Government » Planning » Boards, Commissions, & Committees

Newton Housing Partnership

Print
Share & Bookmark, Press Enter to show all options, press Tab go to next option
Font Size: + -

Read about the Newton Housing Partnership purpose, roles, and structure here.

The mission of the Newton Housing Partnership is to foster, support, and advocate for the preservation and creation of housing in order to promote an economically diverse City of Newton. As Mayor Theodore D. Mann wrote after its creation in 1989, the Newton Housing Partnership is to be comprehensive and creative as well as pragmatic and grounded in the fiscal and economic realities of the times.

With this mission, the Newton Housing Partnership (NHP) is an advisory body to the Mayor, City staff, City Council, Boards, Commissions, and Committees on Newton's housing needs, policies, programs, zoning and specific housing proposals.

Upcoming Partnership Meetings

 The NHP meets every fourth Tuesday at 5:00 p.m.

Meeting materials, including the agenda and a draft summary of the previous meeting, will be posted a week prior to the meeting.

To view past meeting documents, click here.

Housing Partnership Memos

Housing Partnership Documents

Local Preference Policy Materials 

Current Partnership Members

  • Bryan Decker: Bryan Decker is a union and employee attorney who has practiced law in the Boston area since the early 1990s.  Bryan represents unions and employees in all aspects of labor and employment law.  In addition to his work as an advocate for workers, Bryan has served on the boards of a number of non-profits.  Prior to moving to Newton, Bryan was a resident of Brookline, and served as a member of that town’s Bicycle Advisory Committee.  Since moving to Newton in 2018, Bryan has come to believe that the creation of more housing in general, and more affordable housing in particular, is the most critical issue facing Newton as we strive to keep the City vibrant and as we seek to address the needs caused by climate change.
  • Lizbeth Heyer: Lizbeth Heyer is a passionate advocate for affordable housing with more than 30 years of professional experience in affordable housing development, planning, policy and advocacy in both the non-profit and public sectors. Prior to her current position as Chief of Real Estate and Innovation for 2Life Communities, Lizbeth served in the Patrick Administration as the Associate Director of Public Housing and Rental Assistance for the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). Lizbeth serves on the Citizens Housing and Planning Association's (CHAPA) Policy Leadership Council.
  • Ann Houston: For over 40 years, Ann Houston has worked in affordable housing and community development, building affordable and mixed income housing along with amenities that create great neighborhoods, nurturing strong non-profit organizations, and engaging in state and local policy work.  Ann served as the CEO of The Neighborhood Developers, a Community development corporation serving Chelsea, Revere and Everett, and was the founding CEO of Opportunity Communities, providing capacity-building support to non-profit community developers. Ann has served on numerous local, state, and national boards and committees.  Most recently, she was the Housing Fellow for the Eastern Bank Foundation and an adjunct professor at Boston College. She earned a master’s in real estate development at MIT’s Center for Real Estate, and a Bachelors in Community Planning at UMass Boston’s Center for Public and Community Service. A Newton resident since 1992, Ann also chairs the Newton Affordable Housing Trust.
  • Michael Lozano: Michael Lozano, Vice President of Development, joined Trinity in 2016 and oversees development projects in Massachusetts and Connecticut. He manages the development team of professionals and consultants through the site acquisition, design, financing, construction, and marketing phases of each project. Mr. Lozano has extensive experience with complex financial transactions, particularly those utilizing Low Income Housing Tax Credits and Historic Tax Credits. A few of his recently completed projects include the redevelopment of the Washington Village public housing site in Norwalk, CT into a new 273-unit mixed-income transit-oriented development renamed Soundview Landing and the transformation of the former Worcester County Courthouse into 118-units of new mixed-income apartments.
  • David Rockwell, Secretary: David Rockwell is retired from 25 years with the lending team at the Massachusetts Housing Partnership (MHP), and was Director of Lending for the last 18 of those years, overseeing a lending team focused on permanent first mortgage financing for affordable and mixed-income multi-family rental housing across Massachusetts. He has a masters in City and Regional Planning from Harvard University, and his career includes 15 years in commercial real estate lending, development work with a community land trust in Roxbury, and journalism with a daily newspaper. He and his multi-generational family live in Newton Highlands.
  • Marva Serotkin, Chair: Marva Serotkin was the President of The Boston Home from 1997-2017, which received national recognition for innovative programs for people with disabilities. Most recently she acted as co-developer of Harmon Apartments, a mixed-income, accessible, affordable apartment complex in Boston. Prior to her work at The Boston Home, she was the CEO of the Shattuck Hospital and Cura VNA in Plymouth. Marva has received numerous awards for her volunteer leadership.
  • Nicole Stewart: Nicole Stewart is currently the Executive Director for Boston CASA, a nonprofit that trains and supports community volunteers to serve as Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs) for children who have suffered from abuse and neglect. With more than 25 years of combined experience in school administration and executive leadership in nonprofits, Nicole has dedicated her career to positively impacting the lives of vulnerable children and communities. Nicole serves on the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) Advisory Board.  

There are, as of April 29, 2025, two vacancies on the NHP.

Contact

For questions about the Newton Housing Partnership, contact Shaylyn Davis-Iannaco at sdavis@newtonma.gov