What would you like to see in Needham Town Center? Safer pedestrian crossings? Accommodations for bicyclists? More aesthetic changes? More trees? Or are you happy with things as they are? Now’s the time to weigh in on how to improve a stretch of Great Plain Avenue that extends from Warren to Linden streets.
Those were the questions behind the informational open house and a series of walking tours Saturday and Monday evening as “Envision Needham Center” gathered ideas for the next phase of Needham’s downtown renovation. Envision Needham Center is being funded by federal, state and local money, and the consultants Apex and Toole Design are leading the design phase.
“We have no design plans yet,” said Cassandra Thompson of Apex as she led a tour around downtown, making it clear that getting the public’s input early is key. Margot Spiller of Apex said, “We want people to have an opportunity to experience what a reconfiguration would look like … to give people buy-in to a final product before shovels are in the ground.”
There was a hodgepodge of observations and questions on traffic patterns and pedestrian safety during the 1 p.m. walking tour which took a group of 20 or so people up and down Great Plain Avenue. “Do you feel safe at this intersection? Are the sidewalks wide enough? What could be done to improve the general aesthetics?” Those were key questions asked by Apex guide Thompson as the group wound its way around downtown.
“I find it impossible to make a left turn from Pickering onto Great Plain Avenue,” said participant Amy Goldstein. “It takes forever to cross at that light,” said Eric Goldstein, pointing to the crosswalk at Great Plain and Highland Avenue.
One woman who did not want to be identified expressed doubt. “Short of tearing it up, putting nice brickwork and spending tons of money on that, you have to get more space or give up parking. It kind of is what it is. We live in the suburbs, not in the country where there’s space.”
The needs of bicyclists versus automobile drivers came up several times throughout the day. “I’m a big advocate for people, not cars,” said avid bike rider David Hruska. “For 100 years we’ve been building our cities and towns for cars and what you get is congestion and traffic accidents and fatalities.” In fact, Thompson confirmed that there were approximately 100 automobile accidents in downtown Needham from 2017 through 2021, and a new traffic assessment should help point out where changes could help. Others acknowledged they are dependent on their cars, with one person asking if we’re catering to the minority by making Needham more bike-friendly.
Back at the open house, parking was a hot topic. “We’re debating the pros and cons of street parking downtown,” said resident Oscar Mertz, who chatted with Spiller from Apex. “If you remove it, what gets added? Places for dining, sidewalks, more opportunity for biking, landscape?” Spiller responded by saying they’re too early in the process to know how parking will be affected. “We’re certainly investigating how on-street parking spaces could be repurposed and we’ll have alternatives for the public to comment on.”
Story boards with information on the project were displayed and people were encouraged to write questions and comments on sticky notes attached to them.
The people in charge of Envision Needham Center asked for public opinion and they got it. The challenge will be deciding what to do with all those observations. Anyone who wasn’t able to attend the open house or take a walking tour can still fill out a survey on the Envision Needham Center website or by accessing the QR code on sandwich boards along Great Plain Avenue.
Next steps will include a federally funded pilot program this summer that will allow people to see and experience potential renovation plans. As Mertz said, “I think the fun thing is that this is all about making this for people first. All the questions on the walking tour were about how we can make this better for people.”
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