Newton for Everyone is pushing a citizen petition to open up large swaths of the city to new housing.

The group has been collecting signatures on a petition that asks the City Council to amend the zoning ordinance in three ways, according to the group's website. The petition would allow, by right:

  • Multi-family housing and business uses in the city's manufacturing districts
  • Residential buildings up to five stories in existing business districts
  • Up to four housing units on lots where zoning allows only two

Under Newton's City Charter, a citizen petition signed by 50 registered voters compels the council to hold a public hearing and vote on the proposal within three months. The council could accept, reject or revise the amendments.

The League of Women Voters of Newton supports the petition, urging residents in a Nov. 3 post to sign when they encounter signature collectors around the city.

Why the petition

Newton for Everyone, led by president Luke Mann-O'Halloran, said it turned to the petition process because the council has not acted on the kind of zoning changes the group believes Newton needs. The Newton Beacon reported on the petition drive in September.

The group argues that much of Newton's zoning dates back 50 to 100 years and was written to allow only single- or two-family homes across most of the city. Those rules, Newton for Everyone said, push builders toward teardowns replaced by large, expensive houses rather than smaller, more affordable homes.

Manufacturing districts, the group said, are underused because demand for manufacturing space has dropped. Business districts either do not allow or severely restrict residential uses, according to the petition.

What's at stake

The zoning changes could reshape where and what kind of housing gets built across Newton. The petition's backers say allowing housing in business districts would let people walk to shops and transit, and that increasing the number of units allowed on residential lots would create smaller, less expensive homes.

Newton for Everyone began collecting signatures Sept. 13 at the Upper Falls Village Fair. The group also planned to collect signatures at the Newton Harvest Fest on Oct. 18. The threshold is 50 signatures.

The current signature count and whether the petition has been filed with the City Clerk are not confirmed in public records. No public response from City Council members or the Zoning and Planning Committee appears in available records.

If the petition is presented this fall and voted on after the new year, the Newton Beacon reported, it could become a focal point of next year's local elections.