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Zoning committee approves mayoral nominee Catherine Furek as planning director
Summary
Catherine Furek introduced herself to the committee, outlined priorities for village‑center economic development, transparency and process improvements, and answered questions about housing and traffic. The committee voted to approve her appointment and will forward it for council action.
The Zoning and Planning Committee voted on July 20 to approve the mayor’s nomination of Catherine Furek as Newton’s director of planning, after a period of questions about housing, village economic development and departmental communication.
Furek told the committee she is an "asset‑based planner" who wants to learn the city’s villages and staff processes, and to look for procedural changes that reduce delays. “One of the things that really interests me … is to get staff as well as counselors that live in the different villages ... out in the wild and just teach me about what makes each of those villages work,” Furek said.
Committee members asked about balancing housing production with preservation, traffic and school‑age population impacts. Furek said outcomes depend on local context and that residential growth can support village retail if planned carefully. She described past work where incremental housing helped revive commercial districts.
After the Q&A, a councilor moved approval and the committee voted in favor; the chair announced “the ayes have it.” The committee will present the appointment to the full City Council according to the charter process.
