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Developer seeks rezoning at 888 Great Plain Ave for 26-unit mixed-use building including four affordable units
Summary
Owner Jay Dorenzo presented citizens‑petition zoning articles to extend the Center Business and Needham Center Overlay to include 888 Great Plain Ave and to permit reduced setbacks. The proposed concept is a three‑story mixed‑use building with ~26 units (15% affordable), 43 underground parking spaces and an owner‑commissioned fiscal study showing a modest net positive annual impact to the town.
A property owner and petitioner presented a detailed proposal to the Select Board Tuesday seeking zoning changes for 888 Great Plain Avenue, a site on the south side of Great Plain near the downtown core. Attorney George Genta Jr. and owner Jay Dorenzo told the board the property (about 23,111 sq ft) is functionally adjacent to commercial districts to its west and south and is poorly suited to single‑family use.
Their citizen‑petition package includes three changes: extend the downtown Center Business District and the Needham Center Overlay to encompass the parcel; allow the Planning Board to grant a special permit to reduce a 50‑ft setback to 20 ft in mixed‑use contexts where appropriate landscaping is provided; and adjust setback rules for mixed‑use development within the overlay district.
Dorenzo described a conceptual design calling for three ground‑floor commercial bays and ~26 residential units above, with 43 underground parking spaces accessed by a front ramp. He said the project would include four affordable units (about 15% of total units) and one accessible unit; the team committed the four affordable units regardless of the precise zoning outcome.
The petitioner cited a fiscal impact study his team commissioned and provided to the board that estimated a modest net positive annual fiscal effect of $67,566 under the current concept, and a traffic study that projected minimal traffic impacts. Dorenzo said continued design and neighborhood outreach could alter details such as delivery access and short‑term parking; the team is in early talks with the neighboring church about a possible permanent easement to access rear municipal parking.
Select Board members and planning staff framed the request as an extension of existing downtown zoning — and discussed whether the petition could be characterized as spot zoning. The petitioner said the property is directly adjacent to the two business districts and that the change would be a rational extension of existing zoning rather than an isolated spot rezone. Planning recommended placing the articles on the warrant; Select Board members asked for additional information on inclusionary zoning, accounting for off‑site impacts (school/downtown traffic), and the mechanics of any permanent access over town parking should the project rely on the municipal lot at the rear.
What’s next: The petition will be on the Town Meeting warrant. If Town Meeting approves the zoning changes, the project will undergo Planning Board major project review, special permits and design review before any building permits are issued.
