Information about possible housing being developed on the MassBay Community College property in Wellesley trickled out in late spring, and more details have started to surface.
A Wellesley resident who lives near the MassBay campus spoke during the citizen speak portion of the Aug. 19 Select Board meeting to share the latest she has learned from a presentation to neighbors (see start of Wellesley Media recording).
Leslie Hanrahan said MassBay is proposing development of 180 market rate units and parking to replace the current 5-acre parking lot on Oakland Street.
The sale of property to a private developer would fund or help fund a proposed $70m educational building and new student parking behind it on the main campus, she said.
There was also talk of a possible conservation restriction within MassBay forest property.
“The point I want to make here is that the proposal is in the middle of our largest environmental parcel in town,” Hanrahan said, adding that the 36 units per acre density has potential for “overwhelming impact on Oakland Street’s infrastructure.”
Of the possible development, she said. “It’s a lot. It’s a lot.”
There’s also still a possibility of the adjacent Sisters of Charity 14-acre property being redeveloped for some sort of housing.
Hanrahan praised the town for thoughtful housing planning in recent years, though pointed out that much of the town’s recent housing development, including The Nines, has been in Precinct E, where MassBay also falls. She urged the Select Board to provide leadership in protecting the town’s environmental assets as new housing development is proposed.
We’ve reached out to MassBay to learn about how to stay in the loop on these possible developments.
The Governor’s Office in June announced that some 450 acres of surplus state-owned land could be used for development of 3,500 housing units across the state, and that another 17 sites could be made available over the next year for housing development. The Wellesley property was not cited in the announcement, but a spokesperson for the state’s Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) did say parcels were expected to be added to the initial list.
Wellesley Executive Director Meghan Jop said that she and Planning Director Eric Arbeene are working to set up a joint meeting with the Planning board and Select Board in September to discuss the topic. It’s likely that the town would try to encourage some affordable units be included in any development.
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