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Planning board continues Chabad/Lovich site plan after stormwater, fire‑access and neighborhood concerns; hearing set for Sept. 15
Summary
The board continued the major project hearing for Chabad/Lovich at 1195 Central Ave to Sept. 15 after the applicant revised stormwater design and circulation plans; neighbors raised concerns about project scale, heavy reliance on off‑site parking and impacts to wetlands and groundwater. The board also rescinded a prior ZBA comment about burying utilities pending more cost and implementation detail.
The Needham Planning Board continued its review of the Chabad/Lovich major project site plan (2025‑04) for 1195 Central Avenue after hearing a status update from the applicant team and receiving multiple department and abutter comments.
Attorney Walter Sullivan said the applicant has met with the fire chief and is revising plans to respond to conservation and other departmental memos; the team expects several weeks of engineering and architectural work before a final resubmission. Project engineer Carlos Scultte said the revised design removes previously proposed open surface basins and replaces them with below‑grade stormwater chambers beneath pavement, raises grades in the rear to keep systems above seasonal high groundwater and updates the design to meet the town’s new stormwater bylaw (including the 1.5‑inch water quality volume).
Neighbors and technical reviewers urged further scrutiny. Abutter Rob Bradley told the board the proposal still feels oversized for the parcel and gives rise to cumulative problems—parking shortfalls, snow storage, and stormwater—because of the building’s scale. "It's about 43,000 square feet," Bradley said, noting the plan reflects roughly 31,000 sq ft of buildable area after wetlands and the 25‑foot no‑disturb buffer; he asked the board to consider limits on floor‑area ratio and lot coverage.
Attorney Kevin Fright for the Bradleys flagged that recent revisions reduce on‑site parking and would make the project heavily dependent on off‑site parking at the Newman School under a letter of support, raising enforceability questions. Brian Nelson of Metro West Engineering and conservation reviewers cautioned that a key infiltration system sits close to neighboring foundations and that a nearby test pit indicates basements would be within a few feet of the water table, which affects groundwater mounding and dewatering plans.
The applicant described ongoing work with the fire department to ensure emergency access (including evaluating a potential hydrant and revised circulation so a fire apparatus can navigate the site). The team also said it narrowed the building by three feet on one side to increase the wetland buffer and is reviewing whether steps near the 25‑foot buffer should be gated to limit pedestrian access.
After receiving and acknowledging letters from the public health division, police, fire, DPW, conservation commission and several private attorneys, the board voted to continue the hearing to Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. and unanimously approved the applicant’s request to extend the local action deadline 90 days following that date. The board also voted (3–1–1) to rescind a prior planning‑board comment to the Zoning Board of Appeals that had urged undergrounding utilities for a related housing application; the rescind motion noted the need for additional cost and construction‑impact information before the planning board insists on burial as a condition.
Next steps: the applicant will prepare a complete revised plan set addressing the stormwater, access, dewatering and parking questions and will return for another public hearing in September; the planning staff will circulate outstanding departmental comments and encourage the applicant to provide the requested technical analyses.
