The Town of Needham Council of Economic Advisors on Oct. 10 discussed steps to attract and retain businesses, focusing on clearer online information, targeted marketing and easing regulatory hurdles that small retailers and restaurants face.

Committee Chair Elise opened the discussion by asking members to consider “ways businesses find their way to Needham, why they find their way to Needham, and what stops them from coming to Needham.” Members heard from commercial brokers who said the town’s proximity to highways and a well-educated local workforce are selling points, but that many prospective tenants rely on commercial listing services and brokers rather than the town site.

“Generally speaking, when I make presentations to people who are considering coming to one of our office buildings, we point out a number of different important aspects of our location,” said Mike Wilcox, a commercial broker and committee member, citing highway access, mass transit and nearby corporate neighbors as recruitment advantages.

Amy, who served previously as Needham’s economic development manager, told the committee that small-business inquiries often fail because prospective tenants sign leases for uses that zoning does not allow. “One of the things that we always encourage is for small businesses to make sure that the use that they are looking for for that particular space is allowed using zoning,” Amy said, noting the frequency with which tenants learn zoning limits only after signing a lease.

Varun, a Needham resident who previously opened a restaurant in town, described the cost and delay such requirements can cause. “I had to hire a attorney, spend $10,000 on the attorney to go and get a special permit,” he said, calling the process “discouraging for a small business.”

Brokers Adam Meisner and Wilcox said that established office and larger retail users typically arrive through brokers and commercial platforms such as CoStar and LoopNet, while smaller operators are more likely to use the town website or call town staff. Meisner described a mix of leasing and sales activity across downtown and the Office Park (branded in the meeting as the N Squared Innovation District), and noted that some downtown buildings—such as the Masala Art property—pose leasing challenges because large restaurant footprints are difficult to subdivide.

Committee members and staff discussed concrete steps: adding an interactive zoning map to the town’s economic development page, resurfacing and streamlining a previously started “how to open a business in Needham” guide, linking to commercial listing services used by brokers, and clarifying which uses require special permits. Heidi, a town staff member referenced in the meeting, said updates depend on resources; the town has posted an updated job description for an economic development manager on governmentjobs.com and the Needham website and is recruiting for the position.

The meeting also touched on related operational work. Staff reported that the town is procuring a vendor to integrate the HotSpot parking-payment app with the town’s internal systems; the rollout is targeted for early 2026 and on-street meters will remain in place with signage directing drivers to the app option.

The Council asked members to review the current Economic Development web pages and recommended the committee produce a prioritized list of content—zoning basics, an interactive map, sample brochures—and a flowchart of the permitting steps for staff to use internally to identify bottlenecks. The committee agreed to continue the conversation at a subsequent meeting once the new economic development manager is hired or appointed and to invite outside speakers, including developers and large tenants, to explain site-selection processes.

Votes and formal motions recorded in the session were procedural: a motion to approve the CEA minutes from June 13 was moved and seconded during the meeting; the transcript does not specify the recorded outcome. Members later moved and seconded to adjourn and completed a roll call as the hybrid meeting closed.