Town Meeting to Reconsider F.A.R.

April 11, 2024
• Residents share their thoughts on a Citizen’s Petition regarding the calculation of the Floor Area Ratio.

When Town Meeting gathers this May, Joe Matthews will be asking them to consider making some changes to the Needham Zoning By-Laws. His goal is to curb the replacement of smaller homes with those that maximize the space allowable on individual lots. At a Planning Board public hearing held on April 2nd, residents, developers and board members had a chance to speak to the petition, ahead of its appearance on the April 16th Select Board agenda. Some took the opportunity to applaud the effort to preserve the older housing stock, while others cautioned that the move might bring unintended consequences, stifling the growth of the town. The debate brought up strong feelings on both sides of the issue. Municipal Producer Yuxiao Yuan files this report.

This story ran as part of the Needham Channel News, a weekly newscast airing on The Needham Channel every Thursday at 7:30pm. The Needham Channel News can be found on the Community Channel: Comcast 9, Astound 15 and Verizon 29. Most Thursdays it also can be viewed on our HD Channel on Verizon 2129, Astound 613 and streaming on this site.