Participate in the Pollard Middle School Project

Pollard Middle School is over 65 years old, and the aging infrastructure is in need of critical upgrades. This initiative is a direct continuation of the Needham School Master Plan, building upon its foundational work to design a new school that will fully meet the educational needs of our 1300+ middle school students.

Needham has a unique opportunity to partner with the state for partial funding of this project. Its success requires the input and support of our entire community, and we want to understand your priorities.

Stay involved! We hope you will attend the upcoming community meetings and sign up for our Pollard Middle School Project email updates below.

CURRENT PHASE

Schematic Design

UPCOMING MEETINGS

School Committee
Tuesday, June 2, 6:30pm
Hybrid at Broadmeadow Performance Center & via The Needham Channel
School Building Committee
Monday, June 8, 7:55pm
Hybrid at Charles River Room (500 Dedham Ave.) & via Zoom

PROJECT UPDATE

Zoning for Pollard Approved by Town Meeting

On Wednesday, May 6, Town Meeting approved a zoning by-law amendment that will facilitate the construction of a new middle school building on the current Pollard site. The amendment provides the flexibility needed to support a modern middle school design while reflecting significant community input received throughout the process. Approval of the article was an important milestone, helping the project remain on schedule and maintain eligibility for reimbursement through the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).

The by-law amendment includes changes specific to municipal middle schools that are needed to fit a new school on the site:

Increase the allowed number of stories from three to four stories
Increase the allowed building height from 45 ft to 60 ft
Require that setbacks (front, side, and rear) be doubled from 25 ft to 50 ft for a four-story building
Increase the maximum Floor Area Ratio (FAR) from 0.30 to 0.42
Increase maximum lot coverage from 15% to 20%
Require one parking space per Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) staff member, plus an additional 20% to accommodate visitors

A copy of the full warrant and additional information are posted on the Town of Needham website, and a recording of the Town Meeting discussion is available on The Needham Channel website.