The Swellesley Report

The Wellesley Select Board, on the heels of the latest communication from the state regarding the future of 45 acres of MassBay Community College property, plans to call for a Special Town Meeting on May 11 where the issue will be addressed. The state’s plans to sell MassBay property deemed “surplus”—five acres of parking lot, 40 acres of forest—so that 180 units of housing can be developed has sparked concerns from neighbors and users of the adjacent Centennial Reservation as well as enthusiasm from those who say the state’s plans could lead to needed housing, protections for the forest, and upgrades to MassBay’s campus.

(See Wellesley Media recording of the April 14 Select Board meeting about 4 minutes, 30 seconds in.)

The other big news shared by Select Board Chair Marjorie Freiman was that the state’s Executive Office of Housing & Livable Communities (EOHLC) and Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) continue to target July for issuance of a request for proposals to develop the property at 40 Oakland St. under the state’s Affordable Homes Act (AHA). State leaders say in an April 10 letter responding to a January letter from the town that included some three dozen questions about the AHA, possible project at 40 Oakland, and more, that the July target date still gives Wellesley time to share the community’s goals for housing at the site. EOHLC has swapped out one Secretary for another in between the time the town sent its questions and now.

The Swellesley Report was the first publication to write about the possibility of housing at this site, all the way back in early June of last year. Numerous public meetings on this issue have been held and many citizen speak opportunities on this issue have been made available last year and this. Grassroots campaigns in town have emerged, and the town has investigated legal options, which it continues to discuss.

The Select Board began its night behind closed doors in an executive session “to conduct strategy with respect to potential litigation regarding 40 Oakland Street.” It then shifted to public mode, and began with an agenda item on the MassBay property, which sits across Oakland Street from the school’s campus.

At that point, Freiman shared that the town had received two letters from the state, one from EOHLC that reiterated that the Commonwealth’s plans for Wellesley are part of a broader effort to address the housing crisis. “The letter did not answer any of the questions we sent in our Jan. 9 letter,” she said.

What the letter did say, in part: “The project at 40 Oakland Street presents an opportunity to work together on a development approach that helps address this urgent need by building 180 much-needed new homes in a way that enhances the community and complements the town’s overarching housing and planning goals. We can achieve this by concentrating development of these units on and around the parking area and permanently conserving the balance of the parcel, which does not enjoy such protection today, should the town still wish to do so.”

The EOHLC letter stated that the town’s questions sent in January went beyond the scope of planning considerations that were expected to be the focus of the town’s queries (and that some questions were addressed in the state’s proposed regulations, on which the town submitted comments in early April).

EOHLC did say that DCAMM “is open to requiring that the selected developer comply with the Town’s existing Inclusionary Zoning requirements for the creation and monitoring of affordable housing units…”

The other letter, from DCAMM, provided the official 30-day notice that the property at 40 Oakland St. has been determined to be surplus and will be made available for disposition for housing purposes. It remained evident during citizen remarks at the Select Board meeting that the term “surplus” being associated with the forest land continues to stick in the craw of those opposing the state’s plans.

Freiman said that while the town has provided plenty of opportunities for people to weigh in on the MassBay situation (public meetings, letters, etc.), “We now believe that we need to hear from a very broad representative group of the town, and we are going to call for a Special Town Meeting in May…”

The plan is to put a non-binding question or questions to Town Meeting members at the May 11 session, slated to start at 7pm at Wellesley High, and that other members of the public will be welcome to attend as well (Wellesley’s Annual Town Meeting was dissolved earlier this month).

The Select Board will meet on Tuesday, April 21 at 6:30 p.m. in Town Hall to open the Special Town Meeting Warrant. A subsequent meeting will  be held on Monday, April 27 at 7:30 p.m. in town hall to finalize and vote the motion language for the warrant.

Seven members of the public commented during the April 14 Select Board meeting regarding the MassBay agenda item. The first welcomed the state efforts, citing the need for housing and the opportunity to protect the forest; the rest shared their concerns, including about housing density, lack of a broad planning perspective related to other potential development in the area, and possible negative environmental impacts.

The public may submit general comments and concerns on the MassBay land disposition to EOHLC at 40OaklandSt.DCAMM@mass.gov until May 13.

Note: Posted updated on 4/16/26 with additional information on the planned Special Town Meeting and warrant.

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