Newton is now fully compliant with the MBTA Communities Act, Mayor Ruthanne Fuller announced on Friday.

“I am grateful to our City of Newton staff who worked closely with the City Council over the past three years on this important update to our zoning,” Fuller wrote.

The City Council passed the Village Center Overlay District zoning overhaul—which was designed to bring the city into MBTA Communities Act compliance—in December 2023. But the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities later determined Newton to be “conditionally compliant” with the MBTA Communities Act after the City Council put restrictions on retaining wall height by-right, sending the city’s compliance into question.

Fuller announced on Friday that the state has approved changes made to the zoning ordinance, raising the height at which retaining walls would need a special permit, among other tweaks.

Compliance opens the city up to state grants including a MassDOT grant for new sidewalks on Nahanton Street, which Fuller also announced are on the way.

“Most importantly, housing opportunities will be a bit easier as a result of our updated zoning,” Fuller wrote. “While this will not happen overnight, the zoning lays the groundwork for much needed alternative types of housing in Newton, including housing geared towards first time buyers, young families, and older adults who are downsizing.”

The VCOD has been slow to take off. So far, only a handful of projects have been approved under the VCOD, and only one new housing unit has been built so far.