Zoning Board Approves Two Permits, Elects New Chair

Zoning Board · Meeting of October 29, 2026

NEEDHAM — The Needham Zoning Board of Appeals elected Howard Goldman chair and approved two special permits before continuing a contested parking case and accepting a withdrawn accessory-dwelling-unit application. Peter Friedenberg was elected vice chair, filling a vacancy left by retiring member Jonathan Tamkin. The board unanimously approved a setback special permit for Timothy and Catherine Delaney's 1129 Webster Street addition, calling the half-foot encroachment "excusable neglect," and a third-garage-bay permit for 23 Newberry Park LLC over written opposition from neighbor Marjorie Harris.

A Highland Circle parking amendment, triggered by a Commonwealth taking of roughly eight spaces, was continued to December 17 after members called one proposed space "a disaster waiting to happen." A Webster Street accessory-dwelling-unit applicant withdrew his case without prejudice after opposing counsel argued he'd missed a board-set deadline, with Chair Goldman telling him, "it's a big hill to climb."

In the full story:

• Leadership Change and Officer Elections
• 1129 Webster Street: Delaney Special Permit
• 23 Newberry Park LLC: Third Garage Bay
• Highland Circle: Parking Special Permit Amendment
• Webster Street: Accessory Dwelling Unit Application Withdrawn
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,448 words

Source: the Zoning Board meeting of October 29, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.