The Swellesley Report

Since 2005: More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

Wellesley housing news: Plan shared for 15 condos on Rte. 9 east

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worcester st rendering
McKay Architects rendering of 136-140 Worcester St. condo complex

 
A developer and his team this week shared a proposal with the Wellesley Planning Board for 15 condos—three of them affordable based on Area Median Income—to be built on a collection of properties at 130-142R Worcester St. (Rte. 9 east) near the Sun Life campus. (See Wellesley Media recording for full presentation and discussion, about 17 minutes in).

This proposed three-story complex is a more modest reboot of a past pitch for a 40-unit apartment complex at the site under 40B zoning that cuts developers a break on local zoning rules. This project would add to housing units built or being built under different zoning rules along Rte. 9 in recent years, including Highland Park park (20 apartments at 680 Worcester St.) and the Bellweather (34 condos coming to 192-194 Worcester St.)

Whether developer Dean Behrend will be allowed to build 15 condos remains to be seen, as discussion during the meeting raised questions about the overall size of the property and the number of condos that are allowed in that space (a question was raised about what appears to be a strip of town property in between the developer’s properties). Behrend says he owns 130, 136, 140, 142 and 142R Worcester St., and that issues regarding the total property were sorted out during an earlier proposal to build there. He planned to clarify this after the meeting with members of his team.

Regardless of that, one challenge is that the property is zoned for general residence, and this project would require multi-unit residence zoning. The proponent may need to seek Town Meeting approval for a zoning map change via a citizen petition. The multi-unit residence zoning rules require no less than 3,000 sq. ft. per dwelling unit, so determining the actual total property owned by the developer is key.

The developer said plans are for 2- and 3-bedroom units ranging from 1,800 and 2,800 sq. ft with inside parking. A fenced-in play area would be one amenity, and the development would abut a heavily wooded area. He said the Metro West Regional Transit Authority has been contacted about having a bus stop in front of the location.

The design of this sort-of T-shaped building would include brick veneer, clapboards, and shingles.

It’s unclear what exactly next steps on this proposal would be, but the board gave Behrend and his team enough feedback to keep them busy for a bit.

No other residents spoke up about the proposal (note that the Planning Board agenda for the June 15 meeting listed the agenda item as “136 Washington Street Presentation” and not 130 Worcester St.).

Behrend is also working on a proposed 19-unit condo project at 592 Washington St. near Church Square at the other end of Wellesley.

More: Multi-family housing developments in the works

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Wellesley business buzz: Lockheart to open restaurant at Newton Centre train station; Painting Place readies for Father’s Day

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The latest Wellesley, Mass., business news:

Lockheart to open restaurant at Newton Centre train station

Lockheart, the tacos-plus restaurant that opened in Wellesley Square four years ago, is readying a new location at the former train depot building at the green line’s Newton Centre stop.

The 1800s building has housed numerous restaurants in the past, including the Deluxe Station Diner.

To be clear, the Newton Centre location will be in addition to the Wellesley restaurant.

Lockheart has an online hearing with the City of Newton Board of License Commissioners on June 16, when it will seek all-alcohol, common victualler, and entertainment licenses. The location can accommodate 86 seats inside and 9 outdoors. Hours of operation sought are Monday-Saturday 11am-1am, and Sunday 10am-1am.

(Hat tip to the Newton Real Estate Forum and Boston Restaurant Talk, where we first saw mention of this.)

Lockheart restaurant

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The Painting Place readies for Father’s Day.

WBZ-TV paid a visit to The Painting Place in Wellesley (380 Washington St.) to explore Father’s Day gift ideas.

Page Waterman, Natick
London Harness, Wellesley
Longfellow, Wellesley

A legacy of landscapes: Wellesley honors Cricket Vlass upon her retirement

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Cricket Vlass

Along with Wellesley’s schools, proximity to Boston, and other features that people cite for loving Wellesley, is how pretty it is here. Cricket Vlass, whose retirement after 40-plus years working for the town was celebrated this week at Clocktower Park (aka, Elm Park), has had a lot to do with making and keeping Wellesley beautiful.

Department of Public Works Director Dave Cohen says Vlass started with the town as summer help in 1980, and was brought on full time in 1982. She was promoted to horticulturist in 1984, and later took on the position of landscape planner for many years. Vlass had two stints as interim Park & Tree assistant superintendent before being selected as Park & Tree superintendent in 2023.

Cricket Vlass
Cricket Vlass & Dave Cohen

 
Cohen’s comments at the celebration focused on his “appreciation for the professionalism, responsiveness, optimism, and kindness that she has brought to the Town of Wellesley for over 40 years. I also mentioned that we see her fingerprints all over town through the beautiful landscapes and green spaces that are enjoyed by so many people every day.”

Wellesley’s Raina McManus, a former Natural Resources Commission member, says of Vlass: “She had a hand in designing almost every garden and park, situated each bench and plaque, and made sure things fit seamlessly and beautifully into their surroundings, including the stunning labyrinth at Elm Park.”

Over the years, Vlass helped the DPW and NRC plant over 5,000 trees, advanced Wellesley’s pesticide free parklands, and was an early adopter of native planting, McManus says. “She had the best eye and taste. Wellesley will miss her, but her legacy will remain everywhere we look,” she says

Vlass was celebrated at the event by past and present colleagues, plus friends, and her husband. Tory DeFazio, representing Wellesley veterans, presented Vlass with a U.S. flag in recognition of her support of the many flags around town.

Vlass officially retires in July.

Cricket VlassCricket Vlass

More: Cricket Vlass pays call to Wellesley Gardeners’ Guild (2018)

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Reading

The Swellesley Report archives can now be found at Wellesley Free Library

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Wellesley Free Library now offers archived articles from The Swellesley Report via the Newbank service.

If you ever have a hard time finding old posts on our own website, you can now try the library’s Databases A to Z page, and search for Swellesley under “S”. The Databases A to Z page can also be found under the e-Library dropdown menu on the Wellesley Free Library home page.

We’d been asked over the years by Swellesley readers if making our archives accessible online via the library might be a possibility. The library also makes accessible old articles from the Wellesley Townsman and other publications.

Having our content available via the library provides a sort of contingency plan. Note that links within the articles are not active in the archived versions, and images aren’t included.

We agreed last year to allow Newsbank to archive our contents (we will receive likely modest royalties under this deal). Newsbank licenses its service to libraries and other research organizations.

NewsBank consolidates current and archived information from thousands of newspaper titles, as well as newswires, web editions, blogs, videos, broadcast transcripts, business journals, periodicals, government documents and other publications. Using these online resources, researchers in libraries around the world can easily explore tens of millions of current and archived news articles and obituaries in order to pinpoint information from primary sources at the local, state, regional, national and international levels. 

Databases A-Z at library
Swellesley listing under Wellesley Free Library’s Databases A to Z page

Please send tips, photos, ideas to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

Business buzz: Bridgewater Chocolate, Glowbar appear headed for Wellesley Square; Gaya Beauty Spa arrives in the Hills

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The latest Wellesley, Mass., business news:

Bridgewater Chocolate, Glowbar appear headed for Wellesley Square

We don’t have a lot here, but renovations are happening on a couple of Wellesley Square properties that should soon have new tenants.

Wellesley Toy Shop vacated 59 Central St. at the end of 2025 after decades of operating there, and it looks as though Bridgewater Chocolate may be next in line to move into the space according to a filing with the town.

We’ve reached out to Bridgewater Chocolate, which had a short-lived shop in Chestnut Hill, and otherwise has locations across Connecticut. Bridgewater also used to have a space on Newbury Street in Boston. The company’s website currently says: “Stay tuned for our next location in Boston.”

Bridgewater, started in 1999 in Bridgewater, Ct., offers a wide variety of treats.

Across the street and west at 94 Central St., where Gretta Luxe operated before moving across the street next to another Gretta business, will be a new outpost for Glowbar. This is a skincare business with dozens of locations along the eastern seaboard. Glowbar promotes that “our licensed estheticians face your skin in just 30 minutes.”

The business is based in New York and was founded in 2019.

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Gaya Beauty & Spa arrives

gayaGaya Beauty & Spa has opened at 332 Washington St. (Suite 10) in Wellesley.

The business offers various facial services, micro-needling, and more.

Know of Wellesley businesses opening or closing? Fill us in: theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

Town of Wellesley taking state to court over future of MassBay land targeted for housing

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The Wellesley Select Board and the town on Tuesday filed a complaint in Norfolk County Superior Court against several state agencies that challenges the designation of land at MassBay Community College targeted for housing as “surplus real property” under the Affordable Homes Act (AHA).

The complaint specifically names the Commonwealth’s Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM), Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC), and MassBay Community College as defendents.

According to the town, “the legal action seeks a judicial ruling setting aside the surplus designation and ensuring the protection of Wellesley’s natural resources.” In the complaint, both the forest and parking lot are described as not being surplus.

The complaint reads in part: “While the Commonwealth’s commitment to bolstering housing supply and affordability is commendable, and shared by the Plaintiffs, the ends do not justify the means; the Defendants cannot ignore the statutory text and framework enacted by the General Court. Here, designation of the Property as “surplus real property” pursuant to the AHA violates the express terms of the statute.”

The complaint also cites the state’s plans for a development that is too dense. “There is simply no legal basis for the Defendants to insist upon a level of density nine times greater than what the AHA provides,” the complaint reads.

At the Select Board’s June 8 meeting, Chair Marjorie Freiman ensured the public that the board is listening carefully to their concerns during citizen speak time at its meetings, even though it is not allowed to interact with them in that format due to open meeting law. The board also went into executive session (behind closed doors) to conduct strategy with respect to potential litigation regarding 40 Oakland St.

In a press release issued on Tuesday, the town defended its track record on housing in the face of the state seeking to redevelop property at 40 Oakland St. for 180 units under the Affordable Homes Act. Supporters argue more housing is needed in town and that the state’s plan could protect most of the forest land on the property, while opponents fear the impact on traffic, the abutting Centennial Reservation, and more.

Suing the state follows the Select Board last month sending a strongly-worded letter to the state, on behalf of the town, in response to the Commonwealth’s notice earlier this spring of the property at 40 Oakland St. being designated as surplus. The state has been aiming to issue a request for proposals to developers mid-year with the aim of having 180 housing units built on the property, with proceeds from the land sale designed to help fund MassBay campus upgrades.

Town leaders and counsel finalized the letter following a Special Town Meeting on May 11 designed to give the board advice from the town’s elected legislative body and other residents. The message from Special Town Meeting was for the town to try to negotiate with the state to ensure issues of importance to Wellesley are addressed and to reserve the right to take legal action if negotiations fail.

The Swellesley Report first reported June 2, 2025 that the state might have plans to redevelop the MassBay property. State and MassBay officials first presented their plans to the Select Board last September.

According to the press release, the town and board contend: “Our ongoing goal has been to engage constructively with the Commonwealth to shape the Request for Proposals (RFP) in a manner that is thoughtful, balanced, lawful, and consistent with the Town’s planning objectives.  The Board would have preferred to continue discussions with Commonwealth officials and refrain from filing legal action at this time, but overtures for compromise, aligned with these objectives, have neither been answered nor reciprocated.”

Having said that, the board said it seeks to continue working with the state and others as the RFP is prepared.

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Sustainability

State comes through with $1m grant for Wellesley school solar projects

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The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources has awarded Wellesley a $1m grant through the Climate Leader Communities program that will cover a good chunk of the cost of outfitting the Hardy and Hunnewell Elementary School solar panel projects. Wellesley Sustainability Director Marybeth Martello sounded confident during the June 5 Climate Action Committee meeting that the grant would come through, and Wellesley Executive Director Meghan Jop confirmed at the June 8 Select Board meeting that it indeed had.

The goal is to complete the school projects in the fall, Martello said.

Earlier this year there had been some angst in town over Wellesley’s bid for the grant due to town government protocols that needed to be resolved, as they eventually were (see “Wellesley climate action team breathes sigh of relief over school solar funding decision”). Numerous departments and individuals joined forces to secure the grant for Wellesley.

The capacity of arrays the town would install on the schools has been estimated to generate the equivalent of 92% of the electricity Hardy uses on an annual basis and 82% of what Hunnewell uses. This would translate to annual electricity costs being $50k less than 2025 levels for the schools, plus excess capacity would go to the Municipal Light Plant’s distribution grid for community use, Martello said earlier this year.

A 430 kW system has been proposed for Hardy and a 374 kW  for Hunnewell.

The $1m grant would add to roughly $3.2m in remaining school project funds that could go toward the project, plus funding from the Wellesley Municipal Light Plant’s WECARE program that was contingent on the state funding being approved.

Other takeaways from the June 5 Climate Action Committee meeting (see Wellesley Media recording):

  • Food waste diversion: An impressive 640 pounds of food waste was diverted from the trash during Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend. (Learn about the town’s waste reduction efforts at the public schools in a presentation by Amber Crowley and Amber Keller about 32 minutes into the Wellesley Media recording of the April 3 Climate Action Committee meeting.
  • National Grid strikes again: National Grid plans to dig up the practically new pavement on Hardy Road (leading to new Hardy Elementary School, which opened in summer of 2024) to replace a leaky gas pipe. The Climate Action Committee has reached out to the three households on that street and National Grid about a possible plan for de-commissioning the pipes and electrifying the homes. Though Committee Chair Lise Olney acknowledged achieving the preferred outcome on this would be challenging given a June 12 deadline from National Grid. Legislation has been proposed in the state to require utility companies to give municipalities more of a heads up on plans.  Unexpected National Grid plans have thrown off town construction projects in recent years. On the bright side, Wellesley has gained access to a general list of National Grid projects expected to be three to five years out, so there may be opportunities for the town to work with the utility to get ahead of some future work.
  • Geothermal investment: Committee members expressed enthusiasm over potential state funding that could be used by municipalities to pay for geothermal energy projects if key legislation passes. Wellesley recently held a forum on “Geothermal Solutions for Affordable Heating & Cooling” at the Village Church, which is at the forefront of this clean energy option locally.

swellesley green ad

Education

Play Wellesley School Committee meeting BINGO!

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Jealous of the field days and other fun activities Wellesley Public Schools students are taking part in as the 2025-2026 school year winds down?

We’ve got some special fun for those of you who attend or watch Wellesley School Committee meetings before this elected body takes a well-deserved break over the summer, with a lighter-than-usual schedule.

“Lean into” upcoming committee meetings (including the June 9 one at 6:30pm), “unpack” commonly used words and terms uttered by administrators, elected officials and other “stakeholders,” and “callibrate” how quickly you get to call out “BINGO!”

(We’ve included multiple cards so you can play along with friends.)

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Note: AI was our “thought partner” in designing these BINGO cards.