The scope of Needham’s eventual MBTA zoning will likely be a considerably downsized plan as the citizens petition to repeal the compliance plan passed at October Town Meeting was favored by voters by a nearly 20-point margin.
With more than 11,000 votes cast in Tuesday’s election, the No vote cruised to a 59%-41% victory, which means the town’s effort to comply with the MBTA Communities law will be headed back to Town Meeting to be reconsidered.
With a fresh set of guidelines issued by the state after a court ruling, the town now has until July 14 to come into compliance. This lessens the sense of urgency that had been created by the previous deadline of Dec. 31, 2024 and the accompanying risk of the town losing out on state funds.
The No vote prevailed in all 10 town precincts and its total of 6,908 votes handily comprised more than the 20% of the town’s overall registered voters, a threshold that was an additional requirement to prevail.
The No campaign was driven by Needham Residents for Thoughtful Zoning (NRTZ). The self-described “grassroots citizen group” was formed prior to the October Town Meeting. It disseminated literature opposing what it called “extreme overcompliance” with the MBTA Communities Act.
The group’s website and literature did not identify individual members, instead claiming to “represent all age groups, political affiliations, and geographical neighborhoods in Needham.”
When Town Meeting passed the more ambitious of two proposed MBTA compliance zoning plans on Oct. 21, NRTZ mobilized and collected more than 4,000 signatures to force the scheduling of Tuesday’s single-issue repeal election.
It then undertook a comprehensive door-knocking and public visibility effort in support of the repeal.
The outcome requires the town effectively to redo its MBTA law compliance zoning process. A “chairs” meeting was scheduled to be held Wednesday morning among members of the town manager’s staff, the chairs and vice chairs of the Select and Planning boards and other town officials to begin mapping the town’s road to compliance with the state law. That effort is expected to be led by the Planning Board, which next meets Jan. 21.
The board will be charged with drafting an MBTA compliance plan that meets the law’s requirement to create an overlay zoning district of at least 50 acres mostly within a half-mile of the town’s commuter rail stations where multifamily housing would be allowed “as of right” — meaning without any special permit requirements. The zone must allow a density of at least 15 units per acre and a zoning capacity of 1,784 potential units.
The law does not require a single unit of housing to be built, only that 1,784 units be possible.
The base plan, which met those requirements, had been presented and overwhelmingly approved by voice vote at Town Meeting on Oct. 21, only to be subsequently amended and replaced by the larger Neighborhood Plan. The two plans had virtually identical maps encompassing the town’s commercial spine along Highland Avenue and Chestnut Street from the Needham Heights T station to the Needham Junction area.
But the Neighborhood Plan allowed more density, extra height and had other dimensional differences that increased its zoning capacity to 3,296 units, or 75% above what would be possible under the base plan.
That increase in scale triggered multiple concerns among opponents of the Neighborhood Plan. In its literature, NRTZ expressed concerns about the potential for overcrowded schools, a stressed town infrastructure, “untenable” traffic and other woes due to “extreme overbuilding.”
Other opponents expressed dismay that the MBTA zoning was required by state mandate and was not an organic, homegrown plan reflecting Needham-specific needs and goals.
Supporters of the neighborhood plan pushed back on all those stated objections. The “Yes” campaign was spearheaded by members of the Needham Housing Coalition, an advocacy group formed more than a year ago with the goal of “advocating for more attainable housing choices in Needham.”
For more than a year, the NHC held monthly sessions on a range of housing issues that were a mix of education and advocacy. When the petition drive to schedule the repeal election obtained the required number of signatures, the NHC launched the “Yes for Needham” campaign to support upholding Town Meeting’s vote in favor of the so-called Neighborhood Plan.
They noted that School Committee members were confident the system could handle the likely influx of students, which they also said was greatly overstated. They also pointed to studies by the town’s staff and its planning consultants that the town’s infrastructure was similarly capable of supporting the expected new growth, that the growth would be a net financial positive to the town due to increased tax revenue, and that Needham would have more diverse housing options and become more vibrant.
But an overwhelming majority of town voters obviously had concerns, leading to the 2,000-vote margin of victory.
NRTZ representatives remained consistent in their practice of not responding to media questions regarding their efforts or the outcome.
Yes for Needham supporters gathered at the Needham History Center as the returns came in. Speaking to the group, Yes Committee Chair Kate Weinograd urged them to remain involved in the process in hopes of creating a compliance plan that meets some of their goals.
“I hope that there is a robust plan that can happen through this process,” she said. “I hope the Planning Board produces something that’s more than minimum compliance.”
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