Newton for EveryonePAC

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Nancy Mazzapica

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Nov 4, 2023, 8:08:58 AM11/4/23
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Until this group filed it s Political Action Committee(PAC) with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance(OCPF) , there was no legal entity called “Newton for Everyone”. No legal paperwork can be found in Reibman’s coalition.  There has been no transparency of financial contributions from their donors.

The “coalition’s adversary using this slogan as their PAC name is tweaking them and pointing out HOW THEY ARE SKIRTING  THE RULES.

“Newton Needs Change “ are the ones following the OCPF rules.  It’s disingenuous for the advocates to use the phrase “Newton for Everyone” , as the VCOD plans are Not Welcoming to Everyone.   The components of the new zoning codes do not mandate affordability and will result in luxury housing that will increase incomes inequity in Newton, doing nothing to house our Newton workforce or those who are at the very lowest socioeconomic bracket and not providing opportunities for generational wealth building through ownership.

Michael Halle

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Nov 4, 2023, 8:19:16 AM11/4/23
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For more information about the two "Newton for Everyone" groups, here is the Fig City News article on the subject that talks to some of the people involved on both sides:

-Mike


John Dundon

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Nov 4, 2023, 8:54:04 AM11/4/23
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I am not a lawyer, but there is the concept of common law trademark that seems to apply in this case, as Massachusetts is a common law state:

 https://www.gerbenlaw.com/blog/an-overview-of-common-law-trademark-rights/#:~:text=A%20common%20law%20trademark%20is,be%20considered%20common%20law%20trademarks.

It would likely be hard to actually litigate for damages, but to me it seems the PAC is violating trademark laws.

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Scott Oran

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Nov 4, 2023, 8:54:09 AM11/4/23
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The proposed VCOD rules require 17.5% affordability and provide incentive to increase to 25% affordability for both rental and for sale housing.

Generally speaking, multi-family housing is less expensive than single family housing.

This will provide more diverse opportunities for households of varying incomes, ages, and sizes.
Housing_V31.pdf

Peter F. Harrington, Esq.

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Nov 4, 2023, 9:24:23 AM11/4/23
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Developers are speculators.  Speculators seek larger than normal profits. They claim they take large risks and need the larger profits. The cost to the community is not part of their problem. It is to be ignored or disguised.  The cost is often discussed but the profits are minimized or excluded form the conversation. 

There is a housing crises for lower income people and families. Higher income Newtonians worry about them, but we build housing they can't afford and say, we are wonderfull, we are building low income housing.

Peter F. Harrington

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On Nov 4, 2023, at 8:09 AM, Nancy Mazzapica <nsm...@gmail.com> wrote:

Until this group filed it s Political Action Committee(PAC) with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance(OCPF) , there was no legal entity called “Newton for Everyone”. No legal paperwork can be found in Reibman’s coalition.  There has been no transparency of financial contributions from their donors.

The “coalition’s adversary using this slogan as their PAC name is tweaking them and pointing out HOW THEY ARE SKIRTING  THE RULES.

“Newton Needs Change “ are the ones following the OCPF rules.  It’s disingenuous for the advocates to use the phrase “Newton for Everyone” , as the VCOD plans are Not Welcoming to Everyone.   The components of the new zoning codes do not mandate affordability and will result in luxury housing that will increase incomes inequity in Newton, doing nothing to house our Newton workforce or those who are at the very lowest socioeconomic bracket and not providing opportunities for generational wealth building through ownership.

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Francis Yerardi

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Nov 4, 2023, 9:24:26 AM11/4/23
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Laughable….
What about - Peace on earth, good night, or the garden city. 
Just becausea house puts a $4 “good feelings” sign in a yard doesn’t give anyone  universal rights to the slogan. 
If this is the only leg to stand on to defend this developer backed group pushing this flawed zoning plan it’s in trouble.
 I would liken it to putting a finger in the dam - as there is a tidal wave of unhappy residents.




Sent from my iPhone

On Nov 4, 2023, at 8:54 AM, John Dundon <dundo...@gmail.com> wrote:



Peter F. Harrington, Esq.

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Nov 4, 2023, 10:20:22 AM11/4/23
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I am a lawyer and I say that if you have something you want to protect, just follow the law and protect it. Of course, if the law will not let you protect it, yell loudly and threaten the reusers.

Peter F. Harrington

Nancy Mazzapica

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Nov 4, 2023, 10:20:26 AM11/4/23
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Agree with your statements Peter. There is No AFFORDABLE housing for those individuals and families in the lowest income brackets , our teaching paraprofessional, retail clerks, many city employees , 
Nursing assistants , so there is inequities in what housing snd zoning is being proposed

pamw...@rcn.com

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Nov 4, 2023, 10:20:29 AM11/4/23
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I just want to make a correction/clarification.  The city chart below is incorrect and the city should fix it.  Affordable units (80% AMI or less) requirement is not 17.5% but 15% for rentals and either 10% or 15% for ownership per our inclusionary zoning.  Work force housing (110% AMI) increases the number of units but wasn’t called out correctly in the chart below.   This below example of a 50 unit rental would require 8 units at 65% average AMI and 1 workforce housing at 110% AMI.  If it was ownership/condos it would require 5 units at 80% AMI and 4 units at 110% AMI (workforce housing).

 

The proposed bonus for developers (extra floor and 2500 sf footprint) would increase the required affordable units to 25% which is correct in the chart.

 

 

Here’s Newton’s Inclusionary zoning regulations – start in section 5-25 https://www.newtonma.gov/Home/ShowDocument?id=29823

 

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image001.png
image002.png
image003.png

Jim Cote

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Nov 4, 2023, 6:29:43 PM11/4/23
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This is all laughable and I'm amazed people try to justify the actions of this group.   Where's the ethical concerns and moral outrage?



To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/westnewtonneighborhood/667015579.1706518.1699104732778%40mail.yahoo.com.


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John Dundon

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Nov 4, 2023, 7:40:45 PM11/4/23
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100% Jim

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Lynne LeBlanc

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Nov 5, 2023, 9:44:58 AM11/5/23
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I find it quite impressive that there can be moral outrage over a PAC name, yet no concern that a handful of Councilors are willing to radically change Newton and give it over to speculators without real consensus from the residents. The disparity is stunning.
Lynne

On Sat, Nov 4, 2023 at 6:29 PM Jim Cote <jim...@gmail.com> wrote:
This is all laughable and I'm amazed people try to justify the actions of this group.   Where's the ethical concerns and moral outrage?


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Lynne LeBlanc
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Newton, MA 02460
617.510.8032 (c)
LynneL...@gmail.com

Meryl Kessler

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Nov 5, 2023, 2:01:30 PM11/5/23
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There is a lot to respond to here 

First, I think the moral outrage grows out of the fact that the PAC chose a name identical to that used by a coalition whose position on rezoning is the polar opposite of the PAC’s.  As far as I (and others) can see, the only conceivable rationale for that name choice is to sow confusion among voters.  So, many of us are upset because the name change seems sneaky and underhanded and certainly doesn’t serve a legitimate purpose of advancing the political discussion on this topic. 

In contrast, I would argue that the rezoning process of the last two years has been very transparent and included many opportunities for community input and engagement.  Although some people on this thread may be unhappy with the direction of the rezoning, there was never anything sneaky about what was going on. Anyone who cared about the issue was always free to attend ZAP meetings, send letters, speak at hearings, or participate in any of the many community engagement sessions. All documents and versions of the rezoning have been available on the city website all along. And the proposed rules have changes dramatically over the past few months based on community input. 

As for the notion that these changes are being pushed through by a “handful” of councilors:  By definition, for the rezoning to pass, a majority must support it.  That is certainly not a “handful.”

Finally, I have no idea what “consensus” means in this context In a representative government, elections are the way we measure consensus.  If a majority of our duly elected City Councilors support the rezoning then they are reflecting the will of the people who elected them and who presumably knew their positions.

Meryl Kessler

Sent from my iPhone 
Clumsy fingers=amusing typos

On Nov 5, 2023, at 9:45 AM, Lynne LeBlanc <lynnel...@gmail.com> wrote:


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Lynne LeBlanc

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Nov 6, 2023, 3:23:04 PM11/6/23
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"If a majority of our duly elected City Councilors support the rezoning then they are reflecting the will of the people who elected them and who presumably knew their positions"

Nothing could be further from the truth. 

We know this because there has been no referendum, nor has there been direct outreach to residents to explain the proposed zoning changes. The Mayor and Councilor candidates can spend thousands on political flyers but couldn't be bothered to let residents know of their radical plans for Newton? This easily could have been done with information sent out with the voting census residents receive every year. 

When whole-cloth change like this happens, hiding behind an endless array of Zoom meetings is duplicitous obfuscation and shows a lack of respect for every single voter in our city

Lynne

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/westnewtonneighborhood/571B6371-F96B-4B04-8D84-7162B5EC14C4%40me.com.

Meryl Kessler

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Nov 6, 2023, 8:30:33 PM11/6/23
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Duplicitous obfuscation?  

Is the accusation that the mayor and City Council failed to inform residents about the village center rezoning effort?  If so, I am genuinely confused by this charge...

Here are links to just a few of the ways that the mayor and City Council of conducted outreach over the last two years:

Mayor’s e-newsletter, October 27, 2023  (I believe that the mayor’s e-newsletter reaches well over 30,000 people in the City)

The Planning Department’s Village Center Redesign Community Engagement Page (which outlines the numerous community outreach efforts by the Planning Department over 2 years, including an actual in-person display at the Library, surveys, focus groups, interactive tools, vision kits and so on….)*
 *All of these pages include links to allow residents to sign up for Planning Department email updates and newsletters

Plus, of course, the “endless array of Zoom meetings,” all of which have been open to the public and which some of us call “THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS.”

Or is the accusation that the planned rezoning is complicated and difficult to understand?

I would suggest here that the planned zoning IS complicated because drafting the rules for a zoning code is a highly technical and detail-oriented endeavor.  Zoning ordinances generally require patience and some content knowledge to understand and parse through. They are generally not simple and easily digestible.  That is the nature of the beast (and not some diabolical plot to obfuscate).

So, while policy makers can certainly try to summarize the top-line implications, the reality is that there is a burden on all of us, as residents, to take the time to avail ourselves of all of the PUBLICLY AVAILABLE INFORMATION (which, frankly, cannot be summarized in a one-pager) to better understand what is being proposed.

Finally, while we are on the subject of “duplicitous obfuscation,” I would say that there has been no clearer example of duplicitous obfuscation than the actions of a PAC that appropriated the name of another group simply to confuse voters in an upcoming election.

Meryl Kessler





John Dundon

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Nov 6, 2023, 10:03:20 PM11/6/23
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I have been happy with the journey some of us have been on over the past two plus years participating in the process to update the city's zoning ordinances. Speaking for myself, I have participated in a number of the forums  listed, and had the opportunity to hear from people on all sides of this issue and have observed compromises along the way that have hopefully led to some consensus of the majority of our fellow citizens on these issues. 

I agree with the observation that zoning is very complex and technical, and the full effects of whatever zoning changes are made are felt over a long time horizon. Anyone who states with 100% certainty the effects of zoning changes, both positive and negative, are not recognizing that there will be both intended and unintended consequences over time due to changes in the economy, demographics, technology and culture that are hard to predict with certainty. I believe the process has included enough expertise from the planning department, consultants, and city councilors to land with a proposal that balances the economic needs of the city, the regional need for more housing, complying with MBTA communities, and manages the risk of introducing too much change. I am hopeful the zoning changes will allow more variety in housing choices to allow more young families a way to live in Newton and also allow residents options to downsize as they age and stay in the community. 

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/westnewtonneighborhood/634D6658-A8AA-4B61-B1CE-7D9A14DB5A00%40me.com.

Greer Swiston

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Nov 7, 2023, 11:42:47 AM11/7/23
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Forwarding an email  for a poster having trouble with her post:

From Lynne Leblanc:

Sorry, Greer, to make it extra work for you.   Thank you for forwarding.    

I appreciate the long list from Meryl Kessler, but it very much bolsters my point of obfuscation. 

1. I know many people who have no idea the Mayor writes a newsletter or, if they do get it, they scan it and miss lots of "news" - and is often the case, anything "important" can be buried in the chatty emails.

2. "ALL of the ZAP material"?! Again, the lists provided make the point for me. Seriously, it is not the job of elected officials to make their voters jump through hoops to find out what is going on, nor rummage through meetings, PDFs, and transcripts. If something so monumental as zoning is going to so thoroughly change our city, only a responsible and responsive elected official would make sure the message is clear, accessible, and to the point.

3. Others besides myself have noted the city could easily have sent out ONE piece of succinct information - either in the census, with a water bill, or tax bill. This direct communication would inform us of plans, what is going on, and make transparent the Mayoral and Councilors' intentions and actions. 

I maintain that "duplicitous obfuscation" is an apt description for not only my reasons but the substantiation of those reasons in the reply to my comment.

This cat-and-mouse game with information is untenable. Whatever the results of this election, something has to give, and change in resident/elected official dynamics MUST change.

Most sincerely,

Lynne

didi_614

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Nov 7, 2023, 11:43:22 AM11/7/23
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So I looked up the rental prices in a few cities that have had alot of Apt complexes being built - Watertown, Cambridge and Somerville and what I found is that these complexes  have Studios, 1, 2 and 3 Bedroom Apts and the Rental for a STUDIO - start at the very High 2 thousand dollars and up.  So anyone thinking that by building ALOT of apts that the prices will go down  - we have local examples that it doesn't happen.  And currently there MANY available apts in these City's - Cambridge (over 4000) Watertown ( over 1700) which  I found online for available apts.  And even Newton it seems has a very high number of available apts.  So really not sure how building thousands more is going to make a difference.  It seems that only the Developers will be making out. 

Nancy Mazzapica

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Nov 15, 2023, 6:34:03 PM11/15/23
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In Boston 

On Tue, Nov 7, 2023 at 12:37 PM Nancy Mazzapica <nsm...@gmail.com> wrote:
Yup snd nobody seems to pay attention to those details There us a glut just like the office buildings in Newton 


Scott Oran

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Nov 15, 2023, 6:34:03 PM11/15/23
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Rents follow the laws of supply and demand like all other economic activity. 

Here is a recent news story that explains that Sunbelt cities with more permissive permitting regimes are seeing rents drop due to new supply. 


Unfortunately housing is so under supplied in Boston (and other coastal cities) that we must still build more homes to meet demand or prices will continue to rise above inflation. 

Most new housing is predominantly owned by institutional owners like pension funds and university endowments which support retirees and higher education. 


On Nov 7, 2023, at 11:43 AM, 'didi_614' via West Newton Community <westnewtonn...@googlegroups.com> wrote:



Anne Goldbach

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Nov 15, 2023, 6:34:03 PM11/15/23
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Thank you Lynne for your post - and thanks to Greer for the assist in getting it posted.

I fully agree with Lynne. Something should have gone to every household about the pending zoning changes - a direct letter, or information in a water or tax bill, or in the census.  

Even though ZAP has apparently been working on this for 3 years, I didn’t know about it until I got a newsletter from Tarik Lucas last year which encouraged people to take a survey about it.

When I took the survey, I was so appalled at the way it was constructed that I sent a letter to the Mayor and the City Council indicating why I thought it was flawed and biased, and asked that the survey be scrapped and that a new one be developed to more accurately address the issues and better reflect the opinions of our citizens.

And thus, I started paying attention.  I am not a fan of the VCOD but I do agree that we need more housing.  Complying with the MBTA Communities Act for now is the way to go.  Then we can conduct due diligence to determine if we want more housing above and beyond that and whether Newton can support that many additional households.  

 I also agree that whatever happens with the elections, we need change in the way officials communicate with Newton’s residents.

Thanks,
Anne

Anne Goldbach


On Nov 7, 2023, at 11:42 AM, Greer Swiston <greer...@gmail.com> wrote:

Forwarding an email  for a poster having trouble with her post:
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Nancy Mazzapica

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Nov 15, 2023, 6:34:03 PM11/15/23
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Yup snd nobody seems to pay attention to those details There us a glut just like the office buildings in Newton 

Meryl Kessler

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Nov 15, 2023, 6:34:34 PM11/15/23
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At any given time, there are always going to be some rental apartments available.  

But the absolute number of rentals at any given time tells you nothing.  

The important metric is the VACANCY RATE (the percentage of apartments that are vacant).  So, I refer you to this recent Boston Globe article on the topic.

Here are the key paragraphs:

But over the last year, as rental markets nationwide began to cool, rents in Greater Boston have kept climbing: up 6 percent since March 2022, well outpacing the national average. That puts the median rent for a one-bedroom in Boston at $2,011, according to Apartment List, making this one of the most expensive rental markets in the country, in line with New York City and San Francisco. 

It’s driven by the same dynamic that has pushed home prices so high: immense demand for too little supply.

Greater Boston’s vacancy rate, a measure of how many apartments in the region are unrented, sits at 0.49 percent, down from 0.59 percent this time last year, according to BostonPads.

A healthy vacancy rate, said Demetrios Salpoglou, BostonPads’ CEO, would be somewhere around 6 percent. Vacancies hit around 9 percent in 2020 as people left Greater Boston, but have otherwise been below 6 percent for years.

“That tells you how bad it is right now,” said Salpoglou. “We’ve got a lot of people staying in their same apartment because they don’t want to take a chance on the market. And that means there’s so little vacancy that those apartments that do come on the market go for a higher price. It’s a crazy cycle. The wheel almost breaks.”



Meryl Kessler



didi_614

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Nov 15, 2023, 7:01:38 PM11/15/23
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So Apartments.com is lying??  Just looked and there are Thousands of Apts available in Somerville. Newton etc.  We could certainly  call local Apts for rent but some of them like Trio and Austin - No longer put the information online - I guess they dont want people knowing they rent for Thousands a month and have lots of apts available.  Austin Street will give you a one MONTH FREE Rent if you apply now at least that is what they have online but if you are paying 4 - 5 thousand a month - I guess a month free is supposed to be an incentive!!

And regarding No Vacancy's - the people Not moving are not the people paying Thousands a month for a Studio and parking is extra. 




Scott Oran

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Nov 15, 2023, 7:37:25 PM11/15/23
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There are well over 300,000 rental housing units in greater Boston so even if just 1% are vacant because people move or change jobs or any other reason there will be THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS of available apartments. 

So apartments.com is not lying.

With regard to Austin Street, you can see rents on line at 28austin.com.

When a tenant recently unexpectedly moved to assisted living as their health declined, we offered a month free to lease the apartment that became available because most people understandably do not want to move between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

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