Needham’s proposed new Pollard Middle School faces a townwide vote Nov. 3 after Special Town Meeting approved $322.7 million in project funding.

Town Meeting members voted 207-21 on Oct. 19 to authorize the appropriation. Voters must now approve Question 10, a Proposition 2½ debt exclusion allowing the town to collect additional property taxes to repay project borrowing.

Including previously approved feasibility funding, the project’s total budget is about $325.4 million. The Massachusetts School Building Authority has approved up to $80.6 million in reimbursement. The town’s financing model anticipates approximately $243 million in borrowing, with debt payments spanning fiscal years 2028 through 2062.

For the average single-family home, the town estimates an annual tax increase averaging about $1,167, peaking at $2,065 in fiscal year 2034, Needham Local reported. Those figures are projections; actual costs will depend on interest rates and other financing assumptions.

Construction would begin in spring 2028. Grades seven and eight would move into the new school in fall 2030, with the sixth-grade phase completed by the end of 2031, according to the town’s project overview. Moving sixth graders from High Rock would make that building available for potential use during future Mitchell Elementary School renovations.

The Finance Committee recommended the project on a 5-4 vote. At Town Meeting, supporters acknowledged the financial burden while arguing that the school needed replacement.

Members also approved using the remaining $45,000 in previously authorized feasibility funding for the project’s next steps.

New rules for house dimensions

Town Meeting approved two zoning changes governing construction in Single Residence B neighborhoods.

An attic restriction passed 182-41. Under that measure, no more than half of a third floor may exceed five feet in height. A separate article establishing flat-roof height rules and side-wall design requirements passed by voice vote, according to the Needham Observer.

Planning Board Chair Justin McCullen said the board had not reached agreement on broader restrictions involving floor-area ratios or lot coverage. Additional proposals could return to a future Town Meeting.

Tree protections and historic designation

Members adopted a tree preservation bylaw after amending it to include town property. The construction-related protections include requirements addressing the removal and replacement of mature trees.

Attempts to postpone the measure and reduce its requirements did not prevail, the Needham Observer reported.