Parcel near Route 128 rezoned in Needham Updated May 4, 2021, 7:11 p.m. Email to a Friend Needham votes to rezone land overlooking Route 128 Needham Town Meeting voters overwhelmingly approved a zoning change for 15 acres along Highland Avenue, overlooking Route 128. The change for the properties, currently home to two Muzi auto dealerships and the WCVB-TV studio, has been in the works for years. A previous version failed to receive the two-thirds majority it needed in 2019. This time, on Monday, Town Meeting voters resoundingly backed it, 168-37, The proponents scaled back what would be allowed there in terms of size, compared to the 2019 version, and also allowed for up to 240 residential units, a new addition. This new zoning would allow up to 870,000 square feet of development in total, with a maximum building height of four stories. The zoning would allow for apartments as well as a number of commercial uses but has been deliberately designed to exclude warehouses, which are allowed under the existing zoning, in response to the proliferation of Amazon warehouses in Greater Bostonâs suburbs. Neither the owners of the car dealership site nor WCVB parent company Hearst have publicly said they might sell their respective parcels, but supporters said they want to better shape the future of the land if that time comes. â JON CHESTO