The Swellesley Report

The Wellesley Select Board at its June 24 meeting followed up on an earlier joint session with the Planning Board regarding the town’s emerging Strategic Housing Plan (see Wellesley Media recording for June 24 meeting, about 1 hour, 23 minutes in). At the earlier session on the plan, there was no shortage of opinions shared by board members and the public.

At this week’s meeting, Chair Colette Aufranc started things off by summarizing themes raised at the earlier session after the town’s consultants presented the draft plan (members of the public can comment on the plan at housingplan@wellesleyma.gov until July 3). Themes she mentioned were including public opinion, envisioning what sort of future development would be acceptable (say how many units in an area), whether the plan should include hard target numbers, what’s the actual cost to the town of new development, and the Select Board’s role in reworking zoning bylaws.

Though much of the conversation on June 24 seemed to focus on what the purpose of the Strategic Housing Plan is and isn’t. It can be hard to keep Wellesley’s plans straight—and how they fit together—given the sheer number of them, from the Unified Plan (a new one could be coming a few years) to the Climate Action Plan to various project- or area-specific master plans that have come and gone over the years. According to the town’s website, the Strategic Housing Plan “will identify our community’s vision for housing and its short- and long-term objectives, as well as strategies for implementing these objectives.”

The Plan itself doesn’t appear to say exactly what its purpose is, but Wellesley Executive Director Meghan Jop said during the June 24 meeting that “the Strategic Housing Plan really looks at strategies more so than a housing production [plan]” like the one Wellesley had that got into how many units were needed, as well as when and where. Jop stressed that strategic housing plans focus on more than multifamily housing, but also ideas related to single-family housing (say the Large House Review process that Wellesley adopted to address McMansionism).

Board member Marjorie Freiman said the Plan was commissioned because there had been “substantial public indication of need in different areas.” A picture developed from work done by various task forces and boards, as well as from anecdotal stories about those who can’t afford to downsize or those who grew up here but can’t afford to live here now. She encouraged people to “look forward instead of back” regarding ideas that can address housing needs in town.

Board member Tom Ulfelder said the uncertainty within the draft plan has led to questions from the public about what might someday be built next to them. He pointed to a statement about support for converting existing structures into multifamily housing, for example, that could concern residents. “It’s the lack of shape to this plan that is what is really concerning to the public as it relates to outcome,” he said.

Given that Wellesley has met the state’s affordable housing stock threshold of at least 10% of inventory (at least under the current definition), Jop said, “The town has latitude in trying to determine how to move forward and at what pace to move forward.” She added: “I think you have time to make thoughtful decisions in terms of zoning and projects moving forward.”

Jop described a community dominated by single-family zoning, though with other zoning where you can figure out roughly the number of units that could be supported (Wellesley had to go through such an exercise in complying with the state’s MBTA Communities law last year). Does the town, for example, want to shape parcels or zoning areas with a focus on townhomes or cottage-style homes?

“I think the bigger question is do you change the zones? Do you scale down the density in particular areas or in some areas do you up-zone that for higher density, and that’s where the shift in numbers is going to be,” Jop said.

Board member Kenny Largess spoke to the challenge of getting behind a strategic plan that doesn’t quantify the need for housing or how that need would be addressed. He credited the Unified Plan with going into more detail on what would be required to support potential capital investments from an infrastructure perspective.

Beth Sullivan Woods said she has returned to the question over the years of “What’s our vision of what Wellesley should look like in five years or ten years?” Is the vision for a certain percentage of single-family homes or affordable units, etc., or large-scale developments everywhere or in certain areas. “That’s the kind of macro piece we haven’t quite nailed in terms of having it on paper and saying this is where we want to go… it’s good to have a goal,” she said.

After hearing from Jop on this, Sullivan Woods summarized the Strategic Housing Plan as: “a toolkit for housing development, but it’s not setting our strategy for how much, where, or what type.”

Sullivan Woods also sought to get a read on what properties in town might be ripe in the near-term for development so that those who own or will develop the land can be given a clear sense of what the town might get behind (not to say developers of private land would need to play along).

In thinking about something like the future of Haynes Management properties that are on the block, or the Taylor Block that recently changed hands, Jop said such properties might be subject to a master plan along the lines of what was done with Linden Square in 2002. The Strategic Housing Plan zeroes in on housing development goals and strategies, whereas master plans for certain areas would focus on commercial development, too.

The Strategic Housing Plan will be up for a vote at a future joint session of the Select Board and Planning Board at a date to be determined.

Board reorganization

The June 24 meeting ended with Chair Colette Aufranc revealing that the Board is reorganizing. Marjorie Freiman will become chair, effective July 1, Tom Ulfelder will be vice chair, and Aufranc will be secretary.

“I would like to thank Marjorie for accepting the nomination for what will undoubtedly be a very challenging period not only navigating the uncertainties driven by federal actions, but also navigating union negotiations and challenging budget and capital funding discussions that we need to have,” Aufranc said. “Marjorie has the experience, skills, and capability to lead the board through this very challenging period…”

More from the June 24 Select Board meeting: Train platforms have neighbors rattled; Town Meeting debrief; Executive Director contract OK’d