136 Worcester St. headed back in play for multi-family housing?

The property at 136 Worcester St., once among a slew of sites proposed for 40B multi-family housing projects during a time when Wellesley was beneath the state’s 10% threshold for affordable housing, could still be developed for such a purpose.

Wellesley Interim Planning Director Brad Downey, during a brief May 4 Planning Board agenda item on possible Fall Special Town Meeting articles, gave the board a heads up about a potential application related to 136 Worcester St. He said that Dean Behrend, a developer already working to bring a 19-unit, 3-story condo complex to the edge of Wellesley Square, called about a possible Project of Significant Impact at that site. (See Wellesley Media recording of May 4 meeting, about 35 minutes in.)

Downey noted that the property, on the eastbound side of Rte. 9 in Wellesley near the Sun Life complex, is in a Single Residence 15 (SR-15) district, so would require a zoning change approval. It’s possible Behrend would be invited to come to a Planning Board meeting to discuss his idea, but would eventually need to seek Town Meeting approval (we reached out to Behrend Construction for comment).

The previous development envisioned at this site, Wellesley Crossing, was a four-plus story, 40-unit apartment building. This proposal was denied site eligibility.

If a proposal were to go forward at this property it would be just the latest of numerous multi-family housing developments in the works in Wellesley, either being built or on the drawing board, and adding well over 100 units to the town’s supply. New projects include the Bellwether on Rte. 9/Cedar St. (34 units), a 28-unit development at 16 Laurel Ave. near the Wellesley Hills train station, and 49 Walnut St. (28 units).

Plus a new 8-townhome project is being pitched alongside the railroad line at Wellesley Square, and then of course there is the big one, 180 possible state-mandated units at 40 Oakland St. across from the MassBay Community College campus.

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