Lee Newman, director of Planning and Community Development, and Tom Ryder from the town engineering department briefed the Select Board on two zoning articles the Planning Board will present at the upcoming special town meeting. Both articles are intended to keep the town compliant with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requirements after new digital flood‑plain mapping.

Newman said the articles do two things: (1) formally recognize and adopt the updated FEMA maps and (2) revise the town’s floodplain zoning bylaw to incorporate FEMA’s updated requirements. The bylaw revisions described by staff would add an updated statement of purpose, designate a community floodplain administrator (the town engineer was identified as the designated official), expand definitions, require special permits for activities within the floodplain district, and add notification requirements for changes to floodplain data during the interim mapping period. Newman said staff and town counsel have reviewed the draft with the FEMA representative (Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation acting as FEMA liaison) and that if the town adopts the language in the form presented Needham will be judged compliant and the maps will be accepted in July 2025.

Town Engineer Tom Ryder walked board members through the most significant map changes described in the packet: modest elevation changes along the Charles River on the southwest side of town (a few tenths of a foot lower), small increases in the northwest, and a few additions near I‑128 ramps located on town land that do not affect private properties. Staff said no additional private structures were identified as newly within the regulated floodplain in the review, though a small number of properties have floodplain lines that affect parcel area but not building footprints; the town intends to notify affected property owners, with priority outreach to structures newly within the floodplain.

Planning staff said the Planning Board held a public hearing with no attendees and voted to recommend both articles for town meeting. The Select Board was asked to recommend the articles; staff emphasized that adoption is required to preserve residents’ eligibility for federal flood insurance programs and to maintain compliance with federal mapping.