Docket Digest for the Week of August 8, 2010
A weekly summary of Board of Aldermen agendas and actions highlighting items of interest to the LWVN. Archive of previous weeks here.
Board and Committee Meeting Schedule
Extracted from full calendar. Links to full calendar and docket packet here.
Key to color coding: CPC, Planning, Environmental, CAG, Charter, Housing.
August 2010 |
|||
Monday 9 |
7:45 pm |
Board of Aldermen |
Chamber |
Tuesday 10 |
7:45 pm |
Land Use |
222 |
| Thursday 12 | 6:30 pm |
Mayor's Mixed Use Task Force | 222 |
| Thursday 19 | 7 pm | CPC | 222 |
| REST OF AUG | NO MEETINGS (yet?) | ||
Reports:
- Zoning & Planning, includes: #154-10 ALD. JOHNSON, CROSSLEY AND HESS-MAHAN requesting to amend Section 30-1 Definitions, by inserting a new definition of “lot area” and revising the “setback line” definition for clarity. (Phil Herr addressed the Committee. He explained that the City is looking for housing development in business areas among other areas. The existing regulations have some ambiguities that they are trying to address in the Newton Housing Action Plan Initiative (HAPI)....) ACTION: HELD 5-0 (Ald. Sangiolo not voting); #153-10 ALD. JOHNSON, CROSSLEY AND HESS-MAHAN requesting to amend Section 30-15 Table 1 of the City of Newton Ordinances to allow a reasonable density for dwellings in Mixed Use 1 and 2 districts. ( Mr. Herr: The concept of Mixed Use districts (1 and 2) is to provide a mix of residential and business uses in those areas. The current zoning for those districts in Newton requires 10,000 per square feet per dwelling unit for the residential portion which is prohibitive in any mixed use context. This negates the desired intention....) ACTION: HELD 5-0 (Ald. Sangiolo not voting) #183-10 ALD. JOHNSON, CROSSLEY AND HESS-MAHAN requesting to amend Section 30-13(a) Allowed Uses in Mixed Use 1 Districts by inserting a new subsection (5) as follows: “(5) Dwelling units above the first floor, provided that the first floor is used for an office or research and development use as described above;” ... Mr. Herr: the mixed Use 2 district allows housing units above the first floor but the Mixed Use 1 district does not. This was due to the uses of the two districts that distinguished them from each other historically, but those distinctions no longer exist. ACTION: HELD 5-0 (Ald. Sangiolo not voting)
- Programs & Services, includes: #242-03(6) ALD. ALBRIGHT requesting to amend Section 3-30 (as established by Ordinance Z-11) to create an off-leash dog areas ordinance. A. EXTEND ORDINANCE TO 9/30/10 APPROVED 6-1-0 (Ald. Sangiolo opposed; Ald. Merrill not voting) ON 5/3/10 ACTION: B. APPROVED 5-0-2 (Ald. Sangiolo and Merrill abstaining)
- Public Facilities, includes: #193-10 PRESIDENT LENNON recommending the re-appointment of JOHN BLISS, 9
Lewis Street, Newtonville, as an aldermanic appointee to the CITIZENS
COMMISSION ON ENERGY for a term to expire 12/31/11 (60 days 8/20/10). ACTION: APPROVED 4-0 (Albright, Danberg and Gentile not voting); #107-10 ALD. YATES, LAPPIN, FREEDMAN, FISCHMAN, AND HESS-MAHAN requesting an update on the Newton South High School athletic field drainage project.
Docket:
- Land Use--includes: #213-10 NEWTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY/DURANT HOMESTEAD FOUNDATION, INC. petition for a SPECIAL PERMIT/SITE PLAN APPROVAL to EXPAND A NONCONFORMING STRUCTURE to demolish and rebuild a portion of the Durant-Kenrick Homestead to accommodate a new, larger, visitor entry area and meeting space to allow a museum, which includes a waiver from the required number of parking spaces and their dimensions, at 286 WAVERLEY AVENUE, Ward 7, Newton; Public Hearings to be assigned for September 28, 2010: #214-10 NEW ENGLAND DEVELOPMENT LLC/NED CHESTNUT HILL SQUARE LLC/G&K LLC/KEY CHESTNUT LLC petition for a change of zone for parcels located at 200-230 Boylston Street
- Zoning--includes: Public hearing to be assigned: #153-10 ALD. JOHNSON, CROSSLEY AND HESS-MAHAN requesting to amend Section 30-15 Table 1 of the City of Newton Ordinances to allow a reasonable density for dwellings in Mixed Use 1 and 2 districts. [06/01/10 @9:25 PM]; and #183-10 ALD. JOHNSON, CROSSLEY AND HESS-MAHAN requesting to amend Section 30-13(a) Allowed Uses in Mixed Use 1 Districts by inserting a new subsection (5) as follows: “(5) Dwelling units above the first floor, provided that the first floor is used for an office or research and development use as described above;” and renumbering existing subsection (5) as (6).
- Finance--includes: #209-10(2) HIS HONOR THE MAYOR requesting acceptance of Massachusetts General Law Chapter 32B, Section 20. Other Post Employment Benefits Liability Trust Fund; local option; funding schedule, which authorizes the establishment of a separate fund, to be known as the Other Post Employment Benefits Liability Trust Fund, a for the purpose of providing an irrevocable, dedicated trust fund as a vehicle to make advance contributions for retirement health care benefits. and #228-10 HIS HONOR THE MAYOR requesting acceptance of a gift from the Department of Energy Resources as a result of the City of Newton’s designation as a Green Community of seven (7) BigBelly Solar Compactors with bottle/can recycling units to be placed in the village squares of West Newton and Upper Falls for a total value of thirty-one thousand six hundred ninety-six dollars ($31,696). AND #38-10(2) HIS HONOR THE MAYOR requesting acceptance of and authorization to expend a grant of one hundred seventy-nine thousand five hundred dollars ($179,500) to perform a deep energy retrofit of the Lower Falls Community Center from the Department of Energy Resources, as a result of the City of Newton’s designation as a Green Community.
Documents:
- Expense reports for Fire Stations 4 & 7, NNHS
- Yates memo on Off-Leash Dog Parks
- News Notes, includes:
- Joint Meeting of Public Facilities and Finance Committees regarding Newton North HS,
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 at 7:00p.m. – The two committees will meet jointly to discuss further amendments to the NNHS Board order, as we did back in January. During our January deliberations under item 424-09, the Board voted to move monies within line items of the Board order with the understanding that we would be revisiting the same scenario again in September. There were no additional monies requested at that time for the project and there is no indication our deliberations for September should be any different. The Board will also be provided a status update on the project. Any questions, please contact Aldermen Gentile or Schnipper. - Water Meter Implementation Questions & Concerns – As some of you may be aware, there have been some discrepancies being brought forward by residents to the Water/Sewer office about actual bills now being sent as the ongoing implementation of the new water meters continues.Seeing we are in the early stages of this process and due to the volume of inquiries the office is receiving, the attached memo was put together by the W/S office. The memo stemmed from a discussion between the Mayor, DPW Commissioner Daley and Karen Griffey. After your review of the attached memo, if you have further questions or suggestions, please speak directly with Commissioner Daley or Karen. Many of the same questions from residents will continue to be directed to all of us as the rollout of the new meters continues. If our body continues to work with DPW, I am confident we can get all of the issues resolved in a fair & equitable manner.
- Joint Meeting of Public Facilities and Finance Committees regarding Newton North HS,
Agendas:
- none posted as of 8/7/10