How Housing Scarcity is Costing Massachusetts Political Power

Thursday, September 24 at 7:00

Hybrid Event: Congregation Dorshei Tzedek

Since 1970, our state has gone from 12 to 9 House seats, resulting in less representation in Congress and a reduced voice in the Electoral College. And we’ll likely lose another in the 2030 census. Why are people leaving Massachusetts? Among many reasons, housing availability is the most significant.

BU Professor Maxwell Palmer will connect the dots between local housing policy, demographic shifts, and national politics. If you’re unhappy with the current direction of national politics, housing reform is a way to take concrete, meaningful action locally.

60 Highland St., West Newton and on Zoom

Click Here For More Info & to RSVP

Maxwell Palmer is an Associate Professor at Boston University. He currently serves as a Faculty Fellow at the Initiative on Cities and a co-principal investigator for the Menino Survey of Mayors. His work explores how institutional arrangements impact representation and policy outcomes, particularly concerning housing development, voting rights, and redistricting.

Petition to the City Council
Time to Take Action on Housing

Newton for Everyone is launching a petition drive calling on the City Council to hold a public hearing on three changes to the city's zoning ordinance that would allow more types of housing across Newton.

Several simple changes to Newton’s rules would bring us a great deal closer to being a more affordable and vital city. We must show the Council how important it is to adopt rules that can enable a stronger, more stable future for our city.

The petition asks the Council to amend the zoning ordinance to allow, by right:

Multi-family housing and business uses in Newton's underused manufacturing districts;
Residential buildings up to five stories in existing business districts;
Up to four housing units on lots where current zoning allows two.

Click here to find out more & take action

Check out recent events from Newton for Everyone

Good Intentions, Bad Outcomes: Why Newton’s Housing Rules Aren’t Working – and How the City Is Beginning to Fix Them

Newton’s housing rules often produce the opposite of what residents say they want. Under the city's traditional zoning, a large single-family replacement house is relatively straightforward to build, while several smaller homes on the same property can require years of expensive hearings and negotiations. Any project with more than 2 units requires a special permit from the City Council or a comprehensive permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Click here for a summary and video of the event

What’s up with affordable housing in Newton?

Ann Houston, Chair of the Newton's Affordable Housing Trust, walked us through the recent analysis of what affordable housing Newton has, what approaches have resulted in affordable housing, and what steps the City can take to ensure we have affordable housing in the years to come.

Check out this summary including the video and slides

Two Years of VCOD: Where Are We, and What's Next?

Amy Dain, a housing policy expert, Senior Fellow at Boston Indicators, and Newton resident gave us a clear look at what’s happened in the two years since Newton passed the Village Center Overlay District (VCOD).

Check out the summary and video of the event

What Luxury Housing Does to Homelessness

For our first movie night, we watched and had a great discussion about, What Luxury Housing Does to Homelessness, a compelling film that makes complex issues understandable.

Check out the summary of the event