In response to extensive public comments and significant opposition to the Envision Needham Center project to redesign the downtown, the Select Board is considering giving revised direction to the working group that is helping advise the Department of Public Works on the project.
At Tuesday night’s Select Board meeting, Vice Chair Cathy Dowd quantified the feedback the board received, both directly and from a public hearing, as 78% opposed and 22% in favor of the plan. She said the Select Board needs to step back and consider other plans, including a version that gives up grant funding that requires bike lanes and a 12-month pilot.
The grant is a $320,000 federal demonstration grant from the Safe Streets for All program of the U.S. Department of Transportation. It required a town match of 20%, which is $80,000 that the town has already set aside.
“Needham center is something that belongs to everyone, and we need to pursue anything that has broad consensus,” said Dowd.
Select Board members agreed that the downtown is in need of “TLC,” as board member Marianne Cooley put it, and acknowledged the public concerns raised about the plan’s potential effects on traffic, parking, bicycle and pedestrian safety, and its impact on side streets, cost and economic vitality.
Dowd said a detailed study and evaluation of possible tradeoffs among different plans is needed and included all the considerations in a four-point motion she put before the board. She read her motion, acknowledging the wording might be improved:
- that the town give up the state grant that requires bike lanes in Needham Center including the 12-month pilot
- direct the staff and consultant to Envision Needham committee to consider at least three possible plans to include optimal versions of our current four-lane configuration, a three-lane plan and a two-lane plan.
- that the consultant and committee evaluate each plan for its impact on traffic congestion, parking, bike safety, pedestrian safety, economic vitality and cost
- that the consultant and committee gather extensive public feedback for each of the plans
Board members discussed the elements of the motion, as well as considerations for the composition and size of the working group.
“It’s a huge motion. This is a lot to do,” said board member Kevin Keane, who is on the Envision working group. He asked that the Select Board take time to consider the motion and vote on it at their next meeting. Keane noted the Select Board agenda had called for looking at whether to add another member to the working group, “Now it’s, do we need to reconfigure the whole mission, and I think that’s a big gulp.”
The board members agreed that it was reasonable to take time to consider the motion. Member Josh Levy said the motion would affect the project timeline, something to raise with the consultants and the DPW. “I think people are anxious not knowing when things might change,” he said.
The board agreed to table the motion and take it up when they meet on June 10. “This is a really important project,” said Chair Heidi Frail. “We need to be sure we’re making wise choices.”
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