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Nearly 900,000 square feet of housing, offices and lab space could be developed off Route 128 in Needham following approval of a rezoning petition Monday.
After rejecting a similar proposal in 2019, Needham town meeting voted 168-37 to rezone 15 acres off Highland Avenue, including parcels occupied by the Muzi Ford dealership and WCVB-TV. The previous proposal would have allowed up to 1.2 million square feet of development.
Supporters said the new zoning prevents development of a large warehouse by Amazon or other industrial users, as allowed under the current zoning. There are currently no active development proposals for the properties.
“In spite of a lot of organized opposition, the town [officials] did a better job of presenting what was at stake if they didn’t rezone,” said Greg Reibman, president of the Newton-Needham Regional Chamber. “The Amazon concerns were a big factor in that.”
Although the outcome was favorable for supporters, a series of changes to the 2019 proposal could make the parcels less attractive to developers, Reibman said. The final version reduced maximum building heights to five stories and as low as three stories in some sections of the district, and maximum floor area ratio of 1.35.
A planning study by Needham-based architects Studio Enee said the rezoning would allow nearly 660,000 square feet of mixed-use development by right and up to 866,340 square feet and 240 multifamily units approved by special permit.
The maximum buildout would generate $8.8 million in annual tax revenues, while the various development scenarios would create a maximum $1.5 million in demands on municipal and school services, according to an analysis by Barrett Planning Group of Plymouth.
Needham joins the list of suburban communities that are revamping zoning to make themselves more attractive to the ever-expanding life science industry. Lexington is seeking to attract more lab space to its own commercial district including Hartwell Avenue, approving 115-foot building heights and unlimited FAR.
