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Design board approves addition for Needham DPW fleet maintenance building
Summary
The Needham Design Review Board approved site and building design for a roughly 12,000-square-foot pre-engineered maintenance addition to the Jack Cogswell building at 1407 Central Avenue, part of the DPW master-plan Phase 1; the project includes a deep ledge wall cut, geothermal wells and rooftop solar.
The Needham Design Review Board on April 28 approved the site and building design for Phase 1 of the Department of Public Works master plan: a 12,000-square-foot pre-engineered maintenance bay addition to the Jack Cogswell facility at 1407 Central Avenue.
Weston & Sampson project manager Tyler Koflice presented the proposal, which renovates an eastern bay of the existing garage for a tire maintenance bay and adds a new 12,000-square-foot maintenance garage with an exterior wash pad. Key site features include a substantial ledge wall cut — approximately 25 to 30 feet at its maximum — to lower grade and accommodate the building; the front edge of the new building would be about 34 feet tall. The applicant described erosion-control plans during construction (compost-filter tubes and silt fence) and said steep exposed ledge will limit soil slopes after construction.
Project sustainability elements cited in the presentation include ground-source heat pump wells (a test well planned for the summer), rooftop photovoltaic arrays and a proposed sewer-line extension tying into the existing garage. The project team said 11 trees within jurisdictional wetlands would be removed and replaced at a 2:1 ratio (22 trees) to meet the town’s tree-replacement requirements.
Board members asked about the ledge wall and screening for neighbors, whether the two-story height was functional for vehicle lifts and cranes, erosion control and proposed lighting; the applicant said there will be no new site pole lighting beyond wall-mounted fixtures on the building. Board members generally favored the proposal’s material choices and screening strategy and suggested visiting the existing facility at 470 Dedham Avenue for context.
The board voted to approve site and building design by roll call: Susan Ogden — Yes; Felix — Yes; Mark Glusing — Yes. The motion passed with a second. The project team said it will appear on the Planning Board agenda after May town meeting.
