City of Newton, MA
Home MenuZoning Redesign
Process
Zoning Redesign - Not Your Typical Zoning Amendment/Proposal
The Newton Comprehensive Plan states, “Newton’s Zoning Ordinance is found by many City officials, citizens and others who use it to be complicated, difficult to use and would benefit from enhanced clarity and revision in light of many of the objectives and ideas set out in this [Comprehensive] Plan.” To address this, the Comprehensive Plan set the clear next step for implementation as, “a comprehensive effort to revise the City’s Zoning Ordinances which would benefit from further clarification, updating, and reflection of City policies…”
Many cities, and even states, around the country have come to similar conclusions with their zoning codes, which were all enacted roughly around the same time 100 years ago. This does not mean communities simply throw away their current rules, rather it is an acknowledgement that addressing the challenges faced today requires broader, and sometimes wholesale, reform. See this recent article from the Sightline Institute, Suddenly, Zoning Reforms are Popping Up Everywhere.
A Comprehensive Process for Comprehensive Reform
In response to the Comprehensive Plan objective, the City Council (then Board of Alderman) and Mayor created the Zoning Reform Group (ZRG) in 2010-2011 to develop “a plan to reform Newton’s zoning code.” The Comprehensive Plan and the ZRG report have guided the Zoning Redesign work to date. This resulted in the first draft of a new Zoning Ordinance released in October 2018, which is currently under review.
Throughout 2020, ZAP agreed to break down the Zoning Redesign work Article-by-Article (chapter-by-chapter). The Committee began with Article 3 - Residence Districts because the majority of work prior to 2020 focused on Newton’s residential neighborhoods. Looking at the feedback from our recent engagement, this framework has proved challenging. For example, participants expressed confusion over discussions focused on housing opportunities that did not include village centers/transit-nodes. Others expressed using the organizational structure of the Zoning Ordinance as “abstract” or “disconnected” from the guiding goals and objectives, which clearly apply to multiple articles.
At the end of 2020, ZAP acknowledged the significant work still to be done and stated that there would not be a vote on the proposed ordinance in calendar year 2021. How we move forward from here is currently being discussed at ZAP. The latest proposal can be found in the January 25, 2021 ZAP meeting memo. Once ZAP has established a path forward, it will be included here.
Regardless, see below for a general overview of the key actors involved and what state law requires when a City wants to adopt or amend its zoning ordinances.
Adopting and Amending Zoning Ordinances (Decision Making Process)