Four horizontal images of outdoor community events and a school building. The first image shows people sitting and watching a small musical performance in a park. The second image depicts a farmer's market with vendors selling vegetables and produce to shoppers. The third image displays the exterior of a school named Frank Zervas School, with playground equipment and a garden. The fourth image features people sitting along a lakeshore, enjoying the view on a sunny day.

Have you decided how to vote on Question 7 – Legalize Starter Homes?

Thursday, October 22 at 7:00 on Zoom

Join us to hear about the Legalize Starter Home Ballot Question with guest speaker Andrew Mikula, the lead organizer of the Question 7 campaign.

Across Massachusetts, the modest single-family home is disappearing. The smaller houses our parents and grandparents started out in are being torn down and replaced with larger, more expensive ones, and in many cities and towns, new ones can't legally be built at all.

One big reason is zoning that requires every new house to sit on a large lot. Massachusetts has some of the most expensive land in the country, so that rule leaves room for only one kind of new home: a big one.

Click Here For More Info & to RSVP

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

How Housing Scarcity is Costing Massachusetts Political Power

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. Why are people leaving Massachusetts? Among many reasons, housing availability is the most significant. BU Professor Maxwell Palmer connected the dots between local housing policy, demographic shifts, and national politics. Rep. Jake Auchincloss then joined us to further emphasize the importance of building more housing in Massachusetts and the impact of losing Congressional seats.

Click here for a summary and video of the event

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

A graphical chart displaying median salaries for various healthcare and education jobs, with a key showing salary percentages and estimated costs for different household sizes.

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