Town Meeting Opts to Go Big
October 23, 2024
• In their October session, the body approved the more ambitious of the two proposed zoning amendments despite calls for caution. But the saga is not quite over, as residents are petitioning to bring the vote to the town.
Months of meetings, hearings and planning around multifamily zoning culminated in Monday night’s vote, where the town opted to support the Neighborhood Housing Plan.
The decision came down to a hand count, where the yeas won 118-90. The NHP would allow for the zoning of 3,296 units, whereas the Base Plan — meeting just above the minimum required by the state — would have allowed for 1,870. Development would be by right but still require site plan review.
Had the town chosen not to approve either plan, it would have lost out on potential grant funding and face potential repercussions from the attorney general.
While the Base Plan passed with little fanfare, discussion on the NHP persisted into the evening. Residents shared concerns regarding school enrollment, workforce accommodations and a perceived lack of control around potential development.
Needham’s aging population, a lack of supply that has driven up costs and high median monthly housing costs — averaging $2,800 — all mean the town “has an urgent and significant need for more housing today,” Select Board member Heidi Frail said. Frail also co-chaired the Housing Needham Advisory Group, which generated the two zoning plans.
Frail herself feels she wouldn’t be able to afford Needham if she were to move to town now. A variety of housing options and levels of affordability will ensure more people can join the community, she said, and that growth will likely take several years.
The town could face difficulty retaining and hiring workers, limited foot traffic and housing options for different families and other barriers as a result of inaction, but Frail said that’s actually Needham’s current reality.
“We know what the alternative looks like because we’re already living in it,” Frail said.
While proponents presented estimates of a likely build-out scenario, the Finance Committee urged residents to consider the consequences of a full-build out.
The increases in population and enrollment as a result of the Base Plan’s build-out “are more than sufficient for our town to attempt to accommodate at this time,” Fin Com Vice Chair John Connelly said. Schools are already full, Connelly said, and stormwater, traffic and town services are already burdened.
“In other words, we have more than enough on our hands in dealing with the many challenges that the passage of the Base Compliance Plan will bring to us,” Connelly said.
Projections suggest between 627 and 2,899 new residents could move to Needham under the Base Plan, including 55 to 236 K-12 students. A likely build-out under the NHP could result in about 1,996-3,864 additional residents, and 164-234 being school-aged. A full build-out of the NHP could mean nearly 10,000 new residents.
Liz Lee, chair of the School Committee, clarified that 20% of the additional students would likely private school, while the others would be spread across public school buildings and grades, making the uptick less impactful.
Needham Public Schools will be physically unable to support that capacity, Town Meeting member Wells Blanchard said, and larger class sizes could put students’ learning in jeopardy.
“I agree with all those that say the housing crisis is a big problem and something we are called upon to help with. I supported the Base Plan, and I’m proud that our town has taken action,” Blanchard said. “However, there are other things in our town that we are called upon to help with, and one of those is our children.”
By passing the NHP, Town Meeting members Holly Clarke and Gary Ajamian said the town would be left with little to no control over developers’ and their intentions. Ajamian expressed concern over the inability for residents to share input, while Clarke said such zoning could all be done with special permitting.
“Instead, we’re giving away all of our ability to incentivize the things we’re saying we want,” Clarke said.
More than 35 businesses signaled their support for the NHP in a letter shared by the Charles River Regional Chamber.
Needham resident Lise Elcock, who works with the Charles River Regional Chamber, said recruitment and foot traffic are primary concerns among small business owners.
Young adults and retirees should have options to stay in town, Elcock said.
“I love Needham, and I really want to stay here,” she said. “On behalf of the businesses, our kids, ourselves, I urge you to vote for the Neighborhood Plan. I don’t want it to be a case of looking back and going, ‘We could’ve, should’ve done this then because we need it now.’”
Since moving to Needham more than 25 years ago, Town Meeting member Erik Bailey said the town has changed significantly — for the better.
“Let’s do the right thing,” Bailey said. “Let’s be leaders.”
After essentially a tie in a voice vote, the NHP passed. The state will now conduct a final review of the town’s plans. The deadline to comply with the zoning is Dec. 31 of this year.
Residents have 20 days — minus Sundays and legal holidays — to call for a referendum and overturn the vote, though they’d need signatures from at least 15% of town voters, according to the town charter.
NHS Tennis Courts
The NHP decision, however, did not end the evening. Tennis advocates succeeded in securing $3 million for the renovation and construction of the Needham High School tennis courts. The four existing courts fell into disrepair, prompting their replacement, and four new courts will be added to the adjacent open field.
The funding appropriation was pulled from the Annual Town Meeting warrant in May. The project endured a lengthy public hearing process before the Planning Board earlier this year.
While proponents indicated the benefits of eight courts — including the ability to host tennis tournaments and allow varsity and JV teams to practice together — Town Meeting member Joe Matthews argued for six courts instead. Six courts would save part of the green space for the expected influx of new residents, he said.
Matthews put forward a motion to refer it back to the Community Preservation Committee for a six-court plan, which ultimately failed. The groups who currently use the green space have found another space to practice, according to Chris Gerstel, chair of the Needham Park and Recreation Commission.
Members of the NHS boys tennis team gathered at the back of Town Hall. One player and their varsity coach approached the microphone to speak, but were turned away, as neither are registered Needham voters.
Rob Dangel, a Town Meeting member, shared written remarks from members of the tennis team.
“With eight courts, the teams will not need to use the other courts in town,” Dangel said. “With six courts, the tennis team would still need to use other sets of courts, and that would be inconvenient and probably extend their practice time as well as their competition time.”
Updated, respectable tennis courts are “long overdue,” said Town Meeting member Paul Siegenthaler, who is a former assistant girls tennis coach. Tennis is a lifelong sport, Siegenthaler said, and he’s a testament to that.
“I’m old. I’ve got two bad hips and a bum shoulder,” Siegenthaler said. “I’m still playing tennis.”
Park and Recreation has pledged that no pickleball will be permitted on the courts and agreed to specific hours for use.
Stephen Palmer Building
Town Meeting also unanimously approved $150,000 toward the Stephen Palmer Building, the former elementary school that became a 28-unit apartment building. Its lease expires in May 2027. The town will spend $50,000 on a consultant and $100,000 on a development planning framework in an effort to determine next steps in early 2025.
Select Board member Marianne Cooley offered a brief history of the property, explaining the site has been considered for new uses, but in every case, some other site has turned out to be better.” The town formerly occupied the basement until 2013, when the Center at the Heights opened.
