that rapid transit such as the Green Line is a more capable mode ("higher level") of transit than Commuter Rail. That's certainly true in Newton.
There is, however, no requirement that any specific fraction of
the 8330 units be located along the Green Line. In fact, the
guidelines allow city government to locate as many units as it
likes along the Commuter Rail: "... a rapid transit community
with transit station area around a subway station in one part of
town, and transit station area around a commuter rail station in
another part of town, may locate its multi-family zoning
district in either or both transit station areas." I researched
the effect of this provision, and noted in an earlier post that
it only really matters to two communities, Newton and Medford.
Other communities that have both Commuter Rail and rapid transit
services have adjacent stations, such as the Porter (Square)
station in Cambridge that serves both the Red Line and Commuter
Rail. The MBTA Communities law recognizes the greater capability
of rapid transit, but for Newton and Medford does not stop city
governments from associating the highest densities and greatest
land areas with the less-capable mode. Medford advised the state
that it expects to focus its rezoning for high densities around
the Wellington Orange Line station, so it looks like Newton
stands alone in pushing some of the highest densities to
Commuter Rail stations.
Village center rezoning, as the city likes to point out, got
started long before the MBTA Communities Act was passed. It's
long been the city's plan to redevelop, I would say urbanize,
the part of the city from West Newton to Newton Corner. The
Washington Street Vision Plan was officially launched on May 1,
2018, at which point the consultant had been selected and
engaged, meaning that the effort had started even earlier.
Developers started purchasing real estate along Washington
Street around that time (e.g. the sale of the Newtonville Post
Office building to Mark Development was announced on October 15,
2018) and major project announcements came soon after, e.g. Trio
(then Washington Place) on January 8, 2019 and Sunrise on May 1,
2019. It's no surprise, then, that the current zoning proposal
continues to reflect the city's desire to direct as much
development as possible to the area along Washington Street.
Urbanization of the area around Washington Street is likely to
continue once village center rezoning is passed, as there are
still areas between the village centers that are ripe for
upzoning and City Council leadership has indicated that the next
round of rezoning will apply to "corridors" including Washington
Street. If Newton had a usable Comprehensive Plan all of this
presumably would have been spelled out in a transparent way, but
instead we learn of city government's planning piecemeal.
Another indication that the village center rezoning reflects a longstanding plan is a letter sent by nine City Councilors to the state during the public comment period associated with the MBTA Communities law. It's a public document, but since not many may have seen it I have an image of it below. The nine Councilors who signed the letter had obviously been thinking along the same lines as the MBTA Communities Act. While the letter appears under a City Council letterhead, it reflects the views of, or at least is signed by, only a minority of our 24 Councilors and does not represent a City Council resolution, which would have required a public process and vote.
The six benefits listed in the letter all could have been addressed without the state's intervention, if the Councilors had been able to independently marshal a community consensus around their views of zoning redesign. For that reason, I see the letter as thanking the state for providing political cover for the signers to do something they wanted to do anyway, knowing it wasn't likely to be popular.
Of the nine signatories, Albright, Lipof, Kelley, Kalis and
Humphrey are running for re-election unopposed; Downs, Crossley
and Bowman are running in competitive races; and Noel is not
running for re-election.
Zoning Guidelines: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/section-3a-guidelines
Medford MBTA "Action Plan": https://www.mass.gov/doc/submitted-section-3a-action-plans/download P. 441
Washington Street Vision Plan https://www.newtonma.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/41560/637417539584170000
Washington Place announcement https://bostonrealestatetimes.com/mark-development-partners-with-erland-and-prellwitz-to-build-a-new-299000-sf-property-in-newton/
Sale of Newtonville Post Office building: https://www.bldup.com/posts/washington-street-post-office-acquired-for-6-75-million
Ann Beaton
By now, I assume that everyone has seen the analysis of the village center zoning proposal developed and published by Councilors John Oliver and Pam Wright. For anyone who hasn't, it's below:
<ZIKopayKfDjVatQ3.png>
Density is "gross density" in units per acre overall, accounting for streets and other land that can't be developed. That's also the case for the required minimum density of 15 units per acre, as shown. However, this chart doesn't show the total area proposed for rezoning in each village center, or the number of dwelling units that could be built by-right in each place. Thompsonville's proposed density is second only to that of West Newton, but the area to be rezoned in Thompsonville is much smaller than the equivalent areas in West Newton and Newtonville. In order, the three village centers that are to be rezoned for the greatest number of dwelling units are Newton Centre, West Newton and Newtonville.
Newton's requirement under the MBTA Communities Act, to zone for 8330 units by right, is driven by the Green Line; if Newton only had Commuter Rail the requirement would be lower. In other words, the law recognizes that rapid transit such as the Green Line is a more capable mode ("higher level") of transit than Commuter Rail. That's certainly true in Newton.
There is, however, no requirement that any specific fraction of the 8330 units be located along the Green Line. In fact, the guidelines allow city government to locate as many units as it likes along the Commuter Rail: "... a rapid transit community with transit station area around a subway station in one part of town, and transit station area around a commuter rail station in another part of town, may locate its multi-family zoning district in either or both transit station areas." I researched the effect of this provision, and noted in an earlier post that it only really matters to two communities, Newton and Medford. Other communities that have both Commuter Rail and rapid transit services have adjacent stations, such as the Porter (Square) station in Cambridge that serves both the Red Line and Commuter Rail. The MBTA Communities law recognizes the greater capability of rapid transit, but for Newton and Medford does not stop city governments from associating the highest densities and greatest land areas with the less-capable mode. Medford advised the state that it expects to focus its rezoning for high densities around the Wellington Orange Line station, so it looks like Newton stands alone in pushing some of the highest densities to Commuter Rail stations.
Village center rezoning, as the city likes to point out, got started long before the MBTA Communities Act was passed. It's long been the city's plan to redevelop, I would say urbanize, the part of the city from West Newton to Newton Corner. The Washington Street Vision Plan was officially launched on May 1, 2018, at which point the consultant had been selected and engaged, meaning that the effort had started even earlier. Developers started purchasing real estate along Washington Street around that time (e.g. the sale of the Newtonville Post Office building to Mark Development was announced on October 15, 2018) and major project announcements came soon after, e.g. Trio (then Washington Place) on January 8, 2019 and Sunrise on May 1, 2019. It's no surprise, then, that the current zoning proposal continues to reflect the city's desire to direct as much development as possible to the area along Washington Street. Urbanization of the area around Washington Street is likely to continue once village center rezoning is passed, as there are still areas between the village centers that are ripe for upzoning and City Council leadership has indicated that the next round of rezoning will apply to "corridors" including Washington Street. If Newton had a usable Comprehensive Plan all of this presumably would have been spelled out in a transparent way, but instead we learn of city government's planning piecemeal.
Another indication that the village center rezoning reflects a longstanding plan is a letter sent by nine City Councilors to the state during the public comment period associated with the MBTA Communities law. It's a public document, but since not many may have seen it I have an image of it below. The nine Councilors who signed the letter had obviously been thinking along the same lines as the MBTA Communities Act. While the letter appears under a City Council letterhead, it reflects the views of, or at least is signed by, only a minority of our 24 Councilors and does not represent a City Council resolution, which would have required a public process and vote.
The six benefits listed in the letter all could have been addressed without the state's intervention, if the Councilors had been able to independently marshal a community consensus around their views of zoning redesign. For that reason, I see the letter as thanking the state for providing political cover for the signers to do something they wanted to do anyway, knowing it wasn't likely to be popular.
Of the nine signatories, Albright, Lipof, Kelley, Kalis and Humphrey are running for re-election unopposed; Downs, Crossley and Bowman are running in competitive races; and Noel is not running for re-election.
<nPdJVZZXiAEyS0Sy.png><9d991MxT5XibfYzS.png>
Zoning Guidelines: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/section-3a-guidelines
Medford MBTA "Action Plan": https://www.mass.gov/doc/submitted-section-3a-action-plans/download P. 441
Washington Street Vision Plan https://www.newtonma.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/41560/637417539584170000
Washington Place announcement https://bostonrealestatetimes.com/mark-development-partners-with-erland-and-prellwitz-to-build-a-new-299000-sf-property-in-newton/
Sale of Newtonville Post Office building: https://www.bldup.com/posts/washington-street-post-office-acquired-for-6-75-million
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Shari G
While the letter appears under a City Council letterhead, it reflects the views of, or at least is signed by, only a minority of our 24 Councilors and does not represent a City Council resolution, which would have required a public process and vote.
The six benefits listed in the letter all could have been addressed without the state's intervention, if the Councilors had been able to independently marshal a community consensus around their views of zoning redesign. For that reason, I see the letter as thanking the state for providing political cover for the signers to do something they wanted to do anyway, knowing it wasn't likely to be popular.
Michael Halle
The chart from Councilor Wright and Oliver’s presentation that Howard includes tells the story of density, but I’m not sure it tells the whole story.
Here are my questions/comments:
* Density is units per acre (# of units / # of acres). What are the number of units and the number of acres for the different villages? (Howard alluded to this issue when he pointed out that Thompsonville is high on the density chart because the developable area is small. How does WN compare?)
* What are the actual number of units proposed per village (rather than just density) required for MBTA compliance, given the developable areas of each village?
* The current D line serves what is primarily residential villages with relatively limited commercial zones. As I understand it, the residential zones can get more units but aren’t going to be high density VC2 or VC3 (i.e., the proposal doesn’t convert much or any? current residential to commercial zoning). The villages along the Commuter Rail historically had both commercial and industrial uses that can become VC2 or VC3. which would bias them toward more compact, high density numbers in the graph. Does that explain much of the skew?
As Howard mentions, there is a current disparity between quality of service on the Commuter Rail and the Green Line (although the CR is supplemented by express buses that serve a significant ridership). This isn’t a great time for the state to lean on the T’s service to convince people of the transformative power of transit. Boston needs a world class transit system (right now, even a safer and more functional one will do), and Newton needs accessible and modern Commuter Rail stations that accommodate service running closer to subway-like frequencies and headway. Transportation isn’t second to housing as a state priority, it’s an intrinsic part of housing and needs to be addressed now, independent of the MBTA Communities Act and Newton zoning.
Finally, regarding the letter from the Councilors supporting the then MBTA Communities Bill, I think the Councilors were correct to see this as a state issue rather than a Newton issue. The state has a “right to shelter” law. The state controls transportation and much of housing policy and resources. The state can wield both carrots and sticks to encourage compliance.There is benefit looking at housing across municipal lines. But, yes, it’s easier to get zoning changes through when there’s a state law requiring them – just look how the conversation in Newton has shifted towards at least meeting the MBTA act requirements. The Councilors were just a few voices of many supporting the law (and doubtless many others opposing it).
—Mike
Damien Croteau-Chonka
Lynne LeBlanc
One thing that rarely gets addressed: Boston (and environs) has had little population change over the past twenty years - in fact, the population (like the state's) has slightly declined. Coupled with even or declining population are hundreds of thousands of new units that have been, are, and will be built. We were told that more housing would bring prices/costs/rents down. The opposite has happened. One has to ask: From the evidence, who could possibly believe upzoning is the answer? Upzoning, the solution that the small group of Councilors has opted for, has never worked. Not in New York, not in San Francisco, not in Seattle, and not in Boston either.
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john
John Dundon
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jaboduvall duvall
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Damien Croteau-Chonka
Margaret Albright
Up to date data (2021) on communities across the region can be found at the Boston Indicators Project - https://www.tbf.org/gbhrc2022 Post pandemic most cities and towns have seen a reduction in population.
In the last census the growth in the region was in communities like Revere, Everett, Lynn, Randolph, Brockton, Fall River etc. This is the chart of the regions growth by community from the 2020 census - https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/08/12/metro/new-census-data-see-how-each-mass-town-has-changed/
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Michael Halle
didi_614
And until some of this Rezoning starts happening on the South Side specifically Chestnut Hill which actually has a MBTA station - I think we need to put a pause on what is happening on the North Side of the City.
And Thank you Howard and Councilors Wright and Oliver for pointing out all the issues with what the City is trying to do
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Scott Oran
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Michael Halle
Sent: Tuesday, October 31, 2023 4:32:13 PM
To: West Newton Community <westnewtonn...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [WNewton] Village Center Rezoning
And until some of this Rezoning starts happening on the South Side specifically Chestnut Hill which actually has a MBTA station - I think we need to put a pause on what is happening on the North Side of the City.
And Thank you Howard and Councilors Wright and Oliver for pointing out all the issues with what the City is trying to do
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didi_614
didi_614
Nancy Finn
On Oct 31, 2023, at 1:57 PM, John Dundon <dundo...@gmail.com> wrote:
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Nancy Mazzapica
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Michael Halle
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Scott Oran
On Oct 31, 2023, at 8:14 PM, Nancy Mazzapica <nsm...@gmail.com> wrote:
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Lynne LeBlanc
- The current metro area population of Boston in 2023 is 4,344,000, a 0.39% increase from 2022.
- The metro area population of Boston in 2022 was 4,327,000, a 0.28% increase from 2021.
- The metro area population of Boston in 2021 was 4,315,000, a 0.14% increase from 2020.
- The metro area population of Boston in 2020 was 4,309,000, a 0.05% increase from 2019.
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Tarik Lucas
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Scott Oran
On Oct 31, 2023, at 8:44 PM, Lynne LeBlanc <lynnel...@gmail.com> wrote:
Statistics show for the past 4 years the population by some markers has increased but only by <2%. https://www.macrotrends.net/cities/22939/boston/population
The housing market has become less affordable despite the 100's of thousands of units built which, theoretically, would bring housing prices down.
- The current metro area population of Boston in 2023 is 4,344,000, a 0.39% increase from 2022.
- The metro area population of Boston in 2022 was 4,327,000, a 0.28% increase from 2021.
- The metro area population of Boston in 2021 was 4,315,000, a 0.14% increase from 2020.
- The metro area population of Boston in 2020 was 4,309,000, a 0.05% increase from 2019.
Here is a visual for Boston's growth: it has gone up, yes, but not drastically.
<image.png>or here<image.png>
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Michael Halle
Sent: Tuesday, October 31, 2023 8:50:36 PM
To: westnewtonn...@googlegroups.com <westnewtonn...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [WNewton] Village Center Rezoning
- The current metro area population of Boston in 2023 is 4,344,000, a 0.39% increase from 2022.
- The metro area population of Boston in 2022 was 4,327,000, a 0.28% increase from 2021.
- The metro area population of Boston in 2021 was 4,315,000, a 0.14% increase from 2020.
- The metro area population of Boston in 2020 was 4,309,000, a 0.05% increase from 2019.
Last year 100,000 left Massachusetts and people are still leaving.Jennifer Dundon
On Tue, Oct 31, 2023 at 1:57 PM John Dundon <dundo...@gmail.com> wrote:
Zoning is a complicated issue that brings out a lot of emotions and opinions in my opinion. I also think everyone has the right to their own opinions, but we should be all working off of some semblance of the same facts. From 2010 - 2018 the Boston area grew by 300,00 people: Boston area’s population increases—along with housing costs and commute times - Curbed Boston
On Tue, Oct 31, 2023 at 1:18 PM Lynne LeBlanc <lynnel...@gmail.com> wrote:
Henry and Ann, Indeed it is very disappointing to see " that a minority of city councilors has been able to drive a development plan that has such profound quality-of-life implications for the residents of West Newton and Newtonville." And Shari's lament that "We need more transparency" is spot on as well.A step in the right direction would be to vote for new City Councilors every once in a while and vote for candidates who promise to be (and who actually are) more responsive to resident concerns.
One thing that rarely gets addressed: Boston (and environs) has had little population change over the past twenty years - in fact, the population (like the state's) has slightly declined. Coupled with even or declining population are hundreds of thousands of new units that have been, are, and will be built. We were told that more housing would bring prices/costs/rents down. The opposite has happened One has to ask: From the evidence, who could possibly believe upzoning is the answer? Upzoning, the solution that the small group of Councilors has opted for, has never worked. Not in New York, not in San Francisco, not in Seattle, and not in Boston either.
Howard,
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didi_614
Lynne LeBlanc
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Michael Halle
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Nancy Mazzapica
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Nancy Finn
On Nov 1, 2023, at 10:00 AM, Michael Halle <m...@halle.us> wrote:
From Councilor Downs:
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Mary Lewis
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Kathy Pillsbury
Since Councilor Oliver shared his chart about density by village in the zoning proposal, I’ve heard a lot of people either be really mad or really confused about why do some villages end up on the high end like Thompsonville while others end up on the low end.
It’s simple. That chart doesn’t tell the full story and Councilor Oliver didn’t give any context or reasons for why the chart looks like it does.
Take a look at this chart. This chart uses the exact same data from Councilor Oliver and Wright. But it clearly tells a different story.
The majority of the area in the proposal is around the Green Line. Less than half of that is along the commuter rail. Waban even has more than West Newton. Less area is included in most of the smaller villages including one village on the commuter rail.
Why is this chart so different?
All you need to do is look at what areas in and around each village are a part of the proposed zoning.
In the villages where the map primarily includes the already developed areas, average density would look much higher. This is why West Newton and Thompsonville end up on the high end of Councilor Oliver’s chart. The average density would show up as a lower number if more residential area around those village were included, but most people don’t want that to happen
On the other hand, to expand the capacity of the villages near the Green Line and to meet MBTA requirement of one contiguous area, more of the residential area around the village center is included. This lowers the average density because of course density is much less in residential areas than in village centers. Therefore, all the Green Line villages show up on the low end of Councilor Oliver and Wright’s chart.
The picture shown in this chart lines up with the priorities most people have for the proposed zoning – Green Line, then commuter rail and then bus service.
By now, I assume that everyone has seen the analysis of the village center zoning proposal developed and published by Councilors John Oliver and Pam Wright. For anyone who hasn't, it's below:
Density is "gross density" in units per acre overall, accounting for streets and other land that can't be developed. That's also the case for the required minimum density of 15 units per acre, as shown. However, this chart doesn't show the total area proposed for rezoning in each village center, or the number of dwelling units that could be built by-right in each place. Thompsonville's proposed density is second only to that of West Newton, but the area to be rezoned in Thompsonville is much smaller than the equivalent areas in West Newton and Newtonville. In order, the three village centers that are to be rezoned for the greatest number of dwelling units are Newton Centre, West Newton and Newtonville.
Newton's requirement under the MBTA Communities Act, to zone for 8330 units by right, is driven by the Green Line; if Newton only had Commuter Rail the requirement would be lower. In other words, the law recognizes that rapid transit such as the Green Line is a more capable mode ("higher level") of transit than Commuter Rail. That's certainly true in Newton.
There is, however, no requirement that any specific fraction of the 8330 units be located along the Green Line. In fact, the guidelines allow city government to locate as many units as it likes along the Commuter Rail: "... a rapid transit community with transit station area around a subway station in one part of town, and transit station area around a commuter rail station in another part of town, may locate its multi-family zoning district in either or both transit station areas." I researched the effect of this provision, and noted in an earlier post that it only really matters to two communities, Newton and Medford. Other communities that have both Commuter Rail and rapid transit services have adjacent stations, such as the Porter (Square) station in Cambridge that serves both the Red Line and Commuter Rail. The MBTA Communities law recognizes the greater capability of rapid transit, but for Newton and Medford does not stop city governments from associating the highest densities and greatest land areas with the less-capable mode. Medford advised the state that it expects to focus its rezoning for high densities around the Wellington Orange Line station, so it looks like Newton stands alone in pushing some of the highest densities to Commuter Rail stations.
Village center rezoning, as the city likes to point out, got started long before the MBTA Communities Act was passed. It's long been the city's plan to redevelop, I would say urbanize, the part of the city from West Newton to Newton Corner. The Washington Street Vision Plan was officially launched on May 1, 2018, at which point the consultant had been selected and engaged, meaning that the effort had started even earlier. Developers started purchasing real estate along Washington Street around that time (e.g. the sale of the Newtonville Post Office building to Mark Development was announced on October 15, 2018) and major project announcements came soon after, e.g. Trio (then Washington Place) on January 8, 2019 and Sunrise on May 1, 2019. It's no surprise, then, that the current zoning proposal continues to reflect the city's desire to direct as much development as possible to the area along Washington Street. Urbanization of the area around Washington Street is likely to continue once village center rezoning is passed, as there are still areas between the village centers that are ripe for upzoning and City Council leadership has indicated that the next round of rezoning will apply to "corridors" including Washington Street. If Newton had a usable Comprehensive Plan all of this presumably would have been spelled out in a transparent way, but instead we learn of city government's planning piecemeal.
Another indication that the village center rezoning reflects a longstanding plan is a letter sent by nine City Councilors to the state during the public comment period associated with the MBTA Communities law. It's a public document, but since not many may have seen it I have an image of it below. The nine Councilors who signed the letter had obviously been thinking along the same lines as the MBTA Communities Act. While the letter appears under a City Council letterhead, it reflects the views of, or at least is signed by, only a minority of our 24 Councilors and does not represent a City Council resolution, which would have required a public process and vote.
The six benefits listed in the letter all could have been addressed without the state's intervention, if the Councilors had been able to independently marshal a community consensus around their views of zoning redesign. For that reason, I see the letter as thanking the state for providing political cover for the signers to do something they wanted to do anyway, knowing it wasn't likely to be popular.
Of the nine signatories, Albright, Lipof, Kelley, Kalis and Humphrey are running for re-election unopposed; Downs, Crossley and Bowman are running in competitive races; and Noel is not running for re-election.
Scott Oran
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didi_614
Jim Cote
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Your Referrals are my Greatest Compliment
Scott Oran
Sent from my iPhone
From Councilor Downs:
Just a few facts:
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pamw...@rcn.com
I’ve been traveling so I’m sorry to be late into this discussion. I just want to clarify Newton’s Inclusionary Zoning starting on page 5-25 https://www.newtonma.gov/Home/ShowDocument?id=29823
The unit numbers are based on the total number of units in the project. Some projects have more than 1 building like Trio. With special permits we can negotiate more units or lower AMI levels.
The federal government, HUD, sets income limits and affordable rents depending on bedrooms and maximum income limit. We’re part of the Boston area (Boston – Cambridge – Quincy – see list below). Newton’s information on their website hasn’t been updated so I pulled from a few other sources.
A good (easily to read) up to date chart is below https://www.bostonplans.org/housing/income-asset-and-price-limits
to read this chart:
- HH = household
- AMI is Area Median Income. 100% Area Median Income for a family of 4 is $148,400. Newton requires an average of 65% AMI affordable units so it’s usually a mix of 50% and 80% units.
For a 3 bedroom for a family of 4 that makes $118,720 (80% AMI), their rent would be $2280. Workforce housing is considered at 110% AMI. These are maximum incomes. This chart changes yearly. Most for profit development has 50% or more AMI.
The Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH HUD Metro FMR Area contains the following areas: Amesbury Town city, MA; Beverly city, MA; Danvers town, MA; Essex town, MA; Gloucester city, MA; Hamilton town, MA; Ipswich town, MA; Lynn city, MA; Lynnfield town, MA; Manchester-by-the-Sea town, MA; Marblehead town, MA; Middleton town, MA; Nahant town, MA; Newbury town, MA; Newburyport city, MA; Peabody city, MA; Rockport town, MA; Rowley town, MA; Salem city, MA; Salisbury town, MA; Saugus town, MA; Swampscott town, MA; Topsfield town, MA; Wenham town, MA; Acton town, MA; Arlington town, MA; Ashby town, MA; Ashland town, MA; Ayer town, MA; Bedford town, MA; Belmont town, MA; Boxborough town, MA; Burlington town, MA; Cambridge city, MA; Carlisle town, MA; Concord town, MA; Everett city, MA; Framingham city, MA; Holliston town, MA; Hopkinton town, MA; Hudson town, MA; Lexington town, MA; Lincoln town, MA; Littleton town, MA; Malden city, MA; Marlborough city, MA; Maynard town, MA; Medford city, MA; Melrose city, MA; Natick town, MA; Newton city, MA; North Reading town, MA; Reading town, MA; Sherborn town, MA; Shirley town, MA; Somerville city, MA; Stoneham town, MA; Stow town, MA; Sudbury town, MA; Townsend town, MA; Wakefield town, MA; Waltham city, MA; Watertown city, MA; Wayland town, MA; Weston town, MA; Wilmington town, MA; Winchester town, MA; Woburn city, MA; Bellingham town, MA; Braintree Town city, MA; Brookline town, MA; Canton town, MA; Cohasset town, MA; Dedham town, MA; Dover town, MA; Foxborough town, MA; Franklin Town city, MA; Holbrook town, MA; Medfield town, MA; Medway town, MA; Millis town, MA; Milton town, MA; Needham town, MA; Norfolk town, MA; Norwood town, MA; Plainville town, MA; Quincy city, MA; Randolph city, MA; Sharon town, MA; Stoughton town, MA; Walpole town, MA; Wellesley town, MA; Westwood town, MA; Weymouth Town city, MA; Wrentham town, MA; Carver town, MA; Duxbury town, MA; Hanover town, MA; Hingham town, MA; Hull town, MA; Kingston town, MA; Marshfield town, MA; Norwell town, MA; Pembroke town, MA; Plymouth town, MA; Rockland town, MA; Scituate town, MA; Wareham town, MA; Boston city, MA; Chelsea city, MA; Revere city, MA; Winthrop Town city, MA; Seabrook town, NH; and South Hampton town, NH.
Here's a little more info on affordable housing from Cambridge. Some programs have state limits and some may be specific to Cambridge but I found this chart useful so I included it.
From: 'Scott Oran' via West Newton Community <westnewtonn...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, October 31, 2023 8:31 PM
To: westnewtonn...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [WNewton] Village Center Rezoning
Newton’s inclusionary zoning ordinance requires affordable housing be affordable to households earning 50% to 80% of the area’s median income (50th percentile.)
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Francis Yerardi
Since we are posting graphs. This one shows Councilor Olivers graph of housing denisity with neigboorhood income levels included. The income used for west newton is the north side (as that’s where all the housing is going)
Why does North side West Newton have so much, yet the wealthier cummunities have so little?
Why are Chestnut hill and Oak hill exempt?
I am sure its just a “coincidence” and there are explantions, but how come the North side of West Newton never gets to enjoy any “coincidences”?
From: westnewtonn...@googlegroups.com <westnewtonn...@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Kathy Pillsbury
Sent: Wednesday, November 1, 2023 2:21 PM
To: West Newton Community <westnewtonn...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [WNewton] Re: Village Center Rezoning
Since Councilor Oliver shared his chart about density by village in the zoning proposal, I’ve heard a lot of people either be really mad or really confused about why do some villages end up on the high end like Thompsonville while others end up on the low end.
It’s simple. That chart doesn’t tell the full story and Councilor Oliver didn’t give any context or reasons for why the chart looks like it does.
Take a look at this chart. This chart uses the exact same data from Councilor Oliver and Wright. But it clearly tells a different story.
The majority of the area in the proposal is around the Green Line. Less than half of that is along the commuter rail. Waban even has more than West Newton. Less area is included in most of the smaller villages including one village on the commuter rail.
Why is this chart so different?
All you need to do is look at what areas in and around each village are a part of the proposed zoning.
In the villages where the map primarily includes the already developed areas, average density would look much higher. This is why West Newton and Thompsonville end up on the high end of Councilor Oliver’s chart. The average density would show up as a lower number if more residential area around those village were included, but most people don’t want that to happen
On the other hand, to expand the capacity of the villages near the Green Line and to meet MBTA requirement of one contiguous area, more of the residential area around the village center is included. This lowers the average density because of course density is much less in residential areas than in village centers. Therefore, all the Green Line villages show up on the low end of Councilor Oliver and Wright’s chart.
The picture shown in this chart lines up with the priorities most people have for the proposed zoning – Green Line, then commuter rail and then bus service.
On Monday, October 30, 2023 at 5:25:53 PM UTC-4 Howard Rosenof wrote:
By now, I assume that everyone has seen the analysis of the village center zoning proposal developed and published by Councilors John Oliver and Pam Wright. For anyone who hasn't, it's below:
Density is "gross density" in units per acre overall, accounting for streets and other land that can't be developed. That's also the case for the required minimum density of 15 units per acre, as shown. However, this chart doesn't show the total area proposed for rezoning in each village center, or the number of dwelling units that could be built by-right in each place. Thompsonville's proposed density is second only to that of West Newton, but the area to be rezoned in Thompsonville is much smaller than the equivalent areas in West Newton and Newtonville. In order, the three village centers that are to be rezoned for the greatest number of dwelling units are Newton Centre, West Newton and Newtonville.
Newton's requirement under the MBTA Communities Act, to zone for 8330 units by right, is driven by the Green Line; if Newton only had Commuter Rail the requirement would be lower. In other words, the law recognizes that rapid transit such as the Green Line is a more capable mode ("higher level") of transit than Commuter Rail. That's certainly true in Newton.
There is, however, no requirement that any specific fraction of the 8330 units be located along the Green Line. In fact, the guidelines allow city government to locate as many units as it likes along the Commuter Rail: "... a rapid transit community with transit station area around a subway station in one part of town, and transit station area around a commuter rail station in another part of town, may locate its multi-family zoning district in either or both transit station areas." I researched the effect of this provision, and noted in an earlier post that it only really matters to two communities, Newton and Medford. Other communities that have both Commuter Rail and rapid transit services have adjacent stations, such as the Porter (Square) station in Cambridge that serves both the Red Line and Commuter Rail. The MBTA Communities law recognizes the greater capability of rapid transit, but for Newton and Medford does not stop city governments from associating the highest densities and greatest land areas with the less-capable mode. Medford advised the state that it expects to focus its rezoning for high densities around the Wellington Orange Line station, so it looks like Newton stands alone in pushing some of the highest densities to Commuter Rail stations.
Village center rezoning, as the city likes to point out, got started long before the MBTA Communities Act was passed. It's long been the city's plan to redevelop, I would say urbanize, the part of the city from West Newton to Newton Corner. The Washington Street Vision Plan was officially launched on May 1, 2018, at which point the consultant had been selected and engaged, meaning that the effort had started even earlier. Developers started purchasing real estate along Washington Street around that time (e.g. the sale of the Newtonville Post Office building to Mark Development was announced on October 15, 2018) and major project announcements came soon after, e.g. Trio (then Washington Place) on January 8, 2019 and Sunrise on May 1, 2019. It's no surprise, then, that the current zoning proposal continues to reflect the city's desire to direct as much development as possible to the area along Washington Street. Urbanization of the area around Washington Street is likely to continue once village center rezoning is passed, as there are still areas between the village centers that are ripe for upzoning and City Council leadership has indicated that the next round of rezoning will apply to "corridors" including Washington Street. If Newton had a usable Comprehensive Plan all of this presumably would have been spelled out in a transparent way, but instead we learn of city government's planning piecemeal.
Another indication that the village center rezoning reflects a longstanding plan is a letter sent by nine City Councilors to the state during the public comment period associated with the MBTA Communities law. It's a public document, but since not many may have seen it I have an image of it below. The nine Councilors who signed the letter had obviously been thinking along the same lines as the MBTA Communities Act. While the letter appears under a City Council letterhead, it reflects the views of, or at least is signed by, only a minority of our 24 Councilors and does not represent a City Council resolution, which would have required a public process and vote.
The six benefits listed in the letter all could have been addressed without the state's intervention, if the Councilors had been able to independently marshal a community consensus around their views of zoning redesign. For that reason, I see the letter as thanking the state for providing political cover for the signers to do something they wanted to do anyway, knowing it wasn't likely to be popular.
Of the nine signatories, Albright, Lipof, Kelley, Kalis and Humphrey are running for re-election unopposed; Downs, Crossley and Bowman are running in competitive races; and Noel is not running for re-election.
Zoning Guidelines: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/section-3a-guidelines
Medford MBTA "Action Plan": https://www.mass.gov/doc/submitted-section-3a-action-plans/download P. 441
Washington Street Vision Plan https://www.newtonma.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/41560/637417539584170000
Washington Place announcement https://bostonrealestatetimes.com/mark-development-partners-with-erland-and-prellwitz-to-build-a-new-299000-sf-property-in-newton/
Sale of Newtonville Post Office building: https://www.bldup.com/posts/washington-street-post-office-acquired-for-6-75-million
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didi_614
Ellen Whalley
Re: Population GrowthThe number of people is not the real key in the need for housing. It's the number of family units, which can increase even as the population decreases. Previously large families were a fact in eastern Massachusetts, especially in the cities. Today, the housing units could be made up of anywhere from 1 to more members in a household and one floor of a 3 decker may now be a 2 person condo, while at one time this same unit possibly housed many more larger families. This is why you can need more units but have the same population.Newton's a good example, previously you had a similar population, but with larger individual families, whereas today we have a need for housing units as the demand is there for the new type of household.Jim
On Tue, Oct 31, 2023 at 9:17 PM Michael Halle <m...@halle.us> wrote:
* Population growth numbers during the pandemic are not necessarily indicative of ongoing trends.* Population growth numbers are doubtlessly impacted by home availability.* I can't find the statistic of number of actual units built per year in the Boston metro, but it isn't "hundreds of thousands" in the four years of population growth you reference. Newton has built an extremely small number of units over the last decade or so:* As I said before, we have both an affordable housing problem and a housing availability problem. Our current zoning isn't helping either. The state is now requiring that all cities and towns using state transportation resources make progress toward at least working on the availability problem. I agree, that's where the debate is, not "yes or no".-Mike
From: westnewtonn...@googlegroups.com <westnewtonn...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Lynne LeBlanc <lynnel...@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, October 31, 2023 8:50:36 PM
To: westnewtonn...@googlegroups.com <westnewtonn...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: [WNewton] Village Center Rezoning
Statistics show for the past 4 years the population by some markers has increased but only by <2%. https://www.macrotrends.net/cities/22939/boston/population
The housing market has become less affordable despite the 100's of thousands of units built which, theoretically, would bring housing prices down.
- The current metro area population of Boston in 2023 is 4,344,000, a 0.39% increase from 2022.
- The metro area population of Boston in 2022 was 4,327,000, a 0.28% increase from 2021.
- The metro area population of Boston in 2021 was 4,315,000, a 0.14% increase from 2020.
- The metro area population of Boston in 2020 was 4,309,000, a 0.05% increase from 2019.
Here is a visual for Boston's growth: it has gone up, yes, but not drastically.
<image.png>or here<image.png>
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john
Sachiko Isihara
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office: 617.964.4522
Meryl Kessler
|
On Nov 1, 2023, at 10:39 PM, Sachiko Isihara <sachiko...@gmail.com> wrote:
If someone wanted to enter into the Affordable Housing "lottery" how do they know where--online, in-person? It seems like it would be by filling out an application with the Newton Community Development Fund?Every once in a while the Mayor announces in her letter that people can "apply to be on the waiting list" but where is that information? I have tried to help someone I know who would fitin the affordable housing criteria, but it does not seem to be easy to find this information.Also, I know the green line MBTA is terrible currently. Trying to get from one side of Newton to the other---there are express trains that don't stop or skip stations without announcing it. There is a shortage of drivers, so the trains just sit at Riverside waiting for someone to show up.Sachiko
On Wed, Nov 1, 2023 at 7:19 PM <pamw...@rcn.com> wrote:
I’ve been traveling so I’m sorry to be late into this discussion. I just want to clarify Newton’s Inclusionary Zoning starting on page 5-25 https://www.newtonma.gov/Home/ShowDocument?id=29823
The unit numbers are based on the total number of units in the project. Some projects have more than 1 building like Trio. With special permits we can negotiate more units or lower AMI levels.
<image001.png><image003.png>
The federal government, HUD, sets income limits and affordable rents depending on bedrooms and maximum income limit. We’re part of the Boston area (Boston – Cambridge – Quincy – see list below). Newton’s information on their website hasn’t been updated so I pulled from a few other sources.
A good (easily to read) up to date chart is below https://www.bostonplans.org/housing/income-asset-and-price-limits
to read this chart:
- HH = household
- AMI is Area Median Income. 100% Area Median Income for a family of 4 is $148,400. Newton requires an average of 65% AMI affordable units so it’s usually a mix of 50% and 80% units.
For a 3 bedroom for a family of 4 that makes $118,720 (80% AMI), their rent would be $2280. Workforce housing is considered at 110% AMI. These are maximum incomes. This chart changes yearly. Most for profit development has 50% or more AMI.
<image002.png>
The Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH HUD Metro FMR Area contains the following areas: Amesbury Town city, MA; Beverly city, MA; Danvers town, MA; Essex town, MA; Gloucester city, MA; Hamilton town, MA; Ipswich town, MA; Lynn city, MA; Lynnfield town, MA; Manchester-by-the-Sea town, MA; Marblehead town, MA; Middleton town, MA; Nahant town, MA; Newbury town, MA; Newburyport city, MA; Peabody city, MA; Rockport town, MA; Rowley town, MA; Salem city, MA; Salisbury town, MA; Saugus town, MA; Swampscott town, MA; Topsfield town, MA; Wenham town, MA; Acton town, MA; Arlington town, MA; Ashby town, MA; Ashland town, MA; Ayer town, MA; Bedford town, MA; Belmont town, MA; Boxborough town, MA; Burlington town, MA; Cambridge city, MA; Carlisle town, MA; Concord town, MA; Everett city, MA; Framingham city, MA; Holliston town, MA; Hopkinton town, MA; Hudson town, MA; Lexington town, MA; Lincoln town, MA; Littleton town, MA; Malden city, MA; Marlborough city, MA; Maynard town, MA; Medford city, MA; Melrose city, MA; Natick town, MA; Newton city, MA; North Reading town, MA; Reading town, MA; Sherborn town, MA; Shirley town, MA; Somerville city, MA; Stoneham town, MA; Stow town, MA; Sudbury town, MA; Townsend town, MA; Wakefield town, MA; Waltham city, MA; Watertown city, MA; Wayland town, MA; Weston town, MA; Wilmington town, MA; Winchester town, MA; Woburn city, MA; Bellingham town, MA; Braintree Town city, MA; Brookline town, MA; Canton town, MA; Cohasset town, MA; Dedham town, MA; Dover town, MA; Foxborough town, MA; Franklin Town city, MA; Holbrook town, MA; Medfield town, MA; Medway town, MA; Millis town, MA; Milton town, MA; Needham town, MA; Norfolk town, MA; Norwood town, MA; Plainville town, MA; Quincy city, MA; Randolph city, MA; Sharon town, MA; Stoughton town, MA; Walpole town, MA; Wellesley town, MA; Westwood town, MA; Weymouth Town city, MA; Wrentham town, MA; Carver town, MA; Duxbury town, MA; Hanover town, MA; Hingham town, MA; Hull town, MA; Kingston town, MA; Marshfield town, MA; Norwell town, MA; Pembroke town, MA; Plymouth town, MA; Rockland town, MA; Scituate town, MA; Wareham town, MA; Boston city, MA; Chelsea city, MA; Revere city, MA; Winthrop Town city, MA; Seabrook town, NH; and South Hampton town, NH.
Here's a little more info on affordable housing from Cambridge. Some programs have state limits and some may be specific to Cambridge but I found this chart useful so I included it.
<image004.png>
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/westnewtonneighborhood/CAN7uJ763Sg327FSxdytkom%2BY4mTkKgib5dvv6NBpFp0BVeDryw%40mail.gmail.com.
Michael Halle
Francis Yerardi
On Nov 1, 2023, at 11:41 PM, Michael Halle <m...@halle.us> wrote:
<Units by Zone, by Village.png>
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Michael Halle
"Those charts you’re presenting show the North side of West Newton getting more units than every village except one.”
That’s one data point in the charts, but the charts tell more of a story than that, and that’s why I took some time to try and explain the whole picture. This zoning plan as well as other zoning changes and development in the future, are going to change all of Newton over the next several decades. For example, if Newton Centre got anywhere near those number of units built, it would be significantly different in both the residential and commercial parts. There needs to be a separate multi-decade vision and plan to make sure “significantly different” in every village still means “a great city”.
"The number of units on the North side of west Newton alone far out weights half the city combined.”
Yes, you can add up the numbers of units from the more residential and smaller villages and they’ll be less than West Newton. The question is why. It’s why because those other villages have smaller commercial centers and more residential neighborhoods near the T. That’s a fact of history left over from when the Green Line was a trolley and Washington Street bordered on a freight railway (and then the pike).
Unless there’s a big advocacy for converting current residential neighborhoods into taller and much denser multi-unit structures, that’s just one of the constraints Newton and its villages have. I don’t think there is, and I don’t believe that’s happening much in this plan, except along the edges of commercial zones including in West Newton (say Davis St). Even though those residential changes are relatively minimized, that’s no consolation for the people who live there (but it does give them the option to sell and cash out).
"West Newton is getting more of the highest building VC3 (up to 6 stories) then anywhere else in city- by a huge margin.”
West Newton is getting the potential for taller, denser buildings because its commercial district shape and size allow it, they are close to the T (Commuter Rail and bus), and fewer adjacent residential areas are impacted. That doesn’t mean it should be built that way, it doesn’t mean that the current infrastructure and transportation availability will support those numbers tomorrow, that’s why it’s possible in a plan for the next several decades. Reasonable people can and are arguing the details.
"The chart doesn’t even include the dunstan st project which if it did would blow west Newton off the top of the chart.”
Dunstan East is 292 units, a big development for Newton (but not blowing anything off the top of the chart). Northland is 800 units. Development on RT9 will add hundreds of units. All this development is significant and not accounted for in the zoning proposal.
BUT the West Newton vs south side of Newton narrative (or north vs south) isn’t that helpful here. The potential impacts are significant. The need for infrastructure to meet the needs for future residents is significant. The need to manage transportation and parking demand is significant. The need for for improved traffic signals and safer roads and businesses that can serve residents with short trips rather than long ones is significant.
Those are the things that the city will need to focus on, even under the MBTA Community Act mandated numbers. I agree that that vision for the future of Newton hasn’t been well articulated, and needs to be.
—Mike
didi_614
Shari G
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Francis Yerardi
That includes what just happened on this thread - namely having a pro development advocate from Newton highlands post charts in the west Newton only list serve group in an attempt to discredit our elected officials - john Oliver and Pam Wright who developed those charts.
John and Pam are two of the top vote getters in the entire city of newton ( our representatives ) and they are sounding the alarm on this plan- that this plan is flawed!- we should hear their warning.
From a West Newton ( north side ) resident perspective - we are getting especially screwed.
Sent from my iPhone
> On Nov 2, 2023, at 8:47 AM, Michael Halle <m...@halle.us> wrote:
>
> Some thoughts on Francis Yerardi’s observations:
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John Dundon
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Julia Anne Malakie
didi_614
Nancy Mazzapica
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John Oliver
Scott Oran
Commuter rail is just 15 minutes to Boston; the Green line is interminably slow.
Because we have a rail line that has existed since the 1830s, it historically attracted industrial and commercial uses, many noxious.
Today those industrial and commercial uses have left us, replaced with parking lots and underutilized aging buildings.
Exciting new shops, tasty new restaurants, vibrant new uses, and engaging new neighbors in new housing on more inviting streets with quick transit access to downtown which pay new taxes and fill our emptying schools is better than dangerous streets with empty parking lots and obsolete industrial buildings, declining tax rolls, and empty schools.
> On Nov 2, 2023, at 8:41 AM, Michael Halle <m...@halle.us> wrote:
>
> Some thoughts on Francis Yerardi’s observations:
>
> "Those charts you’re presenting show the North side of West Newton getting more units than every village except one.”
>
> That’s one data point in the charts, but the charts tell more of a story than that, and that’s why I took some time to try and explain the whole picture. This zoning plan as well as other zoning changes and development in the future, are going to change all of Newton over the next several decades. For example, if Newton Centre got anywhere near those number of units built, it would be significantly different in both the residential and commercial parts. There needs to be a separate multi-decade vision and plan to make sure “significantly different” in every village still means “a great city”.
>
> "The number of units on the North side of west Newton alone far out weights half the city combined.”
>
> Yes, you can add up the numbers of units from the more residential and smaller villages and they’ll be less than West Newton. The question is why. It’s why because those other villages have smaller commercial centers and more residential neighborhoods near the T. That’s a fact of history left over from when the Green Line was a trolley and Washington Street bordered on a freight railway (and then the pike).
>
> Unless there’s a big advocacy for converting current residential neighborhoods into taller and much denser multi-unit structures, that’s just one of the constraints Newton and its villages have. I don’t think there is, and I don’t believe that’s happening much in this plan, except along the edges of commercial zones including in West Newton (say Davis St). Even though those residential changes are relatively minimized, that’s no consolation for the people who live there (but it does give them the option to sell and cash out).
>
> "West Newton is getting more of the highest building VC3 (up to 6 stories) then anywhere else in city- by a huge margin.”
>
> West Newton is getting the potential for taller, denser buildings because its commercial district shape and size allow it, they are close to the T (Commuter Rail and bus), and fewer adjacent residential areas are impacted. That doesn’t mean it should be built that way, it doesn’t mean that the current infrastructure and transportation availability will support those numbers tomorrow, that’s why it’s possible in a plan for the next several decades. Reasonable people can and are arguing the details.
>
> "The chart doesn’t even include the dunstan st project which if it did would blow west Newton off the top of the chart.”
>
> Dunstan East is 292 units, a big development for Newton (but not blowing anything off the top of the chart). Northland is 800 units. Development on RT9 will add hundreds of units. All this development is significant and not accounted for in the zoning proposal.
>
> BUT the West Newton vs south side of Newton narrative (or north vs south) isn’t that helpful here. The potential impacts are significant. The need for infrastructure to meet the needs for future residents is significant. The need to manage transportation and parking demand is significant. The need for for improved traffic signals and safer roads and businesses that can serve residents with short trips rather than long ones is significant.
>
> Those are the things that the city will need to focus on, even under the MBTA Community Act mandated numbers. I agree that that vision for the future of Newton hasn’t been well articulated, and needs to be.
>
> —Mike
>
>
> If you'd like to be added to this discussion group, visit this group at the link below, or simply send email to gswi...@alum.mit.edu with your name and affiliation with West Newton.
> ---
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Sachiko Isihara
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didi_614
Nancy Mazzapica
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Mary Lewis
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Lynne LeBlanc
Lynne
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Jane Rosenof
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Scott Oran
Amy Sangiolo
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Emily Honig
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Michael Halle
Scott Oran
|
Mary Lewis
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Barbara Bix
Trains run east and westbound throughout the day—just not often enough to be usable, unfortunately.
From: 'Scott Oran' via West Newton Community [mailto:westnewtonn...@googlegroups.com]
Sent: Thursday, November 2, 2023 4:14 PM
To: westnewtonn...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [WNewton] Village Center Rezoning
Trains run east and westbound throughout the day.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/westnewtonneighborhood/7811BCE3-7278-4404-8064-EA8D65657829%40me.com.
Nancy Mazzapica
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Howard Rosenof
Re: "... empty parking spaces can be leased to Newton residents
who seek to move their cars off the streets in the winter."
Is that unique to 28 Austin, or common among large-scale multifamily buildings? This looks like it could help solve Newton's winter parking issues, in a win-win-win:
- Developers and building operators will win because of the
revenue from renting spaces that would otherwise be unused
- People with more cars than space will win because they have
places to put their cars, and these spaces will be distributed
around the areas with greatest housing density.
- The community will benefit from less-crowded streets in the
winter, and from (I presume) faster, more thorough and less costly
snow removal. In village centers where off-street parking will not
be required in the new zoning code, the prospect of revenue from
parking spaces that would otherwise be unused would be an
incentive for developers to add parking and produce further
benefits for the community.
If the answer to the question above is "this is unique to 28 Austin" then we have an opportunity for city government to get involved in a positive way. The city already dictates to multifamily buildings that they can't bundle parking spaces in with dwelling units; the parking spaces must be charged for separately (except for the "affordable" units which come with parking spaces at no further cost). The city could also require that parking spaces not taken up by building residents be made available to the community. Taking cars off of the streets will in addition facilitate the purchase of EV's since chargers can be installed at the parking spaces. (Under a law signed by Governor Baker in 2022, all new vehicles sold in Massachusetts will have to be electric by 2035.)
Some might object that parking in other peoples' residential buildings won't be "free" but off-street parking is almost never free. I'm sure that residences without parking rent or sell for less than the equivalent residences with parking.
This still leaves people with disabilities or who otherwise
really need parking right by their residences. Their needs can be
met through permits. It's been said that the police don't have the
resources to enforce parking regulations but I have seen the
opposite: I was once at a party on a Sunday afternoon in Chestnut
Hill when someone came running in exclaiming that guests' cars
were being towed. It turns out that the party was on a day when
Boston College had a home football game, and the restriction
against parking on certain streets nearby was being aggressively
enforced. In other parts of Chestnut Hill (Waban Hill Road) you
need a resident parking permit to park on the street at any time
of day or night. While some have said that the needs of a
relatively small part of our population are a reason to completely
eliminate the overnight parking ban, I think it's better for the
solution to match the problem.
The winter parking ban is still being contested. Expect to see
the city administration propose a pilot (limited) lifting of the
ban after the election but before the end of the year, to go into
effect this winter. I have no idea what this pilot will look like
but it may be developed by the same people who are bringing us
zoning redesign.
Rents for 28 Austin can be found at 28austin.com.
The rents are set by the market and change based on market conditions.
All of the affordable apartments are rented. If you or someone want to move into one, please contact the property manager at 28austin.com.
28 Austin was built under a special permit on a ground lease from the City of Newton.
As the city council required too much parking to be built, empty parking spaces can be leased to Newton residents who seek to move their cars off the streets in the winter.
Again, please contact the property manager for current parking rates.
On Nov 1, 2023, at 4:23 PM, 'didi_614' via West Newton Community <westnewtonn...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
I have a few questions regarding Austin Street. I had asked this yesterday but it probably got lost in all the emails.What is the rent for the NON affordable apartments studio vs 1 or 2 or 3 bedrooms? And are all the affordable apartments rented? How much is the parking fee for the affordable and non affordable apartments?
And why are 1/3 of the apartments on Austin Street Affordable? Was there a special permit that caused this to happen? And if so how many affordable apartments were in the original Proposal?
On Wednesday, November 1, 2023 at 02:59:06 PM EDT, 'Scott Oran' via West Newton Community <westnewtonn...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
28 Austin Street has 68 apartments and its residents own fewer than 54 cars parked in the city-required 90 car underground garage.
That’s substantially less than one car per home.
It’s important not to interpolate from one’s own experience but instead we must rely on facts when setting important policies.
On Nov 1, 2023, at 1:38 PM, Nancy Finn <nef...@msn.com> wrote:
Hi,Most people in Newton have more than one car. So whoever said we don’t have a car go back and check your facts.It’s totally outrageous that someone indicatedthat people don’t have cars.
They have a car before a bicycle.So people will always have cars to drive. Ah why do we have so much traffic?? Bikes?? Nope it’s not brain science it’s cars!!!
We aren’t Cambridge, Somerville, Brookline or Boston.
Nor do we want to be!
We are the”Garden City “ close to changing to an “inner city “ !
Since the B&M bus service went out of business Newton lacks real public transportation.Most of you won’t even know that company because you didn’t grow up here.
The MBTA offers some bus routes but they are sparse.Private rides Uber etc are way over priced.
New Mo is a joke.
Vote for change in the upcoming election! I did and I am proud of it.Further I strongly feel that every change in the city ie village rezoning should be VOTED on by the CITIZENS!!!!
Nancy E. Finn, MEd, CAGSBorn here, grew up here, educated in the PUBLIC schools, still live herein my village board, and pay outrageous taxes to fund the city that is out of Control with spending !!!
We the people work hard for our money, don’t always get big raises but some of us live within our means. Not like the city government!
Cheers
Sent from my iPhone
On Nov 1, 2023, at 10:00 AM, Michael Halle <m...@halle.us> wrote:
From Councilor Downs:
"I believe the state law on deed-restricted affordable units (which these are) requires one free parking spot to be included.
Our experience in Newton is that most people in these units do not bring or own a car.”
—Mike
On Oct 31, 2023, at 9:57 PM, 'didi_614' via West Newton Community <westnewtonn...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
I have another question - why are 1/3 of the apartments on Austin Street Affordable? Was there a special permit that caused this to happen? And if so how many affordable apartments were in the original Proposal? And what is the rent for the NON affordable apartments studio vs 1 or 2 or 3 bedrooms? And is parking additional?
On Tuesday, October 31, 2023 at 08:12:57 PM EDT, 'didi_614' via West Newton Community <westnewtonn...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
Thanks for the Clarification
What are the non Affordable rents? And are all the affordable apartments rented? How much is it to park for the affordable and non affordable apts?
On Tuesday, October 31, 2023 at 05:11:17 PM EDT, 'Scott Oran' via West Newton Community <westnewtonn...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
Just a few facts:
I’m the developer of 28 Austin Street.
One-third (1 in 3) of the homes are affordable at 28 Austin.
Affordable rents for one and two bedroom apartments are currently about $1800 to $2000 a month.
In addition, Newton’s inclusionary zoning ordinance requires all new housing of six units or more to include 17% affordable homes.
During the pandemic we had a natural experiment:New market rate apartments then subsidize the rents of new affordable apartments without need for government funding.
Boston’s 100,000 students who occupy almost 20% of the area’s housing units did not come back. Area rents dropped by 15 to 20%.
When they returned, rents increased.
If we add more housing supply, rents will drop.
Finally, housing development is a very competitive business with scarce land and many players.
Apartment developers compete for scare land and drive prices to returns that are minimally acceptable to their investors — primarily institutional investors — philanthropic foundations, university endowments, and labor unions.
These institutional investors — which exist to benefit philanthropy, education and member retirements — are the major owners of real estate, not developers.
Howard Rosenof
As a public service, I am showing what the elevator buttons might look like in a 5 1/2 story building
I can think of a certain fictional character who might want to
live there. He can take the Commuter Rail to Platform 9 3/4 at
South Station.
Seriously, I sometimes browse the real-estate and business publications at the Library and do not recall ever having seen a reference to a fractional story. The real-estate industry recognizes a set-back top story as simply a story. Further, it's possible for a "half story" to be taller than a full story. How? The zoning code allows a top story with a pitched roof to count as a half story. The peak can be higher than the flat roof of a standard story. See the table in Article 9, Page 7 here:
https://www.newtonma.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/113469/638346003996930000
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Michael Halle
Howard Rosenof said:
"Seriously, I sometimes browse the real-estate and business publications at the Library and do not recall ever having seen a reference to a fractional story."
Scott Oran
Personally, I prefer to think of the 1/2 story in the film Being John Malkovich.
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Michael Halle
Scott Oran
—Mike
<Image 11-15-23 at 3.01 PM.jpeg>
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Scott Oran
On Nov 15, 2023, at 3:32 PM, 'Scott Oran' via West Newton Community <westnewtonn...@googlegroups.com> wrote:The fact that The Street has a single owner should not be seen as an impediment. The owner has been actively upgrading and reinvesting in that property over the past 10 years. Housing would be very appropriate and additive given the proximity to transit.
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Nancy Finn
On Nov 6, 2023, at 3:23 PM, 'Scott Oran' via West Newton Community <westnewtonn...@googlegroups.com> wrote:
Howard wrote: "I can think of a certain fictional character who might want to live there. He can take the Commuter Rail to Platform 9 3/4 at South Station.”
Personally, I prefer to think of the 1/2 story in the film Being John Malkovich.
This could be a money saving way to create less costly housing.
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