• Contact Us
  • Events calendar
Entering Swellesley
Pinnacle, Wellesley

The Swellesley Report

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

  • Advertise
  • Business index
  • Contribute
  • Wellesley Square
  • Private schools
  • Camp
  • Eat
  • Schools
  • Top 10 things to do
  • Embracing diversity
  • Kids
  • About us
  • Events
  • Natick Report
  • COVID-19
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Athlete of the Week
  • Seniors
Needham Bank, Wellesley
Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend

Announcing the houses on the Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club Kitchen & Home Tour, May 7

April 25, 2022 by admin Leave a Comment

The Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club (WHJWC) will present the 21st annual Wellesley Kitchen and Home Tour on Saturday, May 7, 10am – 3pm. The tour will showcase seven exquisite homes where guests will be invited to visit the first floor and outside spaces while also shopping at pop-up boutiques (perfect for Mother’s Day gifts) featured along the route. Architects, interior designers, and/or contractors will also be on hand to answer questions specific to the home.

Tickets are on sale at www.whjwc.org for $65. Same-day ticket purchases are NOT available, and tickets WILL sell out!

Wellesley Hills Junior Women's Club
One of seven beautiful kitchens on the tour.

Here are all the pretty homes on the tour:

15 Tappan Road
10 Arden Road
28 Sheridan Road
44 Woodcliff Road
11 Sagamore Road
40 Boulder Brook Road
20 Old Farm Road

For more information and day-of tips, please visit www.whjwc.org. One big thing to be aware of— booties will be provided and required for entry into all homes. No socks, shoes or bare feet permitted. So leave the stilettos at home. This is the time to step out in your comfiest flats.

About the Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club

[Read more…]

Share

Filed Under: Fundraising, Houses, Volunteering

Linden Square, Wellesley
Wonderful Wellesley
Riverbend School

Wellesley OKs accessory dwelling units

April 13, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

An article several years in the making to allow homeowners to carve out self-contained accessory dwelling units (ADU) on their property passed intact at Wellesley Town Meeting on Tuesday night after withstanding several attempts to amend it with restrictions.

Article 39 Motion 1, brought to Town Meeting by the Planning Board and supported by the Select Board and Advisory Committee, passed by a vote of 187 to 21, with 6 members abstaining. Discussion of Article 39 Motion 1 and the amendments consumed the entire 3-plus hour Night #6 of Town Meeting, and we’ve embedded the Wellesley Media recording below. Town Meeting will continue on April 25, after public school vacation week, and at that time the last couple of articles will be discussed and voted on.

Accessory dwelling units (ADUs) are also known as in-law apartments, though proponents argue they can be used for way more than that to address a variety of housing needs, as outlined in the town’s Unified Plan and Housing Production Plan, and as addressed by new state rules. Those needs include possible income for homeowners, such as those who need that money to afford the high cost of living here. ADUs, which must include their own sleeping, cooking and sanitation facilities, also have sustainability benefits (though some say adding detached units might have the opposite effect), and can preserve historic homes and other buildings such as carriage houses and barns, according to proponents.

In addition to the Planning Board, an advocacy group called Building a Better Wellesley has been pushing for ADUs to improve housing affordability and attainability.

Those raising questions about ADUs cited concerns about possible abuse of a new zoning bylaw amendment. They worry that ADUs could be used, for example, for short-term rentals that might disrupt neighborhoods. Questions were raised about the possibility of private equity firms swooping in to snap up properties and take advantage of new ADU rules, or whether other corporate entities might find angles to exploit that aren’t in the spirit of the proposed zoning bylaw change.

A Board with a Plan

The Planning Board played defense via offense regarding proposed amendments to the Article’s Motion 1, with Board Chair Jim Roberti urging fellow Town Meeting Members during his opening presentation to reject more restrictive amendments. The Board covered possible criticisms of the Article and shored up its responses during a meeting in late March, so Planning Board and Department members were ready with answers to most questions raised. Roberti noted that Needham is looking to remove restrictions during its Town Meeting.

During his presentation on the Article, Roberti stressed the detailed and public process used to craft Article 39 to amend the town’s zoning bylaw. This process included a close look at how dozens of other communities have approached ADUs. He stressed that ADUs, which would not exceed 900 sq. ft. in size, must comply with all other zoning, building, and heath rules in town regardless of whether they are attached to an owner’s primary property. Those detached would require additional scrutiny, and all units would require annual certification.

Based on a review of how ADUs have played out in other communities, Roberti said we’re most likely looking at three to five new ones per year. Most lots in town couldn’t accommodate new ADU structures due to setback and other rules, he said.

Those proposing and backing amendments suggested more restrictions might help the town feel its way through the beginnings of documented ADUs in town, including enforcement, and allow for loosening of rules later on if so desired by the community. Numerous references to walking before running were made.

Amendments proposed

The first two proposed amendments were brought forth by the versatile David Himmelberger, who earlier during Town Meeting temporarily stepped in for the moderator. The first proposed amendment sought to extend the initial minimum leasing period from 30 to 90 days in order to “make short-term rental abuse less possible” and the second would have disallowed the building of new detached structures for ADUs out of concern that single-residence districts could get denser in a hurry despite Planning Board assurances that a relatively small percentage of properties would be candidates for construction of such buildings.

The proposed amendments generated plenty of discussion, including by those who cited uncomfortable experiences with short-term rentals near them. Others weren’t clear on what such concerns were all about. Town Meeting Member Caren Parker said she was against the first proposed amendment: “I can think of many legitimate reasons why somebody might want to rent for a month, such as their other lease or house starts in a month and they want to live in the area before then….maybe visiting the area for medical treatment…staying with family who maybe can’t accommodate them in their own home…”

The second proposed amendment got more Town Meeting support. Questions were raised on everything from the impact of new buildings on the town’s tree bylaw to the tax impact.

The first proposed amendment was defeated by a vote of 102 yeses/115 nos/3 abstentions, and the second by a vote of 107/111/4.

The third and fourth proposed amendments were brought forth by Ryan Daws, who said he supported Article 39 though saw it a “niche solution” to the housing shortage “given how expensive it would be to build one of these.” The third proposed amendment recommended that no more than three people could occupy an ADU, and the fourth recommended limiting ADUs to having at most two bedrooms.

“We can always relax these restrictions at a later date, but it would be hard to undo what’s done if we learn opportunistic owners are taking advantage of this situation,” Daws said. “I think it gets back to what we talked about earlier, being a little bit more incremental. Let’s walk before we run.”

Discussion and voting ensued. Among the concerns raised about the amendments were how these restrictions would play under federal fair housing laws, and how they might exclude families from moving here. Town Meeting Member Lina Musayev spoke out against these amendments: “I’m hearing a lot of exclusionary talk tonight and that concerns me. Let’s encourage more families to move here. For example, if the outside of an exterior structure matches the architectural style of the primary dwelling, why should we set limits on the number of bedrooms? We don’t do this with new house construction…”

Both amendments failed to pass, by counts of 49 yeses/165 nos/4 abstentions, and 56/160/4, respectively.

Bringing it home

The last half hour or so of the meeting turned back to the original Article 39 Motion 1, which passed easily. Among those in support was John Schuler, who shared that his four children after graduating years ago from college all sought and found work in Wellesley, but couldn’t find housing here. “For a variety of reasons I strongly support Article 39,” he said. “For those of you who are newer Town Meeting members, this is my 70th consecutive year as a Town Meeting member and it has long been my hope that we would have this sort of an article brought before us.”


  • Subscribe to Swellesley’s daily email
  • If you like what we do and want to help, please consider making a completely non-deductible contribution
Share

Filed Under: Government, Houses

Page Waterman, Wellesley
London Harness, Wellesley

Pinnacle Residential Properties—what you need to know if you’re thinking about building a home

March 29, 2022 by admin Leave a Comment

SPONSORED CONTENT: Pinnacle Properties knows that building a home in today’s market brings unique challenges. Between construction delays to supply chain issues to labor shortages and more, it’s essential that homebuilders consider all facets of the process. Below are important points potential homebuilders should consider. 

If you’re ready to move up, you may be trying to decide whether you want to buy a home that’s already on the market or build a new one. And since the supply of homes available for sale today is low, you’re willing to consider either avenue. While home builders are doing everything they can to construct more houses and help narrow the supply shortage, they’re also facing delays due to factors outside of their control.

Pinnacle, Wellesley

Here’s the latest on some of the key challenges homebuilders are experiencing today and how they could impact your plans to move up. When you know what’s happening in the industry, you can make an informed decision on whether to look for a newly built or an existing home in your home search.

Supply chain issues

The first hurdle builders are dealing with is the lack of supply of various building materials. According to a recent article from HousingWire, “. . . Nearly everything needed in the homebuilding process is facing some sort of delay and subsequent price increase.”

The supply issue isn’t just with lumber, even though that’s what’s covered most in the news. The article explains many other supplies are impacted too, including roofing materials, windows, garage doors, siding, and gypsum (which is used in drywall).

The difficulty in getting these items is dragging out timelines for new homes as builders wait on what they need to finish construction.

[Read more…]

Share

Filed Under: Houses, Real estate

Andrews Pharmacy

Wellesley Kitchen & Home makes its comeback on Saturday, May 7

March 24, 2022 by admin Leave a Comment

The much-anticipated return of the Wellesley Kitchen and Home Tour presented by The Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club (WHJWC)  will take place on Saturday, May 7, 11am-3pm, rain or shine. Tickets are on sale now.

Wellesley Kitchen & Home Tour
Photo by Sarah M. Winchester

The tour will showcase six gorgeous homes where guests will be invited to visit the first floor, in addition to a few bonus areas at select homes. Architects, interior designers, and/or contractors may also be on hand to answer questions specific to the home.

Tickets will be limited this year so plan ahead. All tickets must be pre-purchased at www.whjwc.org for $65. There will be no same-day tickets sold at the door.

The Wellesley Kitchen and Home Tour raises funds for scholarships benefitting local high school students and grants for area non-profits. For the 2020-2021 year, $162,000 was given back to our community in grants and scholarships with $62,000 awarded to 23 deserving high school students and another $65,000 awarded to local charitable organizations that make a meaningful difference in our community.

About the WHJWC

[Read more…]

Share

Filed Under: Fundraising, Houses

Exercise Coach, Wellesley

Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club Kitchen & Home Tour

March 17, 2022 by admin Leave a Comment

The much-anticipated return of the Wellesley Kitchen and Home Tour presented by The Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club (WHJWC)  will take place on Saturday, May 7, 2022, 11am-3pm, rain or shine.

Wellesley Kitchen & Home Tour
Photo by Sarah M. Winchester

The tour will showcase six gorgeous homes where guests will be invited to visit the first floor, in addition to a few bonus areas at select homes. Architects, interior designers, and/or contractors may also be on hand to answer questions specific to the home.

Tickets will be limited this year so plan ahead. All tickets must be pre-purchased at www.whjwc.org for $65. There will be no same-day tickets sold at the door. Tickets are on sale now.

The Wellesley Kitchen and Home Tour raises funds for scholarships benefitting local high school students and grants for area non-profits. For the 2020-2021 year, $162,000 was given back to the community in grants and scholarships with $62,000 awarded to 23 deserving high school students and another $65,000 awarded to local charitable organizations that make a meaningful difference in the community.


  • Subscribe to Swellesley’s daily email
Share

Filed Under: Fundraising, Houses

Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend

Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend

Pinnacle Residential Properties—getting the best real estate advice for today’s market

March 7, 2022 by admin Leave a Comment

SPONSORED CONTENT: Pinnacle Properties knows that having an experienced guide coaching you through the process of buying or selling a home is important in a normal market—but today’s market is far from normal. As a result, an expert real estate advisor isn’t just good to have by your side, they’re essential. Below are important points homeowners should consider when choosing a real estate professional. 

Having an experienced guide coaching you through the process of buying or selling a home is important in a normal market—but today’s market is far from normal. As a result, an expert real estate advisor isn’t just good to have by your side, they’re essential.

Today’s housing market is full of extremes. Experts project mortgage rates will continue to rise this year, and that’s driving significant demand for homes as buyers want to make their purchases before rates climb even higher. At the same time, an absence of sellers is leading to record-low housing inventory. This imbalance in supply and demand is creating bidding wars and driving home price appreciation as well as considerable gains in home equity.

These market conditions can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to go at it alone. Having a trusted expert to coach you through the process of buying or selling a home gives you clarity and confidence through each step.

Here are just a few of the ways a real estate expert is invaluable:

Contracts—Agents help with the disclosures and contracts necessary in today’s heavily regulated environment.

Experience—In an unprecedented market, experience is crucial. Real estate professionals know the entire sales process, including how it’s changed over the past two years.

Negotiations—Your real estate advisor acts as a buffer in negotiations with all parties throughout the entire transaction and advocates for your best interests.

Education—Knowledge is power in today’s market, and your advisor will simply and effectively explain market conditions and translate what they mean for you.

Pricing—Finally, a real estate professional understands today’s real estate values when setting the price of your home or helping you make an offer to purchase one.

A real estate agent is a crucial guide through this unprecedented market, but not all agents are created equal.

[Read more…]

Share

Filed Under: Business, Houses, Real estate

Deland, Gibson Insurance, Wellesley

Pinnacle Residential Properties—a look at last year’s sales

February 15, 2022 by admin Leave a Comment

SPONSORED CONTENT: Elaine Bannigan of Pinnacle Properties has for the past 19 years put out The Pinnacle Report, a yearly, data-driven look at residential property sales in Wellesley and Weston. Here is a link to Bannigan’s full examination of the 2021 market. Excerpts that emphasize the Wellesley market are below:

The big picture, statewide

The Massachusetts single-family medan home price in 2021 rose 15% to $530,000. In 2021, the number of home sales over $3M rose 14% (more moderated growth than 202, when sales rose 33% over 2019). In contrast, the number of transactions under $500,000 declined 14% (fewer homes, rising prices). The actual total number of sales was relatively flat. As we begin 2022, the total available supply is 27% less than a year ago.

The Wellesley supply side

The total number of homes offered for sale in MLS was 378. With 329 sales, not all were absorbed by the market, demonstrating that even in these times of intense demand and a record low supply, effective marketing and accurate pricing remain essential to whether or not a home sells. Of all houses that did sell in 2021, the ‘off-market,’ or non-MLS sales represented 15% of the total (58), a slight increase from 2022. It’s important to note that the supply had been dwindling well before the start of the pandemic in early 2020. In fact, in January 2017 there were twice as many homes offered for sale as there were in January 2019 (75 and 37, respectively).

Pinnacle, Wellesley

 

Local condos and townhomes

In Wellesley, there were 42 MLS unit sales compared to 33 in 2020. The median price of those units rose just 2%, but they sold 20% faster. Most of the luxury units at Fieldstone Way are still pending and will close in 2022. At other developments, brokers report that there have been many buyers reserving to-be-built luxury units that are optimistically planned for completion sometime late in 2022. This should be reflected by a significant rise in the median in our next report.

“Off-Market”

Builders are actively reaching out to homeowners and aggressively pursuing the increasingly elusive conforming lot. As a result, 38% of those off-market homes were sold to builders for development. Mid-to-higher priced off-market sales were more apt to involve an agent who did not offer the property to all buyers. That’s certainly beneficial for one agent and one buyer who didn’t have competition, but is not always advantageous to a home seller. Those sales prices don’t fit the definition of “fair market value” so their numbers are not included in our table. However, we did examine the sales price to assessment ratios of these sales and compared them to MLS sales. The differential was often considerable. When applied to a $2.5M home, it equates to $350k less for the off-market sale than when marketed vial MLS and its aggregator sites.

Here are the numbers:

 

[Read more…]

Share

Filed Under: Business, Houses, Real estate

Next Page »

Tip us off…

Please send tips, photos, ideas to [email protected]

 

Advertisements

Wellesley Square
Wellesley, Jesamondo
Edge on Science
Sexton test prep
Feldman Law
Fay School, Southborough
Wellesley Theatre Project
Volvo
Cachet, Wellesley
Lyn Evans, Wellesley
Cheesy Street Grill
Admit Fit, Wellesley
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
Never miss a post with our free daily Swellesley Report email
Name: 
Your email address:*
Please wait...
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide

You can subscribe for free, though we appreciate any contribution that supports our independent journalism.

Click on Entering Natick sign to read our Natick Report

Entering Natick road sign

Most Read Posts

  • Restaurants in Wellesley, Mass.: more than 50 dining options
  • Wellesley Business Buzz—E.A. Davis to change ownership; OISE looking for host families; Linden Square sidewalk sale coming up
  • Sneak peek: We visit Wellesley's Laughing Monk Cafe
  • Wellesley Business Buzz: New parklets popping up; Papa Razzi taps GM; Babson Beaver Bite
  • Wellesley POPS senior profile: Caroline Mack takes on theater both center stage & behind the scenes

Upcoming Events

May 16
6:30 pm

Rotary Club meeting

May 17
10:30 am - 12:30 pm

Friendly Pool Tournament

May 18
6:30 pm - 7:30 pm

In the Beginning: Glaciers, Agriculture, and the Origins of Civilization

May 21
9:00 am - 10:00 am

Centennial Reservation trail walk

May 21
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Wellesley Pooch Parade

View Calendar

Popular pages

  • Wellesley’s 2022 Boston Marathon charity runners

  • Wellesley’s 7 official scenic roads

Recent Comments

  • Steven scott on Wellesley, football world mourn death of longtime Patriots star Gino Cappelletti
  • Eric on Wellesley Business Buzz: New parklets popping up; Papa Razzi taps GM; Babson Beaver Bite
  • Herb Gliick on Wellesley Business Buzz: New parklets popping up; Papa Razzi taps GM; Babson Beaver Bite
  • Dianne Dowling on Wellesley POPS senior profile: Caroline Mack takes on theater both center stage & behind the scenes
  • S Hawkinson on Sneak peek: We visit Wellesley’s Laughing Monk Cafe

Links we like

  • Great Runs
  • Jack Sanford: Wellesley's Major League Baseball Star
  • Taquitos.net
  • Tech-Tamer
  • The Wellesley Wine Press
  • Universal Hub
  • Wellesley Sports Discussion Facebook Group

Categories

  • 2021 Town Election (24)
  • Animals (411)
  • Antiques (49)
  • Art (575)
  • Beyond Wellesley (45)
  • Books (364)
  • Business (1,492)
  • Camp (11)
  • Careers/jobs (48)
  • Churches (79)
  • Clubs (225)
  • Construction (291)
  • Dump (127)
  • Education (3,083)
    • Babson College (250)
    • Bates Elementary School (16)
    • Dana Hall School (33)
    • Fiske Elementary School (9)
    • Hardy Elementary School (42)
    • Hunnewell Elementary School (40)
    • MassBay (55)
    • Schofield Elementary School (24)
    • Sprague Elementary School (19)
    • St. John School (2)
    • Tenacre Country Day School (11)
    • Upham Elementary School (34)
    • Wellesley College (608)
    • Wellesley High School (944)
    • Wellesley Middle School (201)
  • Embracing diversity (69)
  • Entertainment (780)
  • Environment (741)
  • Fashion (140)
  • Finance (14)
  • Fire (159)
  • Food (341)
  • Fundraising (608)
  • Gardens (156)
  • Government (550)
    • 2020 Town Election (47)
    • 2022 Town Election (14)
  • Health (842)
    • COVID-19 (198)
  • Hikes (2)
  • History (386)
  • Holidays (401)
  • Houses (152)
  • Humor (47)
  • Kids (843)
  • Law (7)
  • Legal notices (6)
  • Letters to the Editor (61)
  • Media (68)
  • METCO (4)
  • Military (9)
  • Morses Pond (108)
  • Music (561)
  • Natick Report (29)
  • Neighbors (272)
  • Obituaries & remembrances (70)
  • Outdoors (637)
  • Parenting (62)
  • Police (754)
    • Crime (386)
  • Politics (551)
  • POPS Senior Profile (2)
  • RDF (6)
  • Real estate (328)
  • Religion (131)
  • Restaurants (328)
  • Safety (149)
  • Scouts (1)
  • Seniors (120)
  • Shopping (140)
  • Sponsored (5)
  • Sports (973)
    • Athlete of the Week (6)
  • STEM (107)
  • Technology (164)
  • Theatre (392)
  • Town Meeting (23)
  • Transportation (223)
  • Travel (16)
  • Uncategorized (1,229)
  • Volunteering (345)
  • Weather (177)
  • Wellesley Election 2019 (21)
  • Wellesley Free Library (276)
  • Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend (14)
RSS Feed Icon Subscribe to RSS Feed
Wellesley Pooch Parade

© 2022 The Swellesley Report
Site by Tech-Tamer · Login