The Town of Wellesley reports that the Town Bylaw Amendments passed by the Annual Town Meeting in April of 2017 have been approved by the Attorney General and are now effective.

Three articles were affected:

Article 46C, Historic Preservation Demolition Review:

This Article was adopted by the Town to assure the preservation and enhancement of the Town of Wellesley’s historical and cultural heritage by preserving, rehabilitating or restoring whenever possible, buildings that have distinctive architectural features or historical associations that contribute to the historic fabric of the Town.

This means that any home that was built in whole or in part on or before December 31, 1949 requires a Demolition Permit in order to be demolished. Buildings owned by the Town of Wellesley and dormitories and residence halls owned by educational institutions used to house students or staff are not considered Eligible Buildings for purposes of this Article.

2. Article 55, Revolving Funds

15 individual Revolving Funds were authorized including:

Council on Aging Social and Cultural Programs Fund: $100,000.00
Funds programs for senior citizens, under the direction of the Council on Aging.

Recreation Summertime Revenues Fund: $30,000.00
Expenditures for summertime and special event programs and activities, under the direction of the Recreation Department.

Street Opening Maintenance Fund: $225,000.00
Expenditures under the direction of the Department of Public Works for administrative services related to issuing permits for work conducted in the public way and for inspection of that work to ensure compliance with town standards.

3. Article 14, Permanent Building Committee wording was revised.