Stephen Palmer to Remain Under School Committee Jurisdiction

July 23, 2026
• On Tuesday, the Select Board discussed a potential memorandum of agreement with the School Committee as the town eyes the end of the ground lease at the apartment building.

By next May, the town will once again have ownership over the building at 83 Pickering St., the former school turned housing complex near Town Center. It will be the end of a 50-year ground lease — the town leased out use of the building, with the understanding it would return to the town’s ownership afterward.

The School Committee voted unanimously July 13 to retain its jurisdiction of the Stephen Palmer Building and requested the Select Board assume management of the property once the lease ends next spring. The board, in its authority, would “wind down the existing residential use,” Superintendent Dan Gutekanst wrote in a memo.

Discussion at the Select Board’s Tuesday meeting centered around what their role would look like during that transition. Such a partnership hinges on the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the School Committee.

There have been some complications in recent years, namely with the current tenants of the building, who are required to vacate by the end of October, six months before the ground lease ends. Officials have reiterated that the Town of Needham doesn’t intend to be a landlord, and Town Meeting voted last fall to support that stance, approving funding to reimburse existing tenants’ moving expenses and rent in their new homes.

Still, once May 2027 rolls around, not all the tenants may be gone, King said.

“I think we have to plan for the building returning to us with some number of tenants in it,” she said Tuesday.

It’s unclear how many people currently reside on the property. Sixteen have moved out, according to the town manager’s office, and there are 28 total units in the building. There are no public plans for long-term use of the building.

Judith McIntyre, one current tenant, alleged the town would use Stephen Palmer to temporarily house tenants of Seabeds Way, a Needham Housing Authority property, during its renovation starting later this year. Board Chair Heidi Frail denied any plans to do so, noting the town has not had discussion with any organization about interim use.

“It is certainly regrettable that this jurisdiction issue came up, but it was, despite our best efforts, unforeseen,” Frail said. “And what has transpired is adjusting to the situation as we learn of changes. So, the School Committee’s vote talks about winding down the lease. There is no additional thing beyond that at the moment.”

Stephen Palmer tenants can be reimbursed up to $10,000 to cover costs related to eligible relocation. HousingToHome, an assistance organization consulting with the town, is involved in relocating tenants.

“The Select Board will explore the Town’s options should any tenants remain in the building past the expiration of their lease,” King wrote in a statement.

During past School Committee meetings, members have suggested education-based plans for the building, such as establishing hands-on learning opportunities, a pre-Kindergarten facility or an early childhood daycare program. Disposing of the property would have indicated the committee sees no educational need for the parcel, although King said Tuesday that the School Committee doesn’t have plans for the property in the next five to 10 years.

In crafting an MOA, several Select Board members stressed the need to be specific in its language. Member Cathy Dowd said they should ensure they aren’t accountable “for something we have no authority over.”

Tenants who may still live in the building beyond May 2027 should be properly cared for, Vice Chair Josh Levy said.

“My interest in this MOA is to make sure that, if there are any tenants in the building when it comes back to town control, that they are taken care of, that they are not living in a building without any management, that we do not essentially become deadbeat landlords,” Levy said. “I do not want that to happen. That is what I want to avoid.”

The board instructed King to draft an MOA with a narrow scope that limits the board’s responsibilities to the transition of existing tenants.

The Stephen Palmer Review Committee was disbanded, after holding a public hearing earlier this year led by a consultant team. Their work is now indefinitely on hold.

Looking ahead, King said the town will look at conducting a town-wide facilities master plan, which would include both town and school buildings. The last full master plan was in 2014, she said, with interim ones between then and now.

“It is time for us to do one overall as a town. We’ve talked Hillside, the Nike site, Stephen Palmer. And so, one of things that I would be planning for and requesting through the FY28 budget process is consideration to fund our next town-wide facility master plan,” she said.