Needham Select Board Authorizes MEPA Comment Letter on Dedham's Campus at 128 Development

NEEDHAM -- June 9, 2026, Needham Select Board unanimously authorizes MEPA comment letter challenging Dedham's Campus at 128 development. The board voted Tuesday to empower Town Manager Kate Fitzpatrick to submit a formal comment letter to the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act office raising concerns about a proposed large-scale development in Dedham expected to generate approximately 14,000 daily vehicle trips, with Deputy Town Manager Liz LaRossi telling the board the letter "is not to take a position on whether the project should move forward, rather it is to ensure that the environmental review process fully evaluates the potential impacts to Needham." The board also received a $325.4 million total project budget for the new Pollard Middle School, with construction estimated at $978.50 per square foot and a November 3 ballot vote targeted, and heard four water and sewer rate increase proposals ranging from 3.9 percent to 4.4 percent annually for a typical customer, with no vote taken on rates. The board paused all volunteer committee appointments pending town counsel guidance on a contested process overhaul, with members divided over whether a single board member's objection should be able to pull a nominee from the consent calendar.