Guiding Documents

Newton’s Comprehensive Plan
This plan represents countless hours invested by 29 citizens over six years. The whole plan is a valuable backdrop for Newton Villages’ efforts. The most relevant sections are:

1 The Newton That We Want
This chapter addresses questions about how — and how much — the city should grow in the coming decades, defining where development should occur, promoting the diversity of Newton’s spaces, and figuring out how to move forward. Includes some historical background. A must read.

2 Excellence in Place-Making
This chapter is all about how to foster good planning and development in the city, much of which involves collaboration with everyone affected by changes.

6 Economic Development
This chapter presents an economic profile of the city, goals for long-term growth, strategies for shaping that growth, an action plan, and data. In particular, see section 6.IV.1: What to Do about Economic Development: An Action Plan for Village Center Development. This section, on page 6-7, is a statement of part of Newton Villages’ plan.

Why does the city have a comprehensive plan? It’s required by the city’s charter.

If you would like to learn more, download the complete Comprehensive Plan (a 6MB PDF), which you can have printed and bound locally for about $25.

Newton Background

The Villages of Newton
Newton Villages is working to improve each of the city’s fourteen villages. Can you name all 14 of them? See the map.

Newton Centre Task Force
The final report of the Newton Centre Task Force: Revitalizing Newton Centre, hundreds of pages of research an analysis compiled over several years by hardworking volunteers. Consider starting with the executive summary.

Citizen’s Advisory Group, 2009
Information about the detailed analysis of Newton’s budgetary condition and future prospects, researched and presented by the Citizen’s Advisory Group, including a large PDF of the group’s final report.

Newton’s Zoning Ordinance
If you’ve ever wondered why Newton operates the way it does, the answer may lie in Newton’s Zoning Ordinance.