Do attendees at public meetings reflect the views of the general public?

From a story on the CityLab website….

To understand local housing politics over the past several decades, consider a recent study out of Boston University. Political science professor Katherine Levine Einstein surveyed all of the minutes for zoning and planning meetings about housing across 97 cities and counties in Massachusetts…

 

“In every single city and county we studied, the advantaged dominated the proceedings,” Einstein said at a recent Brookings Institution panel on housing. Residents who are older, men, longtime residents, local voters, and homeowners are much more likely to participate in these meetings. And they are much more likely to oppose new construction than the general public.

 

Residents who oppose new housing are also

Fuller eyes plan to convert armory into affordable housing

Fuller eyes plan to convert armory into affordable housing

From Mayor Ruthanne Fuller’s budget announcement:

I am excited to announce that we will explore preserving the National Guard Armory building on Washington Street at the edge of West Newton Square and repurposing it as 100 percent affordable housing so more people of modest means can make this good city of Newton their home. The commonwealth is willing to sell the building to the city for $1 only if it is used for affordable housing, a use in which I believe deeply, and which also allows the city to control what happens to this important building.

Patch’s Jenna Fisher has more here.

VIDEO: Northland’s presentation (and Cypress Tree vote)

Tuesday’s Land Use Committee meeting had two interesting agenda items on its agenda – the presentation of the Northland project and the final committee vote on Cypress Tree, the proposed medical marijuana clinic on Route 9 — and, thankfully, NewTV recorded it all!

 

  • The Cypress Tree debate and vote starts at the 27:45 mark
  • The Northland presentation begins at the 72:55 mark