Committee approves fix for hole in retaining wall zoning ordinance
A zoning amendment passed by the City Council last winter relating to special permits and retaining walls was an obstacle to the city being in [...]
Committee approves controversial tobacco sales ordinance change
The City Council’s Programs and Services has approved an ordinance amendment that—if it passes a vote by the whole City Council—will ban the sale [...]
Newton’s Accessory Dwelling Unit zoning will need changes with new state law
Maura Healey signed the biggest housing bond bill in Massachusetts history in August to address the state’s housing shortage crisis, and that bill included [...]
Operation Access cracks down on handicapped parking violations
Operation Access, a joint project between the Commission on Disability and the Newton Police Department, has raised $3,600 in fines from handicapped parking violations. The [...]
BERDO is Born: City Council passes long-awaited energy and greenhouse gas ordinance
After years of discussion and months of debate, the City Council on Monday night passed a Building Emissions Reductions and Disclosures Ordinance (BERDO). The vote [...]
DPW Commissioner Jim McGonagle leaving next month
DPW Commissioner Jim McGonagle will soon depart City Hall for a cemetery. Don’t worry. He’s not dying. He got a new job. Mayor Ruthanne Fuller, [...]
LWVN Report: Newtonians want more transparency, city website is unpopular
Newton’s city government needs to work on transparency, building the public’s trust and a better city website, according to the League of Women Voters of [...]
BERDO vote delayed after councilor invokes charter, says questions remain
The BERDO saga will head into overtime. The ordinance to require building owners to report energy use and reduce emissions, recently approved out of the [...]
Zoning and Planning approves BERDO with amended residential requirements
The BERDO brouhaha beats onward, and the Zoning and Planning Committee on Monday night voted to approve it without greenhouse gas reduction mandates for residential [...]
Crossley ZBA appointment survives City Council gauntlet
Former City Councilor Deb Crossley will serve in the Zoning Board of Appeals for the next year. Crossley’s appointment came after a lot of debate. [...]
Former City Councilor Deb Crossley’s ZBA appointment faces committee opposition
Mayor Ruthanne Fuller has picked architect and former City Councilor Deborah Crossley to serve on the Zoning Board of Appeals, with a term to expire [...]
Newton uses these three grants for affordable housing
There are three primary federal grants the city uses for affordable housing are going to be allocated soon, and Newton’s Planning Department recently presented a [...]
What happens to that pile of free cash in the city’s coffers?
Newton has more than $23 million in free cash, left over from Fiscal Year 2024. What happens to that money now? In her recent presentation [...]
FinCom approves use of grant money for human resources study
The following story first appeared on The Heights, an independent, nonprofit newspaper run by Boston College students, with which the Newton Beacon has formed a partnership. Stories [...]
Morse: Newton ‘in good shape’ for BERDO
There’s a lot of debate over whether Newton residents and businesses are ready for a BERDO (Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance). But is the [...]