The Finance Committee discussed a grant-funded pilot for the Needham town center intended to test a road-diet and placemaking improvements after the town received a federal/state competitive grant for outreach and a demonstration pilot.

Committee members were told the pilot would include outreach (walking tours) and a demonstration of narrowing some sections of Great Plain Avenue from multiple travel lanes to a single travel lane in each direction with expanded sidewalks, bike lanes and planting strips. Staff said that to accept the grant the town has committed to implementing the pilot and that the grant includes a funding component (reported by staff as roughly $320,000) with an expected town match of about 20% for construction if the pilot proceeds to buildout.

Planners will run community outreach events and walking tours; outreach planned to begin the week after the meeting (rescheduled because of weather) and public comments and pilot design will inform the demonstration. Committee members asked about operational impacts, including emergency-services access, effects on business parking, diversion of traffic to side streets and how nearby streets would be impacted; staff said those factors are part of the pilot evaluation and that traffic-diversion consequences would be monitored.

Staff emphasized the pilot is intended to be reversible and to provide data on how right-sizing the center for pedestrians and cyclists affects circulation, parking demand and local businesses. The pilot timetable discussed included a short demonstration that could run across seasons if the town proceeds quickly, but committee members noted procurement and implementation timelines could extend the schedule.

Ending: Outreach and pilot demonstrations will begin with public walking tours; staff and consultant teams will report back to the Finance Committee as the pilot design and funding-match questions are refined.