Many downtown business and property owners are reacting with concern and in some cases anger toward the planned pilot phase of the Envision Needham Center project scheduled to begin in July and last for one year.
Envision Needham Center is a DPW project that has state funding and is part of the town’s long-term plan to create a more vibrant downtown that is less vehicle-focused and more welcoming and accessible to pedestrians, bicyclists and shoppers.
But many of the center’s retailers fear it will hurt rather than help business. And a number of them say they had no idea the project was in the works.
Liz Hay, owner of barre3 on Great Plain Avenue, said she recently learned about the pilot from a Facebook post and asked Select Board member Kevin Keane for a meeting. Word of the meeting spread, and last Thursday more than 30 merchants and property owners met with Keane and Economic Development Manager J.P. Cacciaglia to voice their concerns about the project and the process.
“We are business owners, property owners. Not one of us knew about what was happening,” Hay said at the meeting. “You should have come to every single one of our businesses. You should have said, ‘This is what’s happening, these are the plans, I want to include you into this.’ There was no outreach,” she said.
Keane told the group the plans date back to 2017 and last year moved forward when the town engaged the engineering firm Environmental Partners to develop a redesign for the center that would encourage people to “shop in and stay in and spend money.”
“That was always the plan,” Keane said. “It makes pedestrians and shoppers primary and makes cars secondary. The idea is that this would be useful, and in past practice with other towns and cities that have done this it has always helped the business community.”
The yearlong pilot calls for reducing Great Plain Avenue traffic in each direction from two lanes to one between Warren and Linden streets. Temporary, flexible barriers, planters and paint would be used to redirect the traffic flow. Bicycle lanes and areas for benches and additional trees are intended to create a more inviting experience for pedestrians and shoppers.
At the meeting, Cacciaglia said he had contacted businesses, and Keane said there were public presentations, referring to those done by Environmental Partners.
In February the firm conducted two public walking tours in the town center and held an open house at Town Hall, along with a survey for residents to weigh in on the project. Sign boards were set up along Great Plain Avenue with information for self-guided tours. Earlier this month there were two virtual information sessions.
Julie Ben-David, owner of Needham Florist, said the information wasn’t conveyed to the businesses. “You had these so-called walkathons, yet nobody stepped in any of our stores. None,” she said. “Why didn’t anyone come in and say, ‘This is going to affect your business. This is going to affect all downtown.’ How come nobody came into the stores?”
Amy Haelsen, director of communications and community engagement, said the town has communicated about the project on several occasions but acknowledged the concerns.
“Commercial property owners and especially the small businesses are incredibly busy people, and they have a lot going on and they’re juggling a lot amidst a very challenging time,” she said. “So is it possible that they didn’t get the message from the town? Absolutely. Could the town have done a better job at doing outreach? Absolutely. There’s always opportunity to do things better.”
Several people said restricting a section of Great Plain Avenue to one lane in each direction would cause congestion and discourage drivers from stopping at their stores. And some said two lanes are needed to accommodate deliveries. “Every Thursday morning I have an 18-wheeler that double parks while they unload pizza boxes and flour. It takes 45 minutes to an hour,” said Arthur Tzouros, owner of Needham House of Pizza. “They can’t pull in where the parking spots are, most of them are taken, so they double park.”
Many in the group also questioned the addition of bike lanes and the possibility they would displace shoppers in cars. Keane said the issue is safety. “You’re not allowed to ride a bike on the sidewalk, and you don’t want your kids riding their bikes in the street. Hence a bike lane,” he said.
Given the current economic climate, several of the merchants said the timing of the pilot, planned to begin just after July 4, is risky for their businesses. “You’re talking about doing this after the worst time in America,” said Caren Carpenter, co-owner of Copley Motorcars on Chestnut Street. “Everybody’s still recovering from COVID, now we have the tariffs. I mean, it’s just not a good time.”
Barbara Jones, owner of Hearthstone Home, said she was open-minded about the project, but agreed the timing poses a risk. “Nobody wants to spend money right now. Everybody’s worried about their investments,” she said. “So I think that where there is so much uncertainty right now about a lot of aspects of the plan, everyone here agrees a pause is certainly warranted.”
They called on Keane to put the pilot on hold, but he explained it wasn’t his decision to make. “I understand you’re against it. I’m hearing that,” he said. “There’s a committee involved, there’s the Select Board involved. I don’t dictate what they do,” he said.
The committee is a 15-member working group set up to provide input and feedback to the town and the DPW. The slots for a downtown business or restaurant owner on the committee have not been filled, another concern raised at the meeting, and Keane encouraged their participation.
“I will tell you I’m truly optimistic that this would be a great project for the town. But I absolutely appreciate your perspective. I know this is a hard conversation and I appreciate how upset you are,” said Keane. “I can’t give a definite answer to anyone. There are other people, other constituencies. You are very important. Very important.”
“We don’t feel important,” said Carpenter. “I don’t think anybody’s going to leave this room and allow this to go forward.”
Haelsen emphasized that the pilot is adaptable. “If there are impacts to Needham center that are concerning or very negative those can be tweaked,” she said. “So it’s not as though the pilot goes out and that nothing can be changed.”
The town has now scheduled two meetings with business and property owners May 1. “We’re hearing from them that they didn’t feel as though they were well informed and so now it’s our job to make sure that they are,” she said.
There is a public hearing on the Envision Needham Center pilot at the May 13 Select Board meeting. It begins at 6:30 p.m.
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