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Writer's pictureJonathan Berk

MBTA Communities Gold Star: Needham



Needham, Massachusetts, located a few miles west of Boston, is one of the fortunate suburbs in Greater Boston that enjoys a vibrant traditional New England Downtown along with a burgeoning commercial sector featuring high-tech companies. Like many communities in the area, much of its growth happened before the significant downzonings of the 1960s and 70s that affected the region. From the 1900s to the 1970s, Needham's population consistently increased by 30%-60% each decade, rising from 4,000 in 1900 to 29,000 in 1970. Since then, the town's population has remained mostly stable, experiencing periods of growth and decline, with the current population at 32,000 residents.


Also like many Massachusetts suburbs, a rapidly aging population raises concerns for the future of Needham, with one resident at Town Meeting stating, “In just six years, almost a quarter — 25% — of Needham residents will be seniors. Think of a quarter of Needham’s population aging in their single-family homes. This may prevent our seniors from living active and social lives, and for sure it will lock up our housing inventory.”


Needham seized the opportunity presented by MBTA Communities to plan for housing growth for the first time in almost a generation. They voted not only for a basic compliance plan but for one that exceeded the legal requirements with mere 'paper compliance.' They ensured the approval of a plan that would facilitate necessary housing growth in the community by increasing infill density in their Downtown Core. This approach allows new residents to live near daily necessities, reducing vehicle trips, and also provides easy access to two nearby Commuter Rail stations.


A Walkable, Transit Oriented Neighborhood Housing Plan



Needham's Neighborhood Housing Plan (NHP) passed by representative town meeting vote 57% to 43%, this was the more robust of the two plans that included slightly higher densities throughout the district surrounding Downtown and between the Needham Heights and Needham Junction Commuter Rail Stations. The more robust NHP could result in about 2,500 new units of housing, at full build out, when factoring in existing housing in the districts. With a reduction in parking requirements from 1.5 per unit to 1, the town made infill housing production a bit more realistic in denser areas of town where they hoped to encourage more infill production.



Detailed Potential Impact Reports

While a true impact report is difficult to produce as zoning does not mean actual building and most likely, the total zoned capacity of these new zones will never be achieved, town staff still went to great lengths to compile full impact reports assuming every possible unit was built. A Capital Impacts report produced by City staff and department heads that assumed all 2,500 potential new units in the Neighborhood Plan showed no substantial fiscal impact OR public safety impacts as a result of the plan. As a matter of fact, like many Massachusetts communities, aging infrastructure is the main ongoing concern and more taxable commercial and residential activity, and property tax revenue, will help fund those needed upgrades.


School Impacts

A hot button topic in many communities has been potential impact on schools. We've seen some outlandish flyers and public statements assuming every new unit built will have 2 students per unit, adding thousands of students to the school system. Needham staff produced a detailed impact report on recent multi-family housing production in the town and discovered that the "Student Generation Rate" from new multi-family construction in town was 0.12 students per unit. The anticipated impact if every single zoned unit in the Neighborhood Housing Plan was built would be an additional 422 students spread across the school system. The Needham School system has shrunk by 200 students in the last 4-years as the local population continues to age.


Upcoming Referendum On January 14th

Although the more comprehensive Neighborhood Housing Plan was approved at the town meeting, several residents organized and gathered signatures to initiate a referendum aimed at overturning the Town Meeting's decision. The vote is scheduled for January 14th, and local housing advocates have come together to support this effort, striving to keep Needham progressing towards its housing production goals.


The Needham Housing Coalition, with backing from Abundant Housing Massachusetts, has done remarkable work responding to the swiftly arranged referendum, working through the holidays to secure support for the Neighborhood Housing Plan. Their website serves as an excellent resource for information on how people can get involved and back the Yes vote in the January 14th referendum.


In addition, The Charles River Regional Chamber has activated their membership of area employers, hospitals, restaurants, farmers and other small businesses in a push to educate the public on how the regional housing shortage is directly harming their businesses, their ability to hire staff and to provide service that many in the Needham community may rely on. In my opinion the video below is a must watch to see the breadth of the impact a housing shortage has on a community.


Check out how previous Gold Star honoree Watertown paired MBTA Communities rezoning with a holistic redesign of Watertown Square, how Andover sought to prioritize their Downtown for development and Franklin grew a pro-housing movement to double down on their robust Downtown. This series will continue over the coming months. If you'd like to nominate a community to be included please email me at Jonathan@remainplaces.com.




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