# Zoning & Planning Committee - September 28, 2026


**Body:** NewTV Government 
**Date:** September 27, 2026
**Jurisdiction:** SLED

**Tags:** Construction & Infrastructure, Grants & Funding


The Newton Zoning & Planning Committee met on September 28, 2026, and approved the Community Preservation Committee’s recommendation to appropriate $1.9 million to the Newton Affordable Housing Trust for its FY2027 funding. The proposed funding comprises $500,939.35 from the community housing reserve and $1,394,060.65 from unrestricted prior-year reserves. The committee’s approval was not a vote on the separate Washington Street development itself; discussion noted that the Trust had already allocated about $1 million toward that project and that the proposed appropriation could bring its commitment to roughly $2.9 million. Staff said project funds remain in city accounts and are disbursed through reimbursement after grant terms are established and construction is underway. Committee members discussed the project’s scale, affordability, parking, design, and timing; five members voted in favor, with abstentions also recorded. The CPC had recommended the appropriation 7–0 in July.

The committee also discussed the city’s demolition-delay ordinance, including review criteria, waiver practices, adaptive reuse, and possible improvements to notice for ward counselors. No ordinance change or procurement action was taken on that item; the committee voted to hold it for further discussion and review of approaches used by other communities.

**Source:** NewTV Government