Green Needham urges Town residents to vote “Yes” in the January 14th Special Election, thereby affirming the Housing Plan approved at the October Town Meeting and putting Needham in compliance with the MBTA Communities Act. A “No” vote would reject the Town Meeting vote and send the zoning question back to Town Meeting for another vote. You can vote in several ways: by mail, in person on Election Day, or by absentee vote.
The Housing Plan passed by Town Meeting amends Needham’s zoning to allow more multifamily housing and apartments/condos in business and commercial areas near the town’s train stations. For buildings of 6 or more units, one of every eight units must be affordable. This will give much-needed housing options for people who are employed in Needham, seniors wanting to downsize here, and younger people wanting to enter Needham. It preserves existing neighborhoods (there is no zoning change in single-family neighborhoods) and includes safeguards like traffic and parking studies, Site Plan Review, and stormwater management.
The Housing Plan is the result of several years of careful study by Town officials and staff, consultants, as well as community volunteers, and has the support of the Planning Board, Select Board, Former State Representative Denise Garlick, State Representative-Elect Joshua Tarsky, Senator Becca Rausch, the League of Women Voters, Green Needham, the Charles River Regional Chamber, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Needham, dozens of local businesses, and more. It was thoroughly discussed and debated in Town Meeting.
Why go beyond the minimum compliance? The Housing Plan is a zoning framework, not a mandate to build, so it is up to private property owners and developers to plan and fund any construction. The Housing Plan incentivizes development by allowing increased density and height (4 or 4.5 stories in limited areas rather than 3). Given that most of the area covered by the new zoning is already developed for commercial and retail, Town consultants expect that change will be incremental and gradual and that the number of units actually built in the next 10 years will be a much lower number than the maximum allowed. Independent analysis and the School Committee confirm that student increases can be absorbed by the Needham Schools.
Find Out More!
Explore the FAQs on the Yes for Needham website and from the Needham Planning Board.
Attend the Charles River Regional Chamber’s Zoom webinar on Friday, January 3, 2025 from 10:00-11:00 a.m. to find out why they support a “Yes” vote on the Jan. 14 referendum and why they believe creating small, multi-family homes in Needham near local shops and restaurants is critical to their ability to hire and retain workers and to a vibrant Needham. They will explain what Needham’s housing plan does and doesn’t do, as well as the potential consequences of being out of compliance with state law. Register here.
