Third Hearing Next Week for Needham Mews 40B Project

Developers want to bring 300 new apartments to Greendale Avenue, and in doing so, push the town to its 10 percent affordable housing requirement. 

The Needham Mews project, currently listed on the Town Website's "Hot Topics" page, is a proposal by Mill Creek Residential Trust (working at Greendale Ventures) to build a five-building project at 692 - 744 Greendale Avenue. Of those, 75 would be affordable housing units. 

The project has had two meetings already, and will have a third next week. According to the Boston Globe, neighbors and local officials have been arguing against the project's size and traffic impact.

Under Chapter 40B, projects with affordable housing units can bypass certain elements of local zoning laws if the town has less than 10 percent of its homes set aside for affordable housing. Selectman Chair Dan Matthews has commented at these meetings that the project would push Needham over that 10 percent mark--the Globe says. 

Officials are speaking to MassHousing about revoking the eligibility for 40B housing, saying that the town will need to approve the project at Town Meeting because of a sewer easement that passes through the property. 

See the full story on the Boston Globe.



At the time of writing, the project is not yet listed on the Town Website's agenda for the Aug 15 meeting, which lists the meeting at 7 p.m. at Town Hall on August 15.