The Planning Board will hold a public hearing Sept. 16 to review Greystar’s plan to construct a 189-unit multifamily housing project at 100-110 West St.
The hearing comes two weeks after the attorney general’s confirmation that the town has complied with the state-mandated MBTA Communities Law. Under the new zoning passed by Town Meeting in May, after a more permissive zoning plan was repealed by voters in a January special election, Greystar can develop the project by right, or without the need for a special permit, as long as its plans conform to the underlying zoning.
The project’s preliminary designs were presented to the town’s Design Review Board Sept. 8 where they were favorably received. The DRB reviewed a plan that was substantially similar to what Greystar presented to the Planning Board during an informal discussion at its July 22 meeting.
Greystar, the nation’s largest multi-family housing operator, is still required to go through the town’s site plan review process before a building permit can be issued. The Planning Board can examine issues such as safety, infrastructure capacity, environmental concerns and design aesthetics, but it has far less discretion than it would have had under a special permit process.
The plan calls for the existing 1950s-era building to be demolished and replaced with a 187,200 square foot, single three-story, wood-frame construction building and 189 parking spots in compliance with the one-spot-per-unit zoning requirement.
The expectation is that 40% of the units will be one bedroom, 35% will be two bedrooms, 15% will be studios and 10% will be three bedrooms. Town zoning requires that 12.5% of the units be affordable.
Greystar representatives noted the project is an example of transit-oriented development, with the design having been influenced by its location adjacent to the Needham Heights commuter rail station and within walking distance of stores, restaurants and other amenities.
“Future residents will be able to live in a suburban setting without sacrificing the convenience of what’s typically provided in urban settings,” Greystar’s Tim Beinert told the DRB.
Review board members did have comments about certain design elements, color choices and ways to lessen the mass of the property’s frontage along Highland Avenue.
“It’s really long,” said Tom Lassy, who is an architect. “It’s a 700-foot building that stretches all the way down Highland Ave.”
Greystar representatives described design elements intended to “soften” the appearance as one moves from the intersection at West Street to the more residential segment of Highland Avenue toward the library.
“We see this project kind of as a bridge between the residential area and the commercial area,” said Lassy. “We really see this as essentially two buildings that meet in the middle.”
DRB members seemed generally satisfied with Greystar representatives’ responses.
“Well, I guess I would start off with ‘wow,’” said DRB member Susan Opton. “I’ve lived here a long time, and that looks really exciting to see the transformation of the big, long brick block to something like this.”
When the project goes before the Planning Board, it will be reviewed for traffic impacts, possible stormwater and drainage concerns, construction site safety and possible negative impacts on abutters that could be addressed by screening or other buffers.
Financial impacts
The current building, unoccupied since 2018, is one of several in town that have not been in active use for an extended period of time. Such long-term vacancies, in addition to being visual blights in certain cases, have a financial impact on the town as they produce less property tax revenue than they would if in use.
The 100-110 West St. property is currently assessed at $11.858 million and produces $247,955 in annual property taxes.
By comparison, the town’s two largest multifamily properties — the 390-unit Kendrick and the 262-unit Charles River Landing on Second Avenue — pay $2.3 million and $1.975 million respectively, or between $6,000 and $7,500 per unit.
Assuming the West Street project charges similar rents, it could produce between $1.1 million to $1.4 million in annual property taxes, nearly $1 million more than the property currently provides.
The building, as new construction that is considered “new growth,” would add to the town’s tax base and consequently increase the total tax levy. Without new growth, the town cannot increase its tax base beyond the annual 2.5% allowed under the Proposition 2½ tax guidelines.
As it plans for the considerable costs of the Pollard Middle School project, the town will rely heavily on new growth to increase the tax base and lessen the burden on residential taxpayers.
Greystar has proposed an aggressive timeline for the project, hoping to complete the site plan review by November, start construction in early 2026 and finish in the fall of 2027.
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