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Needham businesses tell advisory group they are not yet ready to back any plan; key concerns include parking, deliveries and timeline
Summary
Local businesses told the Envision Needham Center project working group they are not ready to endorse any of the three concept plans presented and want more detail on parking locations, loading/delivery accommodations, synced traffic signals and the project timeline before a recommendation is made to the Select Board.
Members of the Envision Needham Center project working group heard a summary of business feedback at the Sept. 29 meeting in which local owners said they were not ready to “get behind any plan yet” without substantial changes.
The businesses’ principal concerns, presented by committee member Eileen Baker, were where proposed parking would be relocated, how loading and deliveries would be handled, who would decide to remove parking for bike lanes later, and the project’s compressed timeline. Baker said, “not surprisingly, there was an overwhelming, not they were not ready to get behind any plan yet because they feel all of them do need modifications and improvements.”
Why it matters: downtown parking and the ability to receive deliveries affect daily operations for retailers and restaurants. Several speakers told the committee that moving parking from Great Plain Avenue to nearby streets would not help businesses that depend on immediate curb access.
Details from businesses and…
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