A review of five sites where development is either planned or underway in town shows that Needham mirrors the overall greater Boston market, with some projects progressing and others scuffling to meet the market or facing cost or regulatory headwinds.
New use but a familiar sign at former You-Do-It site
Onyx Partners, a commercial real estate investment and development firm that has lived an itinerant life at four different Needham addresses, expects to move into more permanent digs by the end of the summer when it completes its renovation of the old You-Do-It Electronics Center at 40 Franklin St.
You-Do-It ended its more than 60-year run as a DIY electronics pioneer in the spring of 2024, and Onyx has undertaken a thorough rebuild which is nearing completion. The firm will consolidate its operations by occupying the top two floors of the three-story building. Local retailer Pure Hockey will take the space on the ground floor, relocating from its Highland Avenue location.
You-Do-It may be gone but it will remain a presence as Onyx plans to retain its iconic rooftop sign, which the Needham Historical Commission voted on June 15 to include in Needham’s historic inventory.
Without that designation, the sign would not have been allowed to remain as Needham bylaws no longer allow rooftop signs. Commission member Gloria Greis said at the meeting the sign had survived under a grandfather provision, but “with the renovation of the building by Onyx, they’ll no longer be grandfathered.”
“Obviously, everybody wants them to keep it,” Greis said of the sign after the meeting. “It’s an iconic landmark in town. But to even consider that, it has to be on the historic inventory.”
The Design Review Board still needs to offer its recommendation on a special permit request that will allow the rooftop sign to remain.
“We really love the history of the You-Do-It building,” said Doug Richardson, executive vice president of development at Onyx.
“To us, the You-Do-It sign is no different than the Citgo sign in Kenmore Square or the Schrafft’s City Center in Charlestown at the old candy factory.”
Muzi remains a work in progress
The Bulfinch Companies, Inc. continues to explore a senior-oriented mixed-use development at the former Muzi site, but its ambitious plan to have a new zoning regimen on the warrant for this fall’s Town Meeting has not materialized.
Town Planning Director Lee Newman reported to the Planning Board at its July 7 meeting that during a “preliminary” meeting this week with Bulfinch, its representatives said “they’re advancing the idea of doing a continuing-care facility comparable to North Hill at that property.”
Newman expects Bulfinch will come before the Planning Board sometime in the early fall for an “informal presentation” of its plans.
“Depending on how fast their plans advance, I think they’re looking at May 2027 or the fall of 2027 to actually implement a zoning change,” she told the board of the best estimate for when Town Meeting will be asked to vote on any zoning articles related to the site.
Bulfinch’s most recent presentation to the Planning Board in April foresaw a housing-heavy mixed-use development with medical offices, some retail and as many as 500 housing units that would highly likely be senior directed.
It also appears that Bulfinch may require a development partner with housing experience to advance the project.
629 Highland considering a reboot
About a quarter mile down the road from Muzi, the site of a proposed medical office building remains a hole in the ground that has its owner, Newton-based Boston Development Group, reconsidering its options.
The Planning Board approved the project in late 2023 and Boston Development Group cleared the site last summer with plans to construct a 50,000-square-foot, two-story medical office building.
“We have not been able to get to the finish line [as a medical office building] due to construction costs,” Jodie Zussman, president and CEO, told the Observer via email.
“We have been speaking to developers about other potential uses,” she added, an option that could present zoning challenges.
First Avenue and Highland still awaits new development
Demolition has been completed on the former Acapulcos Restaurant building at One First Avenue at the corner with Highland Avenue. The location has featured restaurants dating back to a Howard Johnson’s, followed by a Ground Round before Acapulcos took over in 2009. The building has sat empty since Acapulcos closed in 2019.
No information was yet available on whether another restaurant is coming there, though a sign at the site for Kiely & Company Realty leasing inquiries says “retail or restaurant.” The property is owned by Jamie McManus of One First Avenue Realty Trust who did not respond to requests for information on what is planned for the location, and Rick Kiely told the Observer he has no information yet.
But he did say the idea of an indoor sky-diving park, which was actively discussed several years ago, is no longer in play. “I don’t believe that’s the direction that anybody’s looking at at this time,” said Kiely.
Former Panella’s site remains dormant
An even older Planning Board special permit remains unused at the site of the former Panella’s Market at 40-50 Central Ave.
BTE Development of Wellesley was granted a special permit in January 2023 that allowed construction of a three-story mixed-use development that would have created 15 residential units located above ground-floor retail/commercial space.
At the time the permit was issued, it was expected that Panella’s would occupy the street-level retail space.
That permit was extended in January 2024 but the only activity at the site has been the installation of construction fencing during the late summer of 2025. A “For Sale” sign is obscured by tree branches and the real estate firm has not responded to requests for information.
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