Image Description: On the left, a map of the proposed zoning for Newton in 1921; on the right, the City of Newton’s current Zoning Ordinance map.

Zoning is how we regulate what gets built and where it gets built. Defining the right set of controls is important for both ensuring new buildings fit within the existing context and for implementing our values and goals as a City. Since the last major zoning update the City has set forward many goals around land use, housing, transportation, economic development and climate action through plans such as the Comprehensive Plan, Housing, Transportation and Economic Development Strategies, Climate Action Plan, and vision plans for Washington Street, Needham Street and Riverside. Many of these goals cannot be realized without changes to zoning.

Today’s effort to redesign the city’s zoning began in 2011 with the formation of the Zoning Reform Group, which was formed in response to broad sentiment, including from the 2007 Comprehensive Plan, that the zoning ordinance was difficult to understand and did not always lead to desirable outcomes. The Zoning Reform Group was a collaborative effort of the administration, Board of Alderman (now the City Council), and community and was charged with developing “a plan to reform Newton’s zoning code”. The Zoning Reform Group Report identified 11 themes to focus on in creating a new ordinance, which has provided guidance to the overall Zoning Redesign process. The Zoning Reform Report recognized that the issues were interconnected and they could not be addressed on a case-by-case basis, but rather required a comprehensive rewrite. 

Zoning Reform Group Report Themes:

• Better organize the Ordinance for ease of use. The first phase of zoning reform, completed in 2015, reorganized the existing ordinance into a format that is easier to use and understand. 

• Simplify and streamline the permitting and review processes. The report recommends zoning reform lower the administrative burden of permitting, streamline the process, and allow for more by-right development and delegating minor projects to the Zoning Board of Appeals or Planning & Development Board.

• Recognize that each village center and commercial corridor is unique. Current zoning has a one size fits all approach to zoning in village centers, which does not recognize the diversity of these places.

• Encourage mixed-use residential redevelopment in village centers. Over time Newton’s village centers have lost density and key services and zoning reform should encourage renewal of these areas through appropriate mixed-use density, pedestrian-oriented ground floor uses, and parking reform. The report also recommends that zoning place an emphasis on appropriate building forms.

• Create “soft transitions” between village centers and residential neighborhoods. The report encourages creating new zoning districts to allow for moderate density mixed-use development and multi-family dwellings to transition from the commercial core of village centers to residential neighborhoods.

• Allow moderate, flexible growth on commercial corridors. The report recommends allowing for moderate growth along the commercial corridors of Needham Street, Washington Street, and Boylston Street to provide jobs and tax revenue. 

• Rationalize and streamline parking regulations. The report acknowledges that Newton’s parking regulations are commonly cited as a significant hurdle to commercial development, particularly for new small businesses. The zoning reform process should consider how to revise required parking ratios, particularly in village centers, and facilitate the use of shared parking. 

• Protect neighborhood character and scale. Demand for large houses has led to a rise in the number of new homes that are out of scale with their neighborhood context. The report recommended that zoning reform consider how to preserve the historic character of Newton, while still providing flexibility for homeowners looking to make improvements.

• Create more diverse housing opportunities. Large single-family homes predominate and the number of smaller homes is decreasing through tear-downs and upgrades. The report recommends that zoning regulations be audited to identify barriers to and incentives for the creation of more naturally affordable housing (smaller unit sizes and higher densities) and the development of multi-family housing and adaptive reuse of large homes, particularly near transit and village centers, should be encouraged.

• Institute a better process for managing change of religious and educational institutions. The regulations placed on these uses are limited through the Dover Amendment and zoning reform should identify a more collaborative process to manage growth over time.

• Improve natural resource conservation and sustainability. Zoning should encourage the preservation of open space and encourage energy-efficient and durable buildings and support the use of new technologies. 

The 11 themes are just as relevant today, if not more so.

Single family homes continue to be torn down and replaced with much larger, more expensive homes, driving up the median income and making Newton more and more exclusive. Single family home size in Newton grew by 70% from 2005 to 2014. This is true for all housing types in Newton. As the graphic below shows, the average housing unit size in Newton has increased dramatically as developers have attempted to maximize the return on very expensive land as allowed by existing zoning. This data is in direct contrast with shrinking household size.

Opportunities for multi-family housing are limited as most of the residential land in the city is zoned only for single-family homes. This leaves few opportunities to gradually increase housing or provide other housing options. When multi-family housing does get built it tends to be in large developments.

Current zoning does not provide opportunities or incentives for “missing middle” housing. This house-scale housing with multiple units exists successfully in some areas of newton, providing additional housing options and price points. However, this type of housing is not permitted anywhere by-right and often is prohibited.

Increasing home prices and lack of housing options have contributed to a dramatic decrease in the under 44 population in Newton. The lack of diversity in housing options and price points also adds to the challenge of attracting new businesses to Newton, as there are limited options for their employees to live here. Rising median sales prices for homes in Newton also mean many homeowners could not buy their home today, seniors have limited options for downsizing, and it is all but impossible for children to stay in Newton when they move out of their family home. 

Many of Newton’s village centers have lost some of their vibrancy: zoning regulations make it difficult to add housing and parking regulations can often be a barrier to small businesses. 

In recent years the conversation around climate change has become much more urgent and zoning has not caught up. The City’s Climate Action Plan adopted ambitious goals, and since buildings and vehicles make up the majority of our greenhouse gas emissions, zoning changes are necessary to achieve these goals. Current zoning does not incentivize smaller, more energy efficient housing or prioritize housing near walkable village centers and transit. 

The Zoning Reform Group’s Report recommended a three phase approach to zoning reform. 

Phase 1 was a reorganization of the current zoning ordinance, which was completed in 2015. 

Phase 2 is a comprehensive rewrite of the zoning ordinance along with amendments to the zoning map. Phase 2 began with the creation of the Pattern Book, released in 2018. The Pattern Book catalogues the existing development patterns in order to better understand the city’s context. The Pattern Book is based on geographic information systems (GIS) data, historical records, regulatory/policy documents, existing conditions measurements, and first-hand interactions. The Pattern Book contains a wealth of information and allows for us to recognize the attributes that make Newton great and use them as a model for the future. 

Also in 2018, the Planning Department produced a first draft of the zoning ordinance. Much of the discussion has focused on the residential districts and as of early 2021 the Planning Department and Zoning and Planning Committee will be shifting focus to village centers and transit nodes. More discussion and analysis is still needed on the residential districts and documentation of the work completed and questions remaining can be found in the Annotated Article 3 draft.

Phase 3 is a one-year period of intensive review after the adoption of a new zoning ordinance. This phase is meant to identify any adjustments that might be necessary, based on quantitative data and anecdotal experience with the new ordinance. 

Please read this Appendix to learn more about the full history of Zoning Redesign and to find the material created along the way that have identified the need for a zoning rewrite.