Town Meeting Prep Essentials:
Highway Commercial Zoning Proposal

The Needham Planning Board held a public hearing on Tuesday night to garner feedback on the zoning proposals that would create a new type of district in Needham, specifically targeting the property where Channel 5 and Muzi Ford currently stand. Contentious when a proposal was first brought to Town Meeting last year, the Planning Board has incorporated some of the feedback from that attempt, and are ready to bring it back, as was requested by the town body. It is proving to be just as controversial this second time around. Neigbors and town officials expressed a diverse range of opinions. Some thought the plan was a well thought-out compromise, while others felt it did not go far enough to protect the surrounding neighborhoods. Still others thought any changes made to the zoning law would be premature or, even worse, the sounding call for a money grab. It boils down to a chicken-and-egg scenario as to whether zoning laws should lead to planned growth or if it is better the other way around. Sure to be a headline at the May 2021 Town Meeting, this video will get you grounded on the proposals, and the opinions that surround them.