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 next November.
But four members of the Zoning and Planning Committee—which Crossley once chaired—objected, giving reasons related to last year’s re-zoning efforts.
Crossley, whose background is in environmental design and architecture, has lived in Newton for nearly 40 years and has worked as an architect since 1986. She was elected to the City Council in 2009 and served on the Land Use Committee and later the Zoning and Planning Committee.
Crossley was one of five councilors who backed the Village Center Overlay District zoning overhaul last year and lost their seats in last year’s election.
“It’s interesting to be back here, in different place in the room,” Crossley said as she greeted the committee.
Members of the committee, in addition to other city councilors who attended the meeting, praised Crossley for her knowledge, expertise and decades of experience.
“What Councilor Crossley brought to the Land Use Committee was a way to make every project better,” Councilor Susan Albright said. “If the project couldn’t get better, we didn’t approve it. I think that’s probably the most important factor that we need to take into account when we go through this appointment.”
The four members of the committee who voted to oppose Crossley’s appointment—John Oliver, Rena Getz, David Kalis and Pam Wright—gave reasons tied to last year’s VCOD debate.
“Ms. Crossley is a passionate advocate for her views, but there are others who are more skilled at listening and taking positions that respect the wide variety of positions within our city,” Wright, a vocal opponent of the VCOD, said. “Working with Ms. Crossley for four years on ZAP, I’ve seen firsthand that she is not open to different opinions backed by data and facts. She pushes her own agenda.”
Albright pushed back on that.
“This is not a job to write zoning code. This is not a job that has anything to do with zoning,” Albright said.
Councilor Rick Lipof agreed and said the city should put the zoning battle in the past.
“We should not look back at the fight over anti-development, pro-development, all of this anger and division that has happened in this city,” Lipof said.
Lipof said Crossley’s appointment should be based on what she can bring to the ZBA.
“Her expertise, her love for this city, her passion and her reasonable thinking are why the mayor has chosen her as somebody who can give her time, her effort, her wisdom and her expertise to the ZBA,” Lipof said.
City Council Vice President David Kalis voted against Crossley’s appointment, citing timing.
“I think if you were proposed to be a ZBA member in a few years, you’d fly through. You have all the qualifications, all the expertise,” Kalis said. “But you were just chair of ZAP during one of the most contentious zoning debates that we’ve had in years, and then the community told us that we got it wrong.”
Crossley defended her work on the VCOD—emphasizing that it was backed by data—and said there was no way to re-zone the village centers and comply with the MBTA Communities Act without making people angry.
“There was a huge amount of listening, but as you know, we can’t satisfy everyone,” Crossley said. “We try to be Solomon, but you don’t want to cut the baby in half. We did cut the baby in half.”
Oliver didn’t give specific reasons for his opposition, but he objected to people dismissing others’ reasons for opposing the appointment.
“Don’t try to invalidate anyone’s opinion,” he said. “I find it offensive. Stop.”
Zoning and Planning Committee Chair Lisle Baker said his concerns were alleviated and he’d vote in favor of the appointment.
“Her comments tonight have satisfied me that she not only has the ability to do the job, she also has the disposition,” Baker said.
The 4-4 vote means the motion to recommend the City Council appoint Crossley failed, but the appointment heads to the City Council for a vote anyway.