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Needham planning board declines to file comment on proposed private athletic facility on Kendra Street
Summary
At its May 6 meeting the Town of Needham Planning Board reviewed a ZBA application to convert about 10,000–10,500 square feet of warehouse space on Kendra (Kendrick) Street into a private athletic facility and voted to submit no comment; parking shortfalls and pending public health review were noted.
The Town of Needham Planning Board on May 6 reviewed a Zoning Board of Appeals application to convert roughly 10,000–10,500 square feet of former warehouse space in the New England Business Center on Kendra (Kendrick) Street into a private, invitation-only athletic facility for a small number of families.
Board members and staff identified parking as the principal issue. The application materials state the facility is "not expected to exceed 20 people." The site currently has about 80 parking spaces; review during the meeting indicated a change-of-use would require roughly 139–150 spaces under applicable parking standards, leaving a shortfall on the order of 70 spaces as presented to the board. The transcript indicates the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) is the jurisdictional body to consider any waiver to the parking requirement.
The Planning Board discussed whether to file advisory comments to the ZBA, focusing on parking adequacy and whether the application’s occupancy projections were reliable. The town’s department of public health had not yet issued written comments; board members said any such comments would be forwarded to the ZBA as part of its review.
After discussion a member moved that the Planning Board submit no comment on the application; the motion was seconded and approved (all in favor). The board did not record individual vote tallies in the transcript.
Next steps: the application proceeds to the ZBA, which retains authority over parking waivers and site-specific approvals. The Planning Board’s files will include the board’s decision not to comment and any later staff or public health comments when they are received.
