The Newton City Council approved the appointment of former City Councilor Deborah Crossley, the architect of a controversial zoning reform that passed narrowly last winter, to the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) Monday night.
Appointing Crossley to the ZBA, a body responsible for interpreting and enforcing city zoning laws, was a divisive and unnecessary choice, according to Ward 4 Councilor Randy Block.
“Isn’t there a better way of serving the ZBA than nominating a former city councilor who was defeated in the last election?” Block said.
Crossley was voted out in last year’s city council election following controversy over the Village Center Overlay District (VCOD), a proposed zoning plan that would have increased permission for multi-family housing well above state minimums.
As then-chair of Newton’s Zoning and Planning Committee (ZAP), Crossley became the face of zoning reforms some labeled as radical, and therefore the face of the division that resulted in the debate over the zoning plan’s passage, according to Ward 8 Councilor Stephen Farrell.
“I was dismayed by the nearly constant antagonistic tone and rancor on display in this body at that time,” Farrell said. “Ms. Crossley, rightly or wrongly, is still perceived by many residents as one of the leading forces of that rancor.”
The VCOD passed at the end of 2023, but without most of the major reforms that differentiated it from the MBTA Communities Act, a 2022 state law that mandated Newton upzone near its public transport stations.
Ward 5 Councilor-at-Large Rena Getz Escudero, who opposed the reform, replaced Crossley’s seat last fall. When the proposition of Crossley’s appointment came to ZAP last week, Getz Escudero voted against it, alongside councilors John Oliver, David Kalis, and Pamela Wright.
In that meeting, Crossley’s appointment failed in a 4–4 tie vote. The committee then referred the item to the full council for further discussion.
At Monday night’s full city council meeting, Ward 6 Councilor-at-Large Vicki Danberg said she would vote in favor of Crossley’s appointment. Danberg cited Crossley’s experience as an architect and city councilor, which Danberg said the ZBA needs, since none of its current members are architects.
“The law also clearly states that this appointed position is based on the professional qualifications of the appointee,” Danberg said. “Deb is an outstanding candidate in filling all of the requirements of a ZBA member.”
Another supporter of the appointment, Ward 1 Councilor-at-Large Susan Albright, acknowledged that Crossley’s positions on zoning have been controversial, but argued that her experience in architecture matters more.
Albright centered her support around the fact that the ZBA’s duties have more to do with granting permits and appeals to the rules, rather than writing zoning legislation.
“Yes, there was controversy about zoning—the zoning that was done to meet the MBTA Communities Act, but this is not a zoning project that she’s being asked to do,” Albright said.
Ward 2 Councilor-at-Large Tarik Lucas added that Crossley’s appointment to the ZBA would be inconsequential because she’s only nominated to become an associate member.
This means that Crossley would only be asked to participate in meetings if one of the regular members were unable to, in the event of a conflict of interest, absence, or temporary vacancy, Lucas said.
“There’s no guarantee she would even vote on an item,” Lucas said. “I think she has all the qualifications in serving as an associate member.”
But for Wright, supporting Crossley’s appointment would mean opposing voters’ opinion.
“I’ve seen firsthand that she’s not open to differences of opinion,” Wright said. “The residents of Newton did not support her for city council and voted her out. I will not support Deb Crossley.”
The motion to confirm ZAP’s ruling, which was to reject Crossley, failed in a 9–13 vote, meaning the city council approved the appointment.
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