On Wednesday, the City Council’s Zoning and Planning Committee is slated to discuss the commercial office market. But after being denied an opportunity to speak, Charles River Regional Chamber President Greg Reibman is calling foul.

The special meeting does, however, include Planning Director Barney Heath, Economic Development Director John Sisson and, according to the docket, will focus on “new commercial office leases signed within the past three years, the current commercial office space that is available to lease, office tenants that have left Newton or have downsized, and strategies to recruit new commercial office tenants to Newton.”

And the issue of participation raises the question of who should be included in a discussion about local business.

“This is a matter of great importance to the Chamber that we spend a great deal of time thinking about and following,” Reibman wrote last Tuesday to committee Chair Lisle Baker and Vice Chair John Oliver in an email chain later sent to the Newton Beacon as well as Mayor Ruthanne Fuller and a bunch of other local officials, requesting a speaking spot at Monday’s meeting. “I’m writing to request an opportunity for the Chamber to participate in that conversation and, likely more helpfully, to answer questions from the committee.”

Baker, however, wrote back to Reibman letting him know that won’t be happening.

“We will not entertain public comment at this meeting though we welcome your attendance,” Baker wrote. “If you have specific issues you would like considered please feel free to write the Committee or communicate with the Planning Department which is organizing the discussion for us.”

Baker added that zoning amendments introduced at the meeting would be subject to a public hearing and Reibman can speak then.

That didn’t go over well with Reibman, who then replied that he was “greatly disappointed” that the committee had denied the Chamber’s request to participate in the meeting.

“This is a subject area of great importance to the Chamber and to our members,” Reibman wrote. “It’s a topic where we bring considerable expertise, not just as it relates to Newton, but across Boston’s western inner suburbs.”

The disagreement comes as multiple developers move forward with plans to change their mixed-use developments to include more housing and little-to-no office space, responding to a market that was dramatically changed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the housing shortage.

The City Council recently gave approval to the Northland development for Upper Falls, after six years of delays and changes that included dropping office space for more housing. And Mark Development is expected to present a new plan for their Riverside development this fall, dropping some commercial space for more housing.

This trend has the City Council looking into office market conditions, trends, forecasts and possible ordinance changes to meet this new reality.

But for now, they won’t be doing that with much input from the Chamber.

“The fact that the committee does not want to hear directly from the business community leads me to conclude that the council is not genuinely interested in finding ways to enhance the city’s economic competitiveness but only wants to engage in a charade,” Reibman’s email concludes.

The Zoning and Planning Committee meeting will be Wednesday night at 7 p.m. in Room 204 of City Hall and will be available to watch on Zoom.