Wellesley Trails Committee to lead walk at MassBay Forest & Centennial Reservation
To help raise awareness of the MassBay Forest and Wellesley’s adjoining Centennial Reservation land and trails, the Wellesley Trails Committee will lead a walk in the area on Friday, Nov. 28 from 10-11am. The walk will depart from the MassBay parking lot on Oakland Street.
The state has deemed 45 acres of MassBay property—the 5-acre parking lot and 40 acres of forest—as surplus and ripe for redevelopment under its Affordable Homes Act aimed at addressing the region’s housing shortage. In this case, the plan would also partially fund envisioned MassBay campus upgrades, such as new cybersecurity and recreation facilities.
Some in town see the state’s plan as a win for housing, the school, and possibly the environment, if a conservation restriction is put on the forest land. Many of those who live in the area have raised concerns about traffic and more that could result from any such plan. (A lawn sign campaign has begun urging protection of the entire 40-acre forest.)
(Update: 11/27/25—the visioning workshop has been postponed, as the town considers legal action). The town of Wellesley has scheduled a public visioning workshop for Dec. 8 to be held at Wellesley High. The in-person-only meeting will include briefings on the state program and the site, and seek public input on housing needs and design preferences. The town is working with three consulting firms on the effort, and seeks to provide the state with input ahead of the Commonwealth issuing a request for proposals to developers next year.
More: Land acknowledgements at MassBay & elsewhere in Wellesley