[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6180997,"mediaKeyId","5115452-97f5a499cf86d55213c68000091be914","parentId",5115452,"title","Charles River Center outlines 86-unit supportive affordable housing plan at East Militia Heights to Needham design board","audioSeconds",513,"startMs",516640,"endMs",3108,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5115452-97f5a499cf86d55213c68000091be914&start=516&end=3","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5115452-97f5a499cf86d55213c68000091be914/thumbnail_516640.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6180997/Town-of-Needham/Norfolk-County/Massachusetts/Charles-River-Center-outlines-86-unit-supportive-affordable-housing-plan-at-East-Militia-Heights-to-Needham-design-board","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6180997-2c18023f71f879ef22722d1e86c10000/orig.mp4?Expires=1773575152&Signature=A2awQ1vj9o~WLQXi5mef2lZgNnrxRp9m053UhQ0ytP5tkm6H4WGpoXO3Ej8L5TglqimotTfYApInIAKM-Xme~WqO4dgJLlK4IGTbnXjbjVc~ZJxeJNp2XFH7O5FNitzDjyVtOSVjP4JfnQEsJqawLT~AvVHJXePeQ4R0UmSa8LKXke59HeQNkKrtacrY-OaXje3HpP1NN6yMstM5OrJe7qpLjRfixIUf6I4l9XP~WoIyCGZkoMg2pM5qvZCcw5O~WlvugMjLffhY0d0lgO3QkP7SCaO-5ys1o0Yjp3zIHkvpBTmEWgE~nnOtRpXIeLZ41mhcVOKoigwKI7dnKXtGkQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Town of Needham, MA","date","2025-06-30T15:57:46Z","article","The Charles River Center presented an informal review Monday to the Needham Design Review Board for Charles River Heights, an 86-unit affordable housing development planned at 59 East Militia Heights Drive that would set aside roughly half the units for the Charles River Center’s clients.

Anne Marie Bosois, president and CEO of the Charles River Center, said the project is “a mission-driven development” intended to integrate residents supported by the center with the broader community. Phil Kreen, co-developer and project manager, told the board the development would be submitted through a 40B comprehensive-permit pathway and that the project team will seek a project eligibility letter from the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities. “What we’re proposing is 86 affordable units of housing, half of which will be set aside for Charles River Center clients,” Kreen said.

Project team members described a campus-style site plan with four buildings: one three-story building containing most units and amenities and three single-story buildings at the site entry, each with six studio apartments and a shared common space. The proposal includes a roughly 4,400-square-foot community room intended for programming and town use, 61 parking spaces (about one per unit), and five staffed units for clients who will be referred to the property through a closed referral system with the Department of Developmental Services (DDS).

Architect Jason Miaske of TAT presented site and floor plans showing a U-shaped three-story building with pods of accessible and studio units, an entry drop-off and a rear courtyard with resident parking. “The community room…really wants to be the hub of the whole community,” Miaske said in describing fenestration and pedestrian connections between buildings.

Landscape architect Rebecca Vashon said the team intends to retain as many existing trees as possible, remove invasive species (including bittersweet), revegetate an old driveway within Conservation Commission jurisdiction and use native, low-maintenance plantings, screening and dark-sky-compliant pedestrian-scale lighting. “We’ll be removing that and revegetating,” Vashon said of the existing drive in the conservation area.

The team described sustainability measures including all-electric appliances and a passive-house design approach, and said on-site renewable energy generation is anticipated. The schedule the presenters gave to the board calls for submitting a project eligibility letter application to the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities in the coming weeks, with the team expecting the letter after the state’s review (they estimated about a four-month review and anticipated receiving the eligibility letter after Labor Day), then filing a comprehensive-permit application to the Zoning Board of Appeals in October.

Board members expressed support and offered design and neighborliness suggestions. Design Review Board member Felix Semmel said he was “in full support of this concept” and that the location “is great.” Member Steve Dornbush and Member Susan Hopton also voiced support; Hopton, who lives nearby, asked about programming and whether community gardening or shared programs with North Hill might be considered. Chair Mark Klusing and other members recommended limiting large expanses of turf for maintenance reasons and urged pedestrian-scale, low-level lighting to reduce impacts on nearby neighbors.

No formal vote or binding decision was taken: the item was presented as an informal review and the board indicated it typically prepares a memo to the Zoning Board of Appeals after its review. The project team said they will continue detailed design work, pursue state funding and submit formal applications in the fall timeline described to the board.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Design Review Board 06/23/2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Charles River Center presented preliminary plans Monday to the Needham Design Review Board for Charles River Heights, an 86-unit affordable housing development at 59 East Militia Heights Drive that would reserve about half its units for the center’s clients.","taxTitle","Town of Needham, Norfolk County, Massachusetts","taxId",54445,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6181002,"Needham design board approves two signs for Ace of Diamonds at 6 Brook Road",343,167805,511680,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5115452-97f5a499cf86d55213c68000091be914&start=167&end=511","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5115452-97f5a499cf86d55213c68000091be914/thumbnail_167805.jpg","/articles/6181002/Town-of-Needham/Norfolk-County/Massachusetts/Needham-design-board-approves-two-signs-for-Ace-of-Diamonds-at-6-Brook-Road","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6181002-399544d8286e8e7717864cf4b1fb15f3/orig.mp4?Expires=1773575152&Signature=fzgGEDdAwCaShdtfY97a79-SzY4s8N2SWvocui1iNzSotWyI4ua7fqRRx1gOK6mjez-oNyyCXJVFeoSAqUTXAwKafv71ZHBvznfIIFUW1UoGN597cteFYaSqxKLo3qUES2ol-vi4z7Y7Vv98QJ6af-amOi4QjxXXJyHosxjqe0aXCvrrXjAyBbDF3BhDLiUPw3UYXSd3hpYpzbhyVGTw3-sx9jV~2DoVHkBVMH4Op3T-Hbbp~XdxsmjkRG3yrUQujW4zEmMok2TGyEO7-HzvUi1r0kckXvpOd68judAVPwS6Ya2g9nlDi3Z4IUAnPjWhc-FTshpF9o0GWZyfNa~wKA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Needham Design Review Board voted unanimously Monday to approve two new signs for Ace of Diamonds at 6 Brook Road.

The signs — two aluminum bar-frame panels with vinyl graphics measuring 96 inches by 48 inches (8 feet by 4 feet) each — will replace signage from the former Chili Bears tenant. Tom, representing FASTSIGNS, said the signs “are the same size as the chili bears, 8 wide, 4 tall,” and described the panels as “an aluminum bar frame sign with vinyl graphics, no 3 d, mounting with the… galvanized l brackets.”

The board heard from members about lighting and design details. Design Review Board member Steve Dornbush asked whether new lighting was proposed; Tom responded there would be “no new lights” and confirmed existing exterior lighting would remain. Member Felix Semmel said he preferred the current design over the applicant’s earlier version because it reduced the amount of white background and improved contrast. Chair Mark Klusing and other members said the scale and materials matched existing signage in the area.

Tom also said the applicant had checked with the building department before the meeting and was told the proposal would move forward “without a special permit” because of the quantity and configuration of the signs. The board noted that final permit issuance is an administrative matter handled by the building commissioner and that applicants must submit building permits electronically as required by the town.

Design Review Board member Steve Dornbush moved to approve the signs as submitted; Susan Hopton seconded. The roll-call vote was unanimous: Felix Semmel — yes; Steve Dornbush — yes; Susan Hopton — yes; Mark Klusing (chair) — yes. No conditions or amendments were recorded in the meeting transcript.

The chair closed the item and thanked the applicant. The required stamped copy of the approved application will be emailed to the applicant by DRB support staff for attachment to subsequent building-permit filings.","The Needham Design Review Board voted unanimously to approve two aluminum-frame signs for Ace of Diamonds at 6 Brook Road, finding the proposed sizes and materials consistent with previous signage at the location and requiring no special permit per the building department.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Charles River Center outlines 86-unit supportive affordable housing plan at East Militia Heights to Needham design board

Needham design board approves two signs for Ace of Diamonds at 6 Brook Road