Muzi Site Eyes New Future

June 6, 2025
• Developers at 557 Highland Ave., once occupied by Muzi Ford, brought a new proposal to the Planning Board at its Tuesday meeting, reigniting conversations about a new life for the site.

As the town looks toward a future use at the 465,000-square-foot property, the Planning Board voiced early concerns regarding parking, traffic and home ownership during a preliminary design presentation.

Representatives from Bulfinch, the Boston real estate company that owns the property, proposed a multi-purpose use for the lot, combining residential and senior housing with a hotel, medical office and retail space. The builders hoped to gain feedback from the board to hone their scope and focus.

Muzi Ford, a longtime car dealership, closed in November 2021.

Back in 2022, the developers intended to cater toward the life sciences, designing two buildings and a parking garage while reserving space for retail, an outdoor plaza and pickleball courts. Now, three years later, the market for life sciences appears less robust, Tim Sullivan of Bulfinch explained, and their recent designs for the site shifted to areas that would be “tax-generating and usable and a nice entry to Needham.”

The current iteration “prioritizes housing,” Bulfinch’s Eric Weyant told the Planning Board, suggesting about 200-250 market-rate units and between 135-160 senior units could be built. Housing was not a prior consideration for the site.

“I think that there’s been a lot of market challenges, not only lack of life science tenants, but general cost of construction, interest rates that have made development of this site challenging over the past year plus,” Weyant said. “So, we’re starting to explore other potential uses that might work well and fit on this site.”

About 10,000 square feet would be reserved for retail — specifically a restaurant — and up to 100,000 square feet would be for a medical office. The hotel proposed would resemble the nearby Marriott with about 100-125 rooms. A jogging trail would run along the perimeter of the property, according to the schematics.

A zoning bylaw change pertinent to the site could appear before Town Meeting next May, though it may take until October 2026, Planning Board member Adam Block said. Robert Schlager, president of Bulfinch, said he hopes to begin construction at the end of 2026 or January 2027.

Schlager considers the Muzi lot a “gateway to Needham” with the potential to become “a flagship entry to the town,” but their options have shifted with the market.

“I know it’s different from when we started a few years back, but unfortunately the world has changed,” he said, “and we need to adapt with that change.”

The potential for increased traffic proved a major concern amongst board members in this early design. The Needham Heights Commuter Rail stop is almost a mile from the property, meaning tenants may rely on driving, and with fewer parking spaces — about 750-1,000 compared to 1,400 in the old design — that corridor could become congested, member Adam Block said. Of that parking, 125 spaces will be above ground, and the rest will be underground.

Electric shuttle buses — included in the original proposal — could transport tenants to and from a T station, Schlager said.

Asked about typical hotel vacancy, Schlager said the team would need to examine that data, particularly with local hotels in Needham.

Members also discussed rearranging the site layout to further open up opportunities for parking. The conceptual design placed the senior housing and retail at the corner of Highland Avenue and Gould Street, the hotel facing Gould Street, the medical office by the Route 128 exit and the market-rate housing at the back of the property.

“I think we’d have a fairly active and very attractive urban edge along Highland Avenue and a nice, active-looking edge along Gould if we had the residential there and then we keep the commercial uses a bit further back,” Block said, “which may open up opportunities for parking for the retail and for the hotel towards the back of the site, which might improve traffic flow, both pedestrian and vehicular, within the site itself.”

Member Justin McCullen, who chairs the Transportation Safety Committee, also emphasized the “need to be extra vigilant about traffic impact around the area.”

Due to perceived safety concerns at neighboring rental properties, Chair Artie Crocker pressed for home ownership options for tenants at 557 Highland Ave., though Schlager said that’s dependent on interest rates, which are currently high.

While not a public hearing, the board allowed several minutes for public feedback on the project, where reaction was mixed.

While supportive of development, resident Rob Dangel said the design is attempting too much. He expressed support for the housing.

“This, to me, looks like throwing the kitchen sink at it,” Dangel said.

Resident Ken Buckley suggested a performing arts center for the space.

Though early in the process, and with a need for community input, Crocker stressed the need for the project to be visually compelling.

“It’s the gateway — you’ve said it, I’ve said it, a lot of people have said it,” Crocker said. “It’s the gateway. It has to look like a gateway to Needham.”