Newton is working to rectify the impact of rising home values on middle and lower-income families while trying not to cause homeowners’ land values to depreciate, but the question remains: can the next generation afford Newton?

“There aren’t a lot of new homes that are coming on the market, and the ones that are are quite expensive, so that does make it so that families considering moving to Newton might need to be a few years further along in their journey,” said Ward 5 Councilor-at-Large Brittany Hume Charm in an interview with The Heights.

Hume’s sentiment reflects one of the primary concerns of the Newton housing crisis: that enrollment numbers in grades kindergarten through fifth will plummet. This decline, which has already been seen in recent enrollment numbers, could have long-term impacts on funding and classroom resources.

Over the past 10 years, the average home value in Newton has increased by about 7 percent per year. In an interview with The Heights, Ward 8 School Committee member Victor Lee explained that this figure is nuanced and not exclusively a bad thing.

“I don’t know if I see [rising home values] as a positive or a negative—I see it more as a fact of life that’s happening because there are pros and cons to it,” Lee said.

Lee explained that a rise in home values leads to an increase in taxes, which leaves more money for Newton Public Schools.

“You theoretically have higher real estate taxes if the values of the housing go up, and then, because we are, in many ways, very much dependent on our funding from property taxes or indirectly from that income, that helps down the road,” Lee said. “We are always struggling with finding enough funding, frankly.”

Part of the current solution is centered around new developments, where more families could afford to live in Newton, meaning people would have access to better schooling and job opportunities. The solution is not so simple, explained Lee.

“There are some developments, I understand, that are still in the works … there’s a section of Route 9 called the 528 Boylston St. project,” Lee said. “That was, frankly, a little controversial. Some of it was intended to provide relatively affordable housing.”

In Newton, complexes and dual-unit homes are extremely difficult to zone, further exacerbating the affordability crisis, explained Charm.

“Newton is predominantly zoned for single-family, but really thinking strategically about how to create higher-density housing, particularly around transit,” Charm said.

Newton is primarily zoned for single-family units, and many homeowners looking for smaller homes or to downsize are unable to do so within city limits. This restriction limits housing diversification and reduces turnover in the housing market, making it harder for new families to find an entry point to residence.

Charm explained that the MBTA Communities Act is working to address the lack of housing affordability in many Massachusetts cities, including Newton.

“In order to comply with the MBTA Communities Act, Newton implemented something called the village center overlay district … [there are] circles of where things have been upzoned,” said Charm.

The MBTA Communities Act requires Newton to allow multi-family housing by right, in an attempt to rectify affordability issues.

While this issue remains unsolved, officials are looking ahead with urgency to preserve what Newton residents know, while also ensuring that enough families can sustainably live here for generations to come.

“How can we continue to make our city welcoming and approachable and inviting for families with young kids so the next generation can come in?” Charm said.

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_{This story is from The Heights, an independent, nonprofit newspaper run by Boston College students with which the Newton Beacon has a partnership.}