Should Newton follow state guidelines, or be more restrictive? Which projects should be allowed to continue?
Should Newton follow state guidelines, or be more restrictive? Which projects should be allowed to continue?Construction and development has become a hot topic once again in our fair City over the past several weeks. There is growing frustration from a group of Newton residents who feel that Mayor Fuller is unfairly discriminating against their single-family renovation projects while allowing large developer-owned multi-family projects to continue. The dividing line appears to be allowing construction projects that “increase the housing supply” to continue (e.g., tear-downs of single family homes to build 2-family condos, large multifamily developments, etc.) whilst stopping construction projects to repair or renovate existing single-family homes, even if not currently inhabited by the owners.
Back in March, Governor Baker and the state issued guidelines on managing construction projects during these unprecedented times, allowing construction to proceed while following new social distancing guidelines. While most of our surrounding towns followed these to the letter, on April 1st, Mayor Fuller issued additional, narrower guidelines including a blanket suspension of all resident-owned, single-family renovation/addition projects – while leaving large developer projects free to continue.
Does this seem fair? Should Newton follow state-level guidelines as many of our neighbors are doing – trusting contractors to follow state-level construction guidelines, or should we take a more conservative approach in our City? Which projects should be allowed vs. not? Where should the line be drawn? Who should decide? Discussion most welcome!
Here’s a copy of a letter that was sent to the Mayor and City Council by a group of concerned residents on 4/23. Full disclosure, I am one of the co-signers.
Dear Mayor Fuller:
We are writing with an urgent plea for you to modify the city’s position on residential construction projects.
We are all homeowners in Newton. We all embarked on substantial home renovation or rebuild projects. For some, it was elective. For eothers, our existing homes were irreparably damaged, and we had no option other than to rebuild. We all currently occupy alternative temporary housing in and around Newton, and our existing projects are now on indefinite hold due to the city’s unique interpretation of Governor Baker’s order pertaining to construction.
We believe your interpretation of Governor Baker’s order is incorrect and that projects in process are permitted to continue. We believe the city of Newton has no unique challenges that require tighter restrictions on construction. We believe it is unfair to allow large developer construction projects, city infrastructure projects, landscaping work and more to continue while selectively limiting projects like ours. We are, of course, deeply concerned about the potential spread of Covid-19 to those working on our projects as well as the broader community. We agree that all construction should adhere to strict public health guidelines, but believe it is not sensible to have a blanket rule prohibiting all projects that do not expand the housing supply.
As residents and taxpayers, we expect an open, fair and thoughtful rule making process in normal times. Times of crisis are no exception, and indeed, now is when leadership is most critical. Newton should be able to do better by its citizens beyond vague and broad proclamations issued via email. Construction projects similar to ours continue as we speak in neighboring communities such as Needham, Wellesley, Belmont and Brookline. Nantucket balanced the needs of its community with public interest and has allowed construction to continue under certain conditions such as a single worker in an unoccupied house. Notably, Mayor Walsh issued draft guidance on 4/17 for the city of Boston to allow residential remodel work in dwellings of 3 units or less as included in its definition of construction work essential to the safety and well-being of its residents.
We believe a reasonable, balanced approach is similarly possible in Newton. At a minimum, please allow construction to continue on non-spec, single-family projects where the owner is not currently living in the property and for which a permit was issued on or before April 1, 2020 (the date of your email announcing the current position on renovations and rebuilds). This rule is straightforward, consistent with the Governor’s order and easy to administer. Homeowners get to go home, which frees up housing supply. Work on unoccupied homes with appropriate measures in place is consistent with the Governor’s objective to limit the spread risk of Covid-19, especially since those same workers will otherwise be working on projects outside of Newton for as long as construction is halted here. Cosmetic work would be unlikely to continue, as homeowners rarely undertake the intrusive and burdensome task of moving out for these types of projects.
Our goal is not to open the floodgates of construction. Our goal is to return home. All of us will need to move out of our current temporary housing on or before June 30 and face a path of uncertainty, anxiety and economic hardship due to your indefinite suspension.
Please engage with us in a discussion at your earliest convenience.
Construction did not suddenly become dangerous with the arrival of COVID-19. It has always been hazardous work that required precautions, attention to detail, and protective equipment (including N95 masks and safety respirators). In my experience, contractors pay very close attention to the safety of their workers, and society trusts them to do so. We have ways to catch and penalize contractors who fail.
There is no scientific reason that would make it unsafe, for example, for a tradesperson to work alone in an otherwise unoccupied part of a building.
The question of construction during this emergency is one of broad applicability that affects the entire Commonwealth. The Governor and his staff have made a decision. Now come the local politicians, who think they are wiser than the Governor and his staff and who, by the way, think they are wiser than the tradesperson who wants to work and has a keen sense of what he or she can safely do. Newton’s peculiar policy could be the difference between a paycheck or no paycheck for that worker.
To anyone who is collecting a paycheck from public coffers, to anyone who is working comfortably from home and collecting a paycheck, if you are determined, in the face of all scientific reason, to tell that worker than he or she cannot accept a job, you really ought to donate a portion of your salary to him or her. If you want to call the shots, you should be willing to feel some of the pain.
In fact, construction is going on in many single family homes in Newton. I see it as I’m walking around my neighborhood. As pointed out, construction can easily be done in a safe way. This is overreach by the Mayor and is not about safety but about power and control. Massachusetts already has some of the most draconian restrictions of any state. These constraints need to be eased ASAP.
Well said Mr. Singer!
Agreeing with Michael, it’s hard for me to imagine what purpose is served by prohibiting construction in unoccupied structures. Yes, insist that contractors follow appropriate social distancing while on the work site. But to prohibit these activities (by the way, while also holding onto people’s permit fees) seems unreasonable.
I for one am thankful for the order that ceased non-emergency residential construction projects (even if the home owner has moved out). Many residents were starting these projects even after there was a high expectation that a stay at home order was imminent with no respect that we, as a community were about to take steps to attempt to flatten the curve. We are in a unique situation where the majority of the city is now working from home and given that houses in Newton are built largely in close proximity to their neighbors’, we need to take into account how this affects the city generally and not just the individual homeowner trying to renovate their home. Perhaps a more appropriate question should be whether we ought to stop construction on multi-family dwellings rather than make exceptions for renovations of single-family properties? Furthermore, if the City is to consider an exception to the current rule, then perhaps such an exception should only be granted to those who started projects prior to when any of this was reasonably foreseeable. Thus, April 1, 2020 is not a reasonable date to use as an arbitrary cutoff for any exception. We should likely push such an exception back to those who had permits by December 2019 (before these stay at home orders were really foreseeable).
What I noticed on the job site that is/was next door to my home:
-workers were not wearing protective clothing/face masks
-workers were openly coughing on the worksite
-daily 7 am jack hammering was a huge nuisance to trying to work from home
-on a couple of occasions workers almost hit my kids and/or other pedestrians using the sidewalks (which are more heavily trafficked with everyone staying at home) with their large machinery
I appreciate how important receiving a paycheck is for all of us, but unfortunately, for many of these workers, the paycheck is more important than flattening the curve, and that is why we needed the government to take action.
The house across the street from me was sold a year or so ago. The former owner had dementia and the house was in major disrepair. The new buyers do not currently live there, but have been renovating the house. Construction has been stopped due to COVID-19 so the house is sitting empty and we have had the pleasure of looking at a giant dumpster for weeks, topped off with trash. It seems like it would be better for the new home owners to be able to finish their project and move into the house, and better for the neighbors to not be next door to a giant, trash-filled dumpster and an empty, half-finished structure.
Contractors licensed by the state to work in occupied and unoccupied residential homes with dangerous equipment should also be trusted to follow all other health and safety guidelines issued. If that is not happening the permitting and licensing bodies should take appropriate action on a case-by-case basis. Issuing blanket restrictions on residential construction without regard to circumstances is an abdication of responsibility by the local government. At the very least the city should not hold permitting fees as interest-free loans to the city while demanding that associated projects are halted.
There is a silver lining to Covid: the cessation of greedy developers gutting fine New England homes to replace them with tacky, nouveau riche, putrid brown, stucco McMansions that blight a once quaint landscape. If only it could stop completely.
Newton Resident, December 2019? Things weren’t shut down until March.
Any job that can safely be done should be permitted. Construction should never have stopped.
Furthermore, now would be a perfect time to get the grass fields in Newton fixed up. They won’t be used any time soon.
single family construction should be allowed but following guidelines that protect the community and workers, masks etc. This disease is gong to be with us for quite some time and best to figure out how to live with it. That being said, as one comment above mentioned, if work is being done in an unsafe manner, neighbors should document and report it to the appropriate authorities and fines should be imposed that are meaningful enough so the construction company sees a financial reason to follow the rules.
Any construction taking place means that we also need to force the City’s building inspectors to enter these properties and work with these contractors. I wouldn’t want and I would guess the City also does not want the liability with getting these inspectors sick (or potentially much worse) because they need to regularly check-in with contractors who may or may not be practicing the necessary safeguards. And even practicing the necessary safeguards is not a guarantee against contracting COVID-19. I would assume that there are a number of factors that goes into a decision like this and this decision by the City was not made lightly.
Paul, with respect to my December 2019 suggestion, I would say that any date we would proposed would be considered as arbitrary as the April date proposed in the letter to the Mayor. Based on the news out of Italy and from other sources, we certainly knew much earlier than when the March stay at home order was issued that it was needed. I would assume that someone with as extensive a background in the healthcare industry as yourself likely realized this even sooner than someone like myself who was getting information just from watching the news and seeing the trends across the country and globe.
I agree with the content of the letter especially as it identifies inconsistent application of cessation rules for certain activities. Be consistent, stop all or institute a consistent application of shut down rules. Our project is building a deck outside, it is a two man job. We occupy the house. We would like to continue the job under strict adherence to distancing. I think the period to have local government edicts regarding COVID is over; let the community back to normal.
I think there are ways to continue home construction work safely. This could be possible
by limiting crew sizes and crew overlap (e.g. plumbing teams and electrical teams must work on different days), requiring PPE, and scheduling inspections to happen when crews and homeowners are not present. We could restrict hours and/or require notification for especially loud work if noise is a concern. There are so many families stuck out of their homes right now at an expense of thousands per month in rent (on top of existing mortgages and construction fees.) Other families are living in construction zones, as projects cannot be completed. My family is relatively lucky (our home is habitable) but we are living with partially unfinished bathrooms, a missing deck (with a hazardous drop out the back door), and dangerous construction debris that can’t be removed from our basement.
Although I agree with a moratorium on new renovation projects, a full moratorium on single-family renovations is costly and dangerous for Newton families and does little to limit COVID-19 risks. I hope the mayor will reconsider allowing those with open permits to continue work in a modified manner.
Newton Resident, the city was still issuing building permits . . . .
I agree with everything Brooke Foucault Welles said above. Surely safe practices for construction exist. My heart goes out to the families that can’t get into or back into their homes.
My neighbor started a major renovation project on his house in November 2019. The work was supposed to be complete in February 2020 but they ran into unforseen problems. Then the City shut down residential construction. Faced with alternative housing complications for his family and mounting costs, he is working on the house alone everyday. It makes no sense that the workers on a smaller renovation job place a greater risk to themselves or others than a big crew continuing to build on Washington St in Newtonville. Mayor Fuller is making her preferences clear & hurting individual homeowners in the process. The construction ban needs to be lifted now.
“Newton Resident” makes a very important point about the safety of our Inspectors. They are a wonderful, dedicated group of people and should not be under any pressure to enter buildings during this period. But a lot of work can be done before a rough inspection is necessary. And in some cases, particularly exterior work, I assume that the Inspectors would have no problem visiting the site.
Shutting down residential construction in Newton was never aligned with the Governor’s order and never made sense. There are protocols widely available for doing both the work and the inspections safely. This was a mistake and a costly one both for the homeowners and for the workers. It should never have happened and needs to be rectified ASAP.
Whether we should allow one group or another to work is the wrong question.
With very few exceptions, businesses need to figure out how to do business safely until we can develop and administer vaccine – Which is years away.
We have all just gone through an intense learning curve. We know what we need to do to keep people safe. The sooner everyone is allowed to get to work reinventing and retooling their businesses the better.
We’re not simply going back to work. It’s not an option.
There will be some casualties – businesses that can’t operate safely. There will also be people in our community who will be insistent on going back to how it was. Some social distancing practices may need to be enforced with temporary enforceable regulations.
So, yes, absolutely, let construction workers work!
Although I was not part of the group who sent the letter, I wish I was aware of it and would have supported them with our signature.
I am one of the residents in Newton affected by this stop work order. Our renovation is a just few weeks from being completed for us to move back home when work had to stop. This is hard on us financially- we have a mortgage and are also paying rent in Newton. Our lease on the apartment is expiring soon and we have nowhere to go.
While we understand the safety of our neighbors and grave situation with Covid-19, I cannot understand why certain projects are deemed “essential” in Newton- multi million dollar two family homes/condos where construction activities are still going at full speed, energy improvement projects (does it mean contractors can install solar panels , re-insulate homes during the ban?) , while at the same time, single family home owners are stuck without help?
I was not aware of this letter from a group of residents but have been asking these questions silently- maybe there are more than a few of us out there – is there a way I can connect with the group who wrote this letter? Thanks.
Completely support the letter. I have the apartment renovation in the 3-family residential house in Newton. The apartment is completely separate from the top apartment which has its own isolated entrance. Only 2 construction workers are there with family ties. why should this renovation be closed?
Curious how residential contractors, plumbers, electricians are coping?
Many have a small number of employees, ppl are still going to be wary of having ppl coming into their homes for the next several months…
Maybe the only silver lining is that ppl can finally get contractors to call them back and provide “reasonable quotes”
Single family home owners who are mad should Have voted for Lennon. Since they didn’t they should shut up. Good night friends.
We are single-family homeowners who did not vote for the current individual occupying the mayor’s office. We are still in the position of having our job shut down mid-construction with no HVAC and no water and no ability, timeline or guidance on how to move back in while we pay a mortgage on an unoccupied house along with unexpected ongoing hefty rental costs. Not sure how your comment helps anyone, Fred. Let’s not get political. We need to be allowed to finish construction and move back into our homes as quickly as possible like people are doing without an issue in surrounding towns. Up until now we have been proud Newton residents happy to support this community and the leadership even if we disagreed. I’m not sure that will remain the case after this experience.
It doesn’t impact me personally, I sent an email to the mayor and my city councilors supporting this position. These families are investing in their community, let it continue as long as the contractors are following all safety precautions.
We are one of those families that are impacted by this problem. COVID-19 is not going to go away anytime soon (writing for the resident who suggests that we should see this coming in December 2019) and will not be resolved in a week or a month or even in few more months. are we gonna wait 12 to 18 months to live in our house?
Let me provide you few potential scenarios that we are facing now. What are my options here?
Rent a house or condo and expose the whole family to moving twice? The building we will be moving-in will expose a larger number of people (4 from our family and probably 4 movers for each move). 12 people will be in and out of a building touching every corner in the elevator and doors. all of the furniture will expose and we will keep spreading it for you guys right in Newton if we get sick or if we make anyone sick. we become a superspredder.
If we chose to move into our house in the middle of construction then our family will expose to the construction once it starts. Now we are not allowed to do the construction in an empty house and in few months we have to finish the construction when all my family is still at home full time. Is this how we can reduce community spread? How anyone can expect me to keep kids away from touching doorknobs or windows in their own house? Expose family of 4 to at a minimum 3 to 5 different group of workers. Some workers normally wouldn’t even see each other in any day but now the city will make sure we spread it for them nice and quiet. We again become a superspredder.
In addition, we are talking about open walls, water lines etc, What happens when one of the kids get hurt in there and we need to go to emergency room? Potentially expose 4 more people to COVID-19 in the hospital. yes you guessed it, we will spread it for you.
How anyone now thinks , this situation helps decreasing the community spread? I am about to become a superspredder for everyone in Newton. Isnt that everything started with only 1 being sick?
Look other towns around us, you think we are the smartest town in MA, smarter than maybe thousands of other towns in the country to limit single family house construction and let all other construction continue?
Construction will start in a week or in a month or in few months but i don’t think we are limiting the exposure now by stopping residential construction. We are opening the door to continue the spread even further out to expose more and more people now and in the future.
Say hello to many other potential superspredder families like us in Newton.
Wellesley allowed existing/ongoing projects like these to continue, and chose April 14, 2020 as a cutoff date to stop issuing new permits.
For inspections they are encouraging most to be done via video call (FaceTime, Skype) and/or via submitting photographs for review.
If needed, inspectors can easily be granted access to empty buildings as the sole visitor while contractors/owners wait outside to answer any questions.
Wow, Fred. Not very helpful. I’m not in the position of these families, but I know several people who are now trapped in the middle. They applied for and received building permits from the City, they have vacated their homes during construction, they are paying rent elsewhere, and the work on their houses could proceed in a safe way in their absence.
Although we are one of the Newton families whose home construction project has been halted, we’ve been relatively quiet about this issue to this point. But we agree with Paul Levy and appreciate his observations. It seems ill-considered for Newton to adopt a more restrictive construction policy than that provided by the Governor’s guidelines on construction. The real issue is relative risk versus economic harm. Obviously, there is a significant need to mitigate high risk situations involving schools, retail venues and sports events. On the other hand, the distinction between essential and non-essential construction seems, frankly, a bit arbitrary. The risk of contagion for a small construction crew working on a non-occupied home seems at the lower end of the risk spectrum, especially relative to something like take-out restaurant businesses which we have been encouraged to support, and have. It also seems lower than the risks at large-scale construction sites involving dozens of workers, which have been allowed to continue under Newton’s policy. At the same time, the people now unable to continue the work on our home have families to support and real economic needs, and the hardships they are experiencing by the work stoppage are not being given enough weight.
We saw the concerns expressed by “Newton Resident.” Of course, construction noise is always unpleasant and disruptive, but that complaint seems a tad off-key to raise in the midst of a genuine health and economic crisis for so many in our community. Indeed, we are familiar from personal experience over the last twenty years with the noise and disruption from close-by construction projects that have continued sometimes for many months without stop, or lawn crew leaf blowers and wood-chippers and their impact on working from home, which many of us were doing long before COVID-19. But this is Newton, where such activity is par for the course and neighbors make do. At lease that’s been our approach all these years. So, we hope our work can also continue in the not- too-distant future, as long as the construction crew follows the required safety precautions in terms of masks, and other requirements. Yes, there is an element of self-interest on our part, in that we’re maintaining two homes in order to get the work done, the line of credit (taken out in January) piles up interest every month, etc., but we are also thinking about the economic well-being of the folks who make their living in doing this work and in providing the supplies and materials that go into it.
In the course of logging several hundred miles running around Newton for the last 6 weeks, I’ve seen active construction and workers at the sites of at least ten single family homes (mainly tear-down & new build). Along with the leaf blower ordinance (virtually every day I see at least two or three different crews with two people operating > 90 dB backpack gas blowers simultaneously) this seems to be another example of inconsistent application/enforcement of Newton bylaws.
Brenda, I emailed mayor Fuller on this particular issue today. Without revealing the contents of her reply, I will say that there was a lot of talk about Newton resident who have lost elderly relatives to covid and very little about keeping people safely working. So much for data and science based decision making.
Thank you Kevin for your article.
We are one of the families that can not return to live in our own house because of the sudden pandemic.
Coming from Japan and finally found our dream life in the beautiful city of Massachusetts, Newton where we bought our house last year.
To let the family settle down for the very first step of our new life in here we could not started the construction right away but had to postpone it to March 2020.
The construction started smoothly with the demolition that took away every bedroom and every bathroom we had in the house. And we were looking forward to moving in the renovated house by the end of June!
Things fell apart after we knew the city would not let us continue the work. The anxieties about how can we move in on schedule while we have to leave the apartment we are renting due to the contract before July comes, and how can we find another apartment to live on run through my head every minute.
If businesses related to food we eat every day are essential because it keeps us alive then how come businesses that help us live safely under a roof are not essential?
The rationale that construction on multi-family projects is allowed because of the housing crisis/need to add to housing supply makes no sense.
Any single-family home that is unoccupied while under construction will add to the housing supply when it’s finished and can be occupied. The owners are renting somewhere and that place will be newly available when they leave. Or if it’s a spec project, when completed it’s a new housing unit on the market.
The regulations for active construction sites related to preventing the spread of the virus are stringent and include masks, hand-washing facilities, physical distancing, posted placards, sanitizing products on site and more. Building inspectors can shut down any project that isn’t complying. And this is Newton, we all know that non-compliance will be aggressively reported.
No one should be risking their life right now to do construction work. But most construction sites are particularly suited to physical distance work. And, an inactive construction site is a safety hazard in a neighborhood with kids so safety issues are not one-dimensional.
I am actually one of those homeowners who had an exterior construction project shut down by the city because someone complained. After the issuance of Gov. Baker’s order, I reviewed the order very carefully with my contractor and I also contacted the City’s inspectional services department and the response I received was that projects were going forward. My contractor was following all precautions but someone complained and because of that, the project was shut down. It all felt rather disingenuous to me when a few days later, I watched as a landscaping company removed unwanted brush from a neighbors home (no I did not report it). The landscaping company employees were not practicing social distancing nor were they wearing face masks – unlike the workers on our job.
Meanwhile, I watch so many people stroll past my house every day without wearing masks and ignoring social distancing. My project can wait … and hopefully my contractor has enough business in other communities so that they will still be an ongoing entity when the time comes for them to return to my project which, though not adding additional units to my home, will greatly improve our energy efficiency.
As for inspectors, I actually drove around Newton before my contractors started and met up with an inspector by chance. The inspector told me that they had implemented strict guidelines – only the contractor was allowed to be at the site when the inspector visited, and no one was permitted in the building during the inspection. So, it would seem that the city is doing its part to protect its employees – or at least that was the clear impression the inspector conveyed to me.
Meanwhile, construction proceeds apace in neighboring Needham.
@Newton resident and @Michael Singer: With regard to exposing inspectors to contractors, these building inspectors are presumably continuing inspectional services at commercial and multi-family housing sites where construction continues. It seems like the additional incremental exposure from allowing residential projects to proceed would be much smaller by comparison.
So the Newton-only shutdown is not protecting building inspectors. And it’s not protecting those who work in construction, because they are also still working. Just not in Newton.
You could argue about whether Governor Baker allowing single-family construction in Massachusetts puts people at risk unnecessarily, but as long as he is allowing it, creating tighter restrictions in one city is just for show. It won’t actually help flatten the curve.
And I would add to Rhanna’s comment that if it is permitted under the Governor’s orders, that pre-empts a local order that conflicts with the Governor’s order.
I wonder if people whose houses are not livable for many months in any given year–exclusively because of City action that is inconsistent with state guidance–should be assessed lower and entitled to lower property taxes because the value of their properties has been reduced.
Lets face it, the reason why construction on single family dwellings was halted is because people are working from home and can’t stand the noise. Trucks going up/down the street, excavators digging in yards, the popping of nail guns, banging of hammers, building material deliveries, dumpster pickups, and the hum of compressors.
Then there is the issue of safety. Construction vehicles in residential neighborhoods are not use to the little ones being around this time of year.
Multifamily construction is less of an issue because it is happening closer to retail/commercial areas.
An article on this issue was just published in the Boston Globe:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/04/29/metro/some-newton-residents-say-citys-construction-halt-has-displaced-them-their-homes/
I absolutely feel for Kevin Sloan and others in his position, and I support them 100%. Not only are they paying additional rent, they are paying a mortgage and — cruel irony — property taxes to the City.
I have this evening written to Mayor Fuller asking her to reconsider her position, and would encourage others to do the same.
I feel for these homeowners and the contractors they are employing. We have been planning a renovation but hadn’t started so I know the costs and time involved. Often you are not just doing cosmetic updates but addressing some serious flaws/maintenance issues in older homes. Renovations are stressful enough from being displaced and from the financial perspective. Thus stoppage is adding to that burden exponentially. These people are living in limbo which is hard enough when you know the end is in site. I think the focus should be on the proper protocol to keep worksites safe as this will likely be the new normal not keeping things at a halt. I also feel that it is inconsistent to allow the big projects Washington Place etc to continue. The individual home owners and smaller builders need to be able to move forward as their situations are much more fragile. Let’s figure out ways to keep them safe.
Hi Everyone:
Like Councilor Kelley, I feel for those homeowners who now aren’t able to move forward.
City Council recently received a letter from Commissioner Lojek outlining the list of “essential projects”
Among the “essential project” categories that might be helpful to those in this situation:
*construction “required to support COVID-19 response” (this could be a separate entrance or area for a family member who has to go to work, perhaps in a hospital)
*”housing construction that ensures additional units that combat the Commonwealth’s housing supply shortage” (some of the allowed construction is conversion of a 1-family to a 2+ family, or adding an accessory apartment)
*”energy efficiency projects”
*”building maintenance work by specialists (e.g. plumbing, electrical) if necessary, to maintain the safety, sanitation and essential operation of residences and businesses.”
So a roof repair to fix a leak, a burst pipe, etc. is probably allowable.
I hope this is helpful.
@Andreae — So an energy efficiency project is considered essential, but making a house habitable so a family can move in is not? That’s absurd.
I’m not criticizing you, as you’re just the messenger. On the other hand, what is the feeling among the city councillors on this subject?
Someone should file a public records request with the city and ask for all documents related to the city’s decision to ban single family construction in this way. My guess is that it would reveal no coherent rationale for prohibiting this particular category of work while allowing other projects to continue using COVID-19 safety guidelines and precautions.
@Andreae: Do you agree with the strong criticisms expressed by the majority of this thread? Are you in favor of bringing Newton inline with neighboring burbs in allowing residential construction?
It seems that the mayor is being heavily influenced by a cohort of the overly fearful and the nimbys who found an effective strategy to achieve a previously held goal.
If local leadership isn’t persuaded by the needs of Newton residents it might be helpful if they understood the major role Newton plays in the regional economy. Teachers (for now) are getting paid to stay at home. Framers, plumbers, and electricians are not.
On my street, the construction of a Single residence is halted, while another is continuing. Why?
Because of that second construction and all the trucks, there were 2 policemen helping with traffic but they were standing side by side, chatting with no mask!!
When I tried to call 311 to report them so they could give a good example, that call was not allowed on my device?
I thought the Mayor wanted all city personnel to wear masks.
@Craig
I have re-read this thread and also talked with a number of homeowners affected by the shut down, and I am sympathetic to these complaints. There may be a coherent rationale for the mayor’s decision on this, but you are all correct that it has not been satisfactorily explained to those affected, or even to City Councilors.
But I am not in the trades by any means, nor am I an epidemiologist, so I am cautious about second-guessing the mayor’s edict or what it is based on, without more information.
@Robert Wellbourn, re: energy efficiency projects vs. letting families return home–I believe that is in the Governor’s ruling, not the mayor’s.
Reading today’s Globe headlines, it is depressing how long the hospitalization and death rates continue to stay high.
As a homeowner with a renovation project that is now on hold, I appreciate Andreae Down’s level of engagement. Several other city councilors have also been working to assist families like us, and their efforts are similarly appreciated. It would be great if more city councilors would engage in the discussion. For people who would like to connect with the group of citizens focused on this issue, you can send an email to [email protected].
I am troubled by Andreae’s qualifier that she is cautious about second-guessing the mayor’s edict without more information. The lack of second guessing or information is part of the problem.
The inconsistencies, and the lack of any sensible explanation, leave no alternative other than second-guessing:
• Why is it safe for workers to build two luxury spec homes on a lot previously occupied by a single home, but not safe for workers to do a tear-down rebuild when the lot was previously occupied by one house?
• Why is non-emergency city sidewalk repair acceptable if the spirit of the Governor’s order was for everyone to stay home?
• Why are one off projects “necessary to maintain the essential operation of a residence” allowed but the same project is not allowed if part of a renovation where a permit was issued?
• Why is construction the result of which is families moving out of a rental space and back into their own home (thereby freeing up a residential unit) not within the spirt of the order designating as essential any construction that combats the housing supply shortage?
• Why do all neighboring towns allow residential construction for which a permit was previously issued?
• Why is Newton not working with residents to find some solution for projects which have previously been issued a permit, not even allowing work to continue where there would be a limited number of people inside an otherwise unoccupied house or where the work is outdoors and social distancing would be no closer than the social distancing practiced by landscapers?
We all want to believe the mayor has the best of intentions. We all want to believe that she would consider the needs of workers, both within and outside of Newton, who have committed to work in Newton and are now not able to provide for their own families. We all want to believe that she would prioritize the needs of taxpaying residents over developers. We all want to believe that she would do anything and everything possible to find a solution that allows displaced residents an ability to finish their projects so homes can be habitable.
Unfortunately, we have a Governor that is not willing to clarify vague guidance. Unfortunately, we have a mayor who has not articulated an explanation for why Newton is different than our neighboring towns. Unfortunately, we have a mayor who will not engage with residents to find a solution. Unfortunately, we have a city council that does not have any real power. Unfortunately, we have no ability to create change until the next election. Unfortunately, there are a large number of people throughout the state who are unnecessarily suffering economic hardship as a result of Mayor Fuller’s actions.
Unfortunately, these are the root problems.
Fortunately, there are outlets to express your views. If you disagree with the city’s position, whether it affects you or not, you should speak up. We should expect a governing body to work with and for the people, and we should let them know when they fail to fulfill those obligations.
Send the mayor an email ([email protected]) and cc all city councilors ([email protected]). Post a comment on this blog. John Hilliard wrote an article in the Boston Globe questioning the treatment of construction in Newton. Post that article on social media and write a comment on the globe website. Do something to let your voices be heard. Do something to let the mayor know this issue is real, her actions are hurtful and she needs to work with the community to find a solution.
I was please to receive an email from Mayor Fuller this morning, in which she says:
Very Informative post Kevin. During this pandemic, it is important for the contractors, engineers as well as people who want to build a house. This helps them to stay away from covid but done his task properly.