Brian Yates

Alderman-at-Large, Ward 5
City of Newton, MA

Mayor Cohen has appointed two committees, chaired by nationally know planner and Newton resident Phil Herr, to update the city's Comprehensive Plan, which was last revised in the late 1980s. At that time I had the Charlestown Principles for Historic Preservation adopted as part of the Plan. After years of work, the first committee submitted the Framework for Planning to the Board of Aldermen. Under my leadership, the Zoning and Planning Committee added explicit references to the value of Village Centers and the losses caused by closing of Village Schools and Branch Libraries. We also attached to the Framework a request that an Historic Preservation element of the final plan be completed as soon as possible.
As the second phase of the process began, the Mayor appointed me to the Comprehensive Planning Advisory Committee, also chaired by Phillip Herr in a second demonstration of extremely generous community service. For details on the CPAC, click here.
For more information, please see the city's Comprehensive Planning Web Page.
As chair of the Zoning and Planning Committee, I have tried to coordinate City efforts to update our zoning ordinance and master plan. I appointed a task force to review zoning ordinances and maps relating to older, smaller lots and to recommend changes to prevent over-development while protecting homeowners' rights.
For detailed information on the Zoning and Planning Committee's agenda, click here.

This page last updated on Tuesday April 01, 2008