The Swellesley Report

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

Learn how MBTA Communities law requiring multifamily zoning near train stations will affect Wellesley

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The Town of Wellesley and the League of Women Voters will host a public forum on the MBTA communities legislation on Thursday, November 30, 7pm, at the Wellesley Free Library.

Wellesley is currently readying a proposal to adopt compliant zoning districts by the end of 2024. At the forum, the town’s Executive Director Meghan Jop and Planning Director Eric Arbeene will share the draft plan, answer questions, and solicit comments from the community.

Wellesley is designated as a “commuter rail community” due to its train stations in Wellesley Square, Wellesley Hills and Wellesley Farms.

The state’s MBTA Communities law, which went into effect in 2021, requires relaxed multifamily zoning near train and other commuter stations. The law is intended to help the state address its housing shortage, though doesn’t specifically address affordable housing.

Wellesley Farms Train Station
Wellesley has been designated by the state as a “commuter rail community” due to its train stations in Wellesley Square, Wellesley Hills and Wellesley Farms.

Where will these multifamily zones be located? What changes will we need to make to Wellesley’s current zoning?

A proposal for amending the town’s zoning bylaw will likely appear before annual Town Meeting in spring 2024.

[Read more…]

     

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Wellesley Town Hall interior renovation coming along

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Wellesley Town Hall has been closed to the public since April as part of its 18-month interior renovation, but you can get an online peek inside if you’re curious about where the multimillion project stands. The work is designed to preserve historical parts of the building while making Town Hall more functional for all.

The Permanent Building Committee, which regularly provides updates on the construction and other aspects of the project at its meetings, features a brief slideshow on its section of the town website that highlights progress on Town Hall’s interior. The Committee held its most recent meeting this week, on Sept. 14.

Select Board member Tom Ulfelder shared an update about the project at the end of this week’s Board meeting (see Wellesley Media recording).

Structural demolition has been completed, the elevator shaft is progressing, and the steel core of the building is being readied. The audiovisual booth in the balcony of the Great Hall will be split to give the area a cleaner look and provide better functionality for Wellesley Media. Ulfelder said there was good news about the foundation, which will not require additional underpinnings, which means $130K in savings. However, he noted there will need to be more significant refinishing of some woodwork than was expected.

Ulfelder also made note of what he described as a beautiful interior clock, located just above the big exterior clock, that will be made more visible as part of the renovation through better lighting. “In all the hours I’ve sat in that room I didn’t realize it was there,” he said.

The Select Board is looking to take a tour of the progress in the not-too-distant future. More on the Town Hall interior renovation can be found on the town website.

Town Hall interior
Town Hall interior work in the Great Hall (Town of Wellesley photo)

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Guernsey Sanctuary in Wellesley home to new Eagle Scout project

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Guernsey Sanctuary, a 25-acre woodland on the Wellesley/Needham line, protected by the Wellesley Conservation Land Trust, benefitted by the completion of two new bridges today, thanks to Wellesley Eagle Scout Johannes Eikeboom. With help from family, friends, and fellow Boy Scouts, Eikeboom completed his Eagle Scout project near the vernal pond area.

Wellesley Eagle Scout project, Guernsey Sanctuary
Scouts level out the bridge frame at Guernsey Sanctuary. Photo by Wellesley Boy Scouts

The new bridges replace Eagle Scout projects completed by Robby Littlefield and Ben Zaehringer, whose well-constructed bridges lasted nearly 20 years.

Take a hike at Guernsey Sanctuary and check out the project for yourself.

Volunteers needed to create habitat at Simons Park in Wellesley

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The Wellesley Natural Resources Commission needs help to prepare the Simons Park lawn conversion project for new plants to support at-risk pollinator species. Sign up here.

Simons Park, Wellesley
Simons Park, Wellesley. Who’s in for pulling up the ugly black plastic on Sept. 7 and 8?

If you’ve driven by the open space adjacent to the Wellesley Free Library, you’ve no doubt noticed the 10,000 square feet of black tarp, secured with sandbags. The tarp has for months been smothering the grass in order to make way for a meadow. Now in its second year, the long-term goal of the Simons Park project is to convert the resource-dependent conventional lawn into a thriving, ecologically functional landscape.

The tarp has done about all the damage it can do to the lawn, so the NRC will be removing the black tarp and sandbags on September 7 and 8. New trees, shrubs, grasses and plugs will be planted on September 21-23. But the NRC can’t do all this alone.

Volunteers needed

Please sign up here and be a part of this transformative project. Food, fun and fulfillment will be in high supply. In addition, supplies will be available for participants and anyone else interested in joining the effort to convert a portion of their property from grass to habitat.

Affordable housing application deadline for Terrazza in Wellesley is August 28

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The application deadline is Aug. 28, 2023 at 2pm to enter the lottery for four (4) condominiums being built at Terrazza in Wellesley, MA. The homes will be sold at affordable prices to households with incomes at or below 80% of the Area Median Income. The two bedroom homes range from 1,778 square feet to 2,655 square feet.

terrazza going up
Terrazza going up, July 2022

All homes include access to the community amenities such as the private courtyard and grills, a fitness center, pet spa, movie lounge, bike room, and conference and club rooms. A dedicated surface parking spot is included with each affordable condominium. Residents can easily access the shops and restaurants in Wellesley’s town center by foot and will also be in close proximity to the Wellesley Square train station. The affordable homes will be ready for occupancy shortly after the lottery.

More information here.

You can complete and submit a lottery application online here  https://form.jotform.com/SEBHousing/terrazza

Affordable housing in Wellesley—an overview

Wellesley’s Weston Road about to become a construction zone

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Navigating Weston Road in Wellesley is about to get even more challenging. National Grid will be replacing gas mains along parts of the road and side streets in coming months.

This work will take place Monday through Friday from 7am to 5pm, and the road will be limited to one lane at times, with detours to side streets as well.

The work is divided into three Phases:

  • Phase 1: Weston Road North of Route 9 between Elmwood Road and Pine Plain Road
  • Phase 2: Weston Road North of Route 9 between Elmwood Road and Cleveland Road
  • Phase 3: Weston Road and Route 9 interchange (Work will be done overnight)

The specific timeline for this project is subject to change due to weather and permitting. Neighbors in these areas should have received notifications from National Grid.

For questions about the Weston Road gas main project, please contact National Grid at 781-663-3120.

At the start of this year, the Wellesley Department of Public Works had laid out plans to do road and sidewalk work on Weston Road over the summer, but wound up backing off those plans due to the National Grid’s surprise plans, as was revealed at the start of Town Meeting in the spring.

So expect more Weston Road construction next year if the town’s project is resurrected. Town Engineer David Hickey has said earlier this year that the well-traveled Wellesley Road hasn’t had a full repaving since the 1980s.

Add this to the sometimes obstacle course resulting from the condo complex being built on Weston Road, which maaaybe will be done sometime soon.

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Developers recast reduced 8 Cliff Road condo plan as 489 Worcester St. project in latest pitch

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Two representatives for the proposed 489 Worcester St. condo development, formerly known as the 8 Cliff Rd. project, shared updates at the Wellesley Planning Board meeting on July 24 (about 25 minutes in to Wellesley Media recording).

One slide from the updated housing plan presentation

 

According to the production slideshow presented by developer Victor Sheen, one of the major changes is that there will be 48 housing units as opposed to the previously planned 69. Eight will be deemed affordable housing. Another major change to the plan will be the preservation of the 4 and 14 Cliff Rd. single-family homes. Sheen said this will hopefully keep the historic nature of the neighborhood.

As a result of critiques about traffic flow, Sheen and his colleague Peter Holland responded to the working group and Select Board input by relocating the front of the building and drop-off point to the South or Rte. 9 portion of the land. Sheen said that with two full-time access points to the building, this should decrease the amount of traffic which primarily goes through the adjacent Bradford Road. As a result of adding garages with internal-access for the units, Sheen said during the presentation that two-thirds of traffic will be redirected to Rte. 9 and the remaining third will be on Cliff Road.

Despite these changes, some Wellesley residents had remaining concerns about the plan.

Gregg Griner, who lives on Bradford Road, spoke at the Planning Board meeting during the Q&A forum portion. Griner pointed out his personal doubts about the traffic assessment provided during the meeting, explaining that many people—including himself—do not take the commuter rail train because it is not conducive to their work hours. Griner said that redirecting an increased amount of traffic to a Rte. 9 entrance which only allows for driving west, is a safety concern because of  more speeding off of Cliff Road.

Other concerns brought up by the Planning Board and residents, was how much the construction and chemicals from the build-out will disrupt the nearby wetlands, the blasting of the rocks on the cliff, and how the design of the new garage car lot and aesthetics of the building will look from Rte. 9.

To address those concerns, Sheen said that the development team has added a Cliff Road landscape buffer with a space of open land between the building and wetlands. The proposed building site will also be 170 feet back from Cliff Road.

The town has emphasized that the development plan is in the preliminary stages, and encouraged residents to submit questions and suggestions or concerns by email, and to subscribe to the 489 Worcester St News Flash for emailed updates on the development project.

The Historic District Commission also touched on the project about 90 minutes into its Aug. 1 meeting.

More: Wellesley’s Cliff Estates gets its turn with proposed condo development (May, 2023)

Early stage 8 Cliff Road housing proposal meets strong resistance from Wellesley neighbors (June, 2023)

Wellesley Square fire station will remain open through exterior construction

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They say things are quiet in Wellesley during the summer, but early Saturday morning work crews were making an industrious racket as they surrounded the 100 Central Street Fire Station with scaffolding and staging. By late morning the area was secure in preparation for exterior maintenance  that will include roofing and masonry work to the one-garage station.

The historic fire station—built in 1928-29 and designed by the architectural firm of Wellesley resident, Frank A. Whittemore—will remain in service throughout the upgrades.

Wellesley’s fire department headquarters,  located at 457 Worcester Street (rt. 9, westbound side) will be unaffected by work at the Central Street station.

Wellesley Square fire station
The front door will remain accessible throughout the project.

Wellesley Square fire station

 

Wellesley Square fire station
The fire station has one long garage with two entrances, one on Central Street (pictured), and an entrance on Weston Road. The entrances will remain unobstructed and the fire station will conduct business as usual throughout the project.

 

Wellesley Square fire station
Seriously? My pedestrian cut through between Lockheart restaurant and the Wellesley Square Fire Station has been fenced off as a safety measure. C’mon, I could have dodged a little loose mortar and some falling roof tiles.

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