Newton City Council - February 17, 2026

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All right, great. So today is February 17th, 2026. This is a regularly scheduled city council meeting. Just so everybody knows, this is audio and video tape recording. If we could do the Pledge of Allegiance. Councilor Albright. Okay, thanks. Looks like we have President Oliver remotely. We have Councilor Silber and Councilor Krintzman as well. Yep, that's what we have. All right. So first call.

Land Use Committee, Councilor Leary.

Thank you, Mr. Acting President. The Land Use Committee met on February 10th. Item 1626 was a request to exceed FAR and to allow three stories at 89 Redwood Road. Land use approved six to zero. Item 6926 was a request to allow home business in detached accessory building and to allow the business to exceed 30% of the ground floor area. Land Use Approved 5-0. The other items are on second call, but I do have a couple of public hearings to announce.

All right, go ahead, please.

Okay. These are all for... February 24th, item 9226, request to vertically extend nonconforming front setback at 55 Auburndale Avenue. 93-26 request to further increase non-conforming FAR at 1445 Commonwealth Avenue and 94-26 6 requests to exceed FAR at 11 Richfield Road. All those three of those public hearings will be heard on February 24th. And with that, I move the report.

Great, thank you, Councilor Leary. Zoning and Planning, Councilor Wright.

There's no report.

Thank you, Councilor Wright. Program and Services, Councilor Krintzman.

Thank you, Mr. President. The report up here begins on is on page 32. Programs and Services Committee met on February 4th. The one item that night was 66-26. This was a transfer of $82,000 to provide funding for the arts and culture director. That item was approved unanimously by a vote of 8-0. With that, I would move the report.

Thank you, Councilor Krintzman. Public Safety and Transportation, Councilor Lucas.

Thank you, Acting President. Thank you, Acting President. The report begins on page 33. The Public Safety and Transportation Committee met on February 4th. We had one item, 63-26, appointment of Timothy V. Cahoon as the chief of the Newton Police Department. That was approved 6-0-1, and I move the report. Thank you, Councilor Lucas.

Public Facilities Committee, Councilor Getz.

Okay, thank you, Acting President Kalis. The Public Facilities Committee met on February 4th and heard Docket item 4126, which was the request of a periodic update on Washington Street Pilot, which we received from Director of Transportation Planning, Jen Martin, and the Planning Outreach Coordinator, Hannah Sternberg. This docket item was held. The second docket item, number 43-26, was discussed and held due to the need to revise the docket item language. With that, I remove the report.

Thank you, Councilor Getz. Finance Committee, Councilor Bixby.

Thank you, Mr. Acting President. The report begins on page 33. And the Finance Committee met on February 9. We heard docket item 66 slash 26. A request for transfer of $82,000 to provide funding for an arts and culture director. This was a request to authorize a transfer from Parks and Recreation full-time salaries and health insurance to arts and culture full-time salaries and health insurance in this past finance eight to zero. We then heard docket 67 slash 26, which is the appropriation of $43,800.68 to Newton Public Schools. A request for authorization to transfer funds from certified free cash, this was last year's income funds, to Newton Public Schools for help see textile collection and recycling. finance approved this eight to zero.

We then heard docket item 68 slash 26, an appropriation of $17,600 to Newton Public Schools appropriating from free cash state reimbursement funds to Newton Public Schools and finance approved this eight to zero. and lastly docket item 73-26, the CPC recommendation to appropriate $34,626 for bike parking at Parks and High Schools, which is a community preservation committee recommending this appropriation and finance approved that eight to zero. Thank you for the report.

Thank you, Councilor Bixby. Real property reuse. Councilor Malakie.

Thank you, Acting President. There is no report.

Excellent. Thank you, Councilor Malakie. All right. Mr. Clerk, can you take the roll call on first call?

Councilor Albright.

Aye.

Baker, Bixby, Block, Charm, Dahmubed, Farrell, Councilor Getz, Aye, Councilor Golden, Aye, Councilor Gordon, Aye, Councilor Greenberg, Aye, Councilor Grossman, Irish.

Aye.

Acting President Kalis.

Aye.

Councilor Kelley. Councilor Krintzman. Aye. Councilor Leary.

Aye.

Councilor Lucas. Aye. Councilor Malakie.

Aye.

Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. Aye. On this vote, the yeas are 19 and five members are absent.

Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Okay. For second call, it is my understanding we have three items that are on second call. It's my understanding that all three are going to be postponed to our next meeting. which is March 2nd. So what I'm going to ask Councilor Leary to do is to just read the items into the record and then I'll ask Councilor Albright who Chartered the item? Chartered the item. To read that into the record, both requesting postponement, and we'll have a vote on those. Not chartered. Postponement. Yes, Councilor Lucas.

The land use item hasn't been chartered. The chartered item was the plaza.

Right. Okay.

Okay, so I'll just read them into the record, but I don't need to do an explanation right now. Okay. The Land Use Committee, the items were... 1626, request to exceed FAR and allow three story.

I think that it's 7126. I'm sorry, I'm on the wrong one. That's okay.

This is 7026, second call, request for a special permit to allow Nope, that's the one that's on hold. Let me get it right. 7126. There you go. And 7226. There you go. Request to rezone 148 California Street to business use two and a petition seeking release from the restrictive covenant at 148 California Street.

Thank you, Councilor. Councilor Albright.

Thank you. So I'd like to ask for a postponement. of item 1026.

1025 I think.

It says 1026 in here. Is it 1025 really?

That's what I have. Councilor Lucas. The land use item was put on second call by Councilor Block. No, this is... She just read the land use item into the record. It was put on second call by Councilor Block, right? Yeah.

Yeah.

We need to take a vote to postpone it to our March meeting. Yeah, we're going to take a vote on all three together. All three together, even though they're on second call?

Yes. So all second call items can move to all second call. Oh, if you want to do a roll call, we can. No, I do not. Okay.

Okay, so I think it's 1026. It was a 25 item, but it became a 26 item. So it's 1026, Councilors Lovavitz and Lucas appealing the trial of traffic council petition TC 5925. on November 30th, 2025 on the request of trial to extend the trial of Langley Road Municipal Parking Lot and Newton Center, previously previously part of TC 825, including the existing Newton Center Plaza located within a portion of the two westernmost rows of parking to be re-evaluated by October 31, 2026. And I'm asking for a postponement till Next meeting.

Okay. Thank you, Councilor Albright. All right. What I'd like to do is roll call just to if, yeah, does somebody want to make a motion to roll call those?

You want the motion to postpone and the roll call vote?

Yes.

So made.

Thank you. Second by Councilor Lucas. Thank you.

Councilor Albright. Baker, Bixby, Block, Charm, Dahmubed, Farrell, Getz, Golden, Gordon, Greenberg, Grossman, Irish, Acting President Kalis. Aye. Councilor Kelley. Councilor Krintzman. Aye. Councilor Leary. Aye. Councilor Lucas. Aye. Councilor Malakie? Aye. Councilor Micley? No. Councilor Roche? Aye.

Councilor Silber? Aye. Wright.

Aye.

President Oliver. Aye. On this vote, the ayes are 18, the nays are one, and five members are absent.

All right. Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Councilor Albright, motion to adjourn. Thank you. We're adjourned at eight o'clock.

I believe that's eight.