The Wellesley Advisory Committee often operates in relative obscurity, hearing updates from town departments and vetting Town Meeting articles. But Wednesday night’s meeting (see Wellesley Media recording) during which the Committee voted on an Article related to a planned development at the top of Pond Road drew a capacity crowd to the Tolles Parsons Center, which was called into action when it looked as though the room at the police station originally booked wouldn’t be big enough.
At issue was Annual Town Meeting Article 43, which would allow access from 200 Pond Rd., in Wellesley to a possible assisted living and memory care facility in Natick at the top of the scenic road. A revised motion under the article was shared with Advisory in advance of the meeting to try to provide assurances that not just anything at any size could be accessed from the Wellesley address.
The proponent, a developer called Welltower, contends its proposal will address a need for assisted living and memory care housing in one of the only viable locations in the area, while conserving precious land around it. Opponents, including a handful from across Wellesley and Natick who spoke at the Advisory meeting, have aired environmental, traffic, and strategic housing concerns. Numerous meetings on this topic have been held in Wellesley and Natick (where the actual facility would be built) since 2022.
Attorney David Himmelberger, representing the proponent, began his remarks at the start of the session to address what he described as “significant misinformation” shared by opponents of the project, including renderings that he said make the proposed project appear larger and more visible from Pond Road than what is planned. “The reality is that what’s being proposed is significantly less impactful,” he said of the envisioned 130,000 sq ft. facility, with underground parking in addition to that. The proponent has said that if zoning amendments are not approved in Wellesley and Natick, and the proposed facility cannot be built, the towns can expect a batch of homes to be built on the property instead.
The revised motion presented to Advisory, Himmelberger said, “provides clear limits on what can be accessed through Wellesley via this bylaw…” and should put to rest claims of “spot zoning” (that is, singling out a plot of land for specific zoning rules).
Advisory members then asked the proponent a series of questions on issues such as occupancy rates of other assisted living facilities in the area (Welltower-owned Waterstone in Wellesley is at 97%), and what would happen if Welltower sold the Pond Road facility down the road (“the motion controls the land, regardless of who owns it,” Himmelberger said).
The question was also raised about why Wellesley should go first on this when the actual facility would be built in Natick. From the proponent’s perspective, Natick isn’t going to go to great lengths to change its zoning before it knows that Wellesley will even allow access to such a project. Though the concern expressed by opponents in Wellesley is that the town would be giving up leverage over what could be done in Natick if Wellesley amends its bylaw first (to that point, the proponent cites the more precise language in the revised motion).
Following Advisory’s questions, a handful of residents aired their concerns and urged Advisory not to recommend approval of the article to Town Meeting. One warned that the article could set a “dangerous precedent by allowing outside developers to drive town policy decisions.”
A show of hands indicated that all but one of 70 or so people who raised their hands were against the article.
Then Advisory members summed up their thoughts and voted, which resulted in an 11-2 vote recommending unfavorable action on the article. A big theme was that the members felt uncomfortable with Wellesley making zoning changes related to this before Natick.
Wellesley Town Meeting is set to start on March 25.
The Natick Planning Board is scheduled to hold a public hearing on proposed zoning amendments related to 200 Pond Rd., on March 13.
More:
- Natick & Wellesley 200 Pond Rd. agenda items no longer on same night
- Wellesley & Natick readying for 200 Pond Road articles at Town Meeting
- Petitions over Pond Road senior living proposal circulate ahead of Wellesley Select Board meeting
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Hey Robert: I am Wellesley Resident. I get to raise my hand, too. Sorry that offends you.
I am disappointed at the seemingly biased reporting exhibited in this article. The first 5-6 paragraphs of the story are all about the development plan, it’s merits, the arguments set forth by the proponent’s lawyer etc… At the very end of the article, Mr. Brown mentions that “70” people raised their hands against this – it was actually easily 100+. More importantly, Mr. Brown completely dismisses the arguments of the opponents siting simply that Advisory was uncomfortable with Wellesley going first. In fact, Advisory stood solidly against the development plan citing everything from traffic concerns, to environmental issues, to the overarching issue that is a big national developer coming into Wellesley and trying to force it to change its zoning laws- thereby permanently ruining single family neighborhoods. C’mon Swellesley, you can do better than this.
I don’t know why my comment was removed. I do not think a proponent’s lawyer, being paid to attend the meeting, should in good conscience raise their hand in support of something they are trying to pass.
Comment was not removed
What is quite pertinent is that Natick already has two assisted living facilities just 2 miles west on Rte 135 and is in the process of building two more— one at the corner of Union St and 135 and the other huge one across from St Patrick’s Church also on 135.
The first large one named Anthropology has received extremely poor reviews from a nurse who worked and then quit the facility due to its poor operation. It was was telling in how poorly the facility was run, especially on weekends. I certainly would not place a family member there at all
Thanks Barbara. True that Anthology is an assisted living facility, but the other 2 you mention I believe will be regular apartment buildings. There is also an independent senior living complex going up on Union Street.
There were well over 100 people who showed up to the Advisory meeting last night. Every single person raised their hand against article 43, and the 1 person who raised their hand in favor of Article 43 was the proponent’s lawyer.
I agree, I was there too, – well over 100 residents were attending this meeting and *all* were against (not in favor of) the proposed article. The proponents attorney raises his hand in favor of article 43 only after it is clear that nobody in the room was in favor!
Correct, thanks. We originally had a typo in that sentence.
Correct, thanks. We originally had a typo in that sentence…
Sounds like a conflict of interest to me. I don’t think he should have done that.