Newton Planning Director Nominee Would Oversee Development Reviews Affecting Upper Falls

A pending appointment at Newton City Hall could change the leadership of the department handling development reviews that affect Newton Upper Falls.

Mayor Marc Laredo nominated Catherine M. Feerick on July 16, 2026, to become Newton’s planning and development director. The Newton Record reported the nomination on July 21. As of August 5, the appointment remained subject to confirmation by the Newton City Council.

Feerick is Foxborough’s director of land use and economic development. The Newton Record described her background as including land-use reviews, zoning, housing initiatives and downtown economic development. The nomination comes after Newton’s Planning and Development Department had been without a permanent director since January 2026, according to that report.

What the department does

Newton’s Planning and Development Department handles work involving zoning, housing, development review, land-use applications and long-range planning. Its staff review proposals and prepare information used by boards, committees and the City Council.

A permanent director would lead the department’s staff and planning functions, but would not personally decide every project. Planning staff, boards, committees, the City Council and other agencies have separate roles in development decisions.

Why Upper Falls is part of the story

Newton’s official service-area list includes Thurston Road, Tower Road, Oak Street and portions of Needham Street within the Newton Upper Falls neighborhood area. The city’s development-project list identifies the Northland Needham Street project at 275-281 Needham Street, 156 Oak Street, 55 Tower Road, 400 Main Street and 340 Main Street.

The city’s development-project list, last updated April 8, 2026, describes Northland as 10 buildings ranging from three to eight stories, including adaptive reuse of an existing mill building for 100 units. The listed scope is 822 total housing units, including 145 affordable units, 90,000 square feet of retail space, 1,070 surface parking spaces and a public splash park. The city lists the project as under construction.

The city also maintains a separate Northland project page with older review materials and a different earlier description of the project. For current status and the figures used here, this article relies on the city’s more recently updated development-project list.

Northland’s construction status means Feerick’s nomination is not a decision to approve or reject that project. The city’s listed units and amenities also should not be read as completed or occupied.

Thurston Road shows the review process

A separate Upper Falls case illustrates the department’s role before a project reaches construction. Newton’s docket for Petition #131-26 records a request involving 93, 103 and 0 Thurston Road. The original petition sought 16 attached single-family dwellings and zoning relief involving setbacks, parking, maneuvering space, screening and lighting.

The Newton Beacon reported that the City Council approved a revised 14-unit project on July 13, 2026. The approved plan combines three parcels into seven buildings. The report said Planning Department staff reviewed design changes, while nearby concerns included potential construction noise, dust, truck traffic and sightline changes near a playground, an aftercare program and an elementary school bus stop.

The council also unanimously approved a liaison-group amendment intended to continue neighborhood communication during construction. The Thurston Road action is separate from Feerick’s pending appointment and does not indicate what a future planning director would decide on another proposal.

What remains undecided

The mayor’s nomination still requires City Council confirmation. The official council meeting-records page explains that agendas, dockets, reports, actions and audio are maintained through the city’s meeting archives. No specific confirmation docket or scheduled confirmation vote was verified in the official records reviewed through August 5, 2026.

Upper Falls residents, families, businesses and commuters can watch Newton City Council records for the appointment’s status and for later planning or land-use actions. Those records will distinguish a nomination from a confirmation and separate project review from approval and construction. This article does not forecast how Feerick would handle any future proposal.

Sources

• City of Newton Development Projects
• Newton City Council docket, Petition #131-26
• Mayor Laredo picks Foxborough planning official to lead Newton's development department
• City Council gives unanimous approval to 14-unit housing project in Upper Falls