Newton City Council - February 17, 2026

• Date: February 17, 2026
• Time: 7:45 PM
• Governing Body: Newton City Council
• Meeting Type: Regularly Scheduled City Council Meeting
• Presiding Officer: Acting President David A. Kalis
• Attendees:
  • Present (Remote): President John Oliver, Councilor Jacob Silber, Councilor Joshua Krintzman.
  • Present (In-Person): Councilor Susan Albright, Councilor R. Lisle Baker, Councilor Martha Bixby, Councilor Randy Block, Councilor Brittany Hume Charm, Councilor Cyrus Dahmubed, Councilor Stephen Farrell, Councilor Rena Getz, Councilor Brian Golden, Councilor Lisa Gordon, Councilor Maria Scibelli Greenberg, Councilor Rebecca Walker Grossman, Councilor Julie Irish, Councilor Andrea W. Kelley, Councilor Alison M. Leary, Councilor Tarik J. Lucas, Councilor Julia Malakie, Councilor David Micley, Councilor Sean Roche, Councilor Pamela Wright.
  • Absent: 5 members.

Councilor Leary reported on the committee meeting held on February 10, 2026:

• Item 16-26: Request to exceed Floor Area Ratio (FAR) and allow three stories at 89 Redwood Road.
  • Action: Approved 6-0.
• Item 69-26: Request to allow a home business in a detached accessory building and to allow the business to exceed 30% of the ground floor area.
  • Action: Approved 5-0.
• Upcoming Public Hearings (Scheduled for February 24, 2026):
  • Item 92-26: Request to vertically extend a nonconforming front setback at 55 Auburndale Avenue.
  • Item 93-26: Request to further increase non-conforming FAR at 1445 Commonwealth Avenue.
  • Item 94-26: Request to exceed FAR at 11 Richfield Road.

Councilor Krintzman reported on the committee meeting held on February 4, 2026:

• Item 66-26: Transfer of $82,000 to provide funding for the Arts and Culture Director.
  • Action: Approved 8-0.

Councilor Lucas reported on the committee meeting held on February 4, 2026:

• Item 63-26: Appointment of Timothy V. Cahoon as the Chief of the Newton Police Department.
  • Action: Approved 6-0-1.

Councilor Getz reported on the committee meeting held on February 4, 2026:

• Item 41-26: Periodic update on the Washington Street Pilot.
  • Action: Item held.
• Item 43-26: Discussion regarding docket item language revisions.
  • Action: Item held.

Councilor Bixby reported on the committee meeting held on February 9, 2026:

• Item 66-26: Request for transfer of $82,000 from Parks and Recreation full-time salaries and health insurance to Arts and Culture full-time salaries and health insurance to fund an Arts and Culture Director.
  • Action: Approved 8-0.
• Item 67-26: Appropriation of $43,800.68 to Newton Public Schools. Authorization to transfer funds from certified free cash (last year's income funds) for textile collection and recycling.
  • Action: Approved 8-0.
• Item 68-26: Appropriation of $17,600 to Newton Public Schools from free cash state reimbursement funds.
  • Action: Approved 8-0.
• Item 73-26: Community Preservation Committee (CPC) recommendation to appropriate $34,626 for bike parking at Parks and High Schools.
  • Action: Approved 8-0.

The Council addressed items on second call, moving to postpone them to the March 2, 2026, meeting:

• Item 71-26: Request to rezone 148 California Street to Business Use 2.
• Item 72-26: Petition seeking release from the restrictive covenant at 148 California Street.
• Item 10-26: Appeal by Councilors Lobovits and Lucas regarding Traffic Council petition TC 59-25 (originally TC 8-25) to extend the trial of the Langley Road Municipal Parking Lot and Newton Center Plaza.
• Vote to Postpone:
  • Yeas (18): Albright, Baker, Bixby, Block, Charm, Dahmubed, Farrell, Getz, Golden, Gordon, Greenberg, Grossman, Irish, Kalis, Krintzman, Leary, Lucas, Malakie, Roche, Silber, Wright, Oliver.
  • Nays (1): Micley.
  • Absent (5): Not recorded.
  • Result: Motion to postpone passed.