Rebuttal: Our Zoning Laws Protect Neighborhoods

The Townie is an opinion website. The views expressed in this piece belong solely to the author, do not represent those held by The Townie, and should not be interpreted as objective or reported fact. This op-ed is a response to “Why Have We Made So Much of Newburyport Illegal?“, published January 15, 2026.

I read the recent editorial about zoning in Newburyport, written by Jared Hubbard, with great interest. Zoning and development have been a major focus throughout my tenure on the Council. I have been on the front line of zoning changes, supporting neighbors in confronting inappropriate projects and helping those who seek to develop property.

When I joined the Council 10 years ago, the dominant zoning issue was infill development—often referred to as “lot-cramming.” Tensions ran high over the overdevelopment of homes on small, densely-packed lots. This came amid the end of the historic district debate, the passage of several compromise districts, and headline-grabbing projects. It was an extremely divisive period for neighborhoods and volunteer city boards; no one found it pleasant. Neighbors were constantly defending against inappropriate projects, while developers faced ongoing friction.

I’m proud of the progress we’ve made over the past decade in achieving relative peace around development while still spurring needed growth. For example, we right-sized zoning in tight neighborhoods. We opened up development in the traffic circle area, which spurred significant projects. We eliminated the abuse of variances that had allowed ill-fitting developments to be forced into places they didn’t belong. We passed the Brown School Overlay District, which enabled a compromise project to finally move forward. And we created a dedicated zoning enforcement position. Some actions loosened rules; others tightened them. Nothing is perfect, but that mix is how balance is achieved.

Mr. Hubbard’s position directly challenges that balance — and threatens your neighborhood. It appears to push for rules that would strongly favor developers over neighborhoods. Unfortunately, there is no proven track record that this approach produces affordable housing. While well-intentioned, these policies result in more high-priced condos, not affordability.

There is no reason residents should have to sacrifice their neighborhood to boost a developer’s profits. Nor should taxpayers bear huge infrastructure costs to support developments that enrich developers while tearing up neighborhood fabric and wreaking havoc on parking and traffic. As recently as this week, the City Council heard genuine concerns about a development.

My hope is that we continue pursuing a commonsense approach – one that honors the hard-fought compromises we’ve reached to balance neighborhood preservation with the need for development. Common sense also means recognizing that homes built 200 years ago didn’t require parking, but new housing built today does.

Your neighborhood matters. Your quality of life matters. Let’s work together to keep Newburyport moving forward in a balanced, sustainable way.

Sharif Zeid
Newburyport City Councilor, Ward 1

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