Search Results for: 40B

The new year is here, and predictably, affordable housing action has picked up in Wellesley where it left off in 2017.

The developer of a proposed 55-unit housing project at 148 Weston Road that would include 11 rental units deemed affordable has had the site eligibility okayed by a quasi-public outfit called MassHousing that also finances such buildings. The town has a long list of concerns about the Wellesley Park project, including its potential impact on traffic, the environment and character of the neighborhood, and MassHousing has instructed the developer to address such issues as it moves forward with trying to get a comprehensive permit from the town. The developer might be expected to apply for such a permit within the next couple of weeks.

Neighbors, citing another 40B project proposed for Delanson Circle about a half mile away, have raised similar concerns to those aired by the town. The fact that two such projects are in the works in relative proximity to each other has ratcheted up neighbors’ concerns.

RE-EXAMINING THE TAILBY LOT

But residents opposed to these 40B developments might take heart in a new effort by the town to issue a non-binding request for proposals (RFP) related to the possible development of the Tailby parking lot on Linden Street at the Wellesley Square train station as well as the parking lot that sandwiches the train tracks from the other side. The possibility was discussed on Monday night at the Board of Selectmen’s meeting  and the decision to draft an RFP was approved by the Board (tune in around the 1 hour, 32-minute mark of the Wellesley Public Media video).

“What the RFP would do is put out to the public to come up with conceptual ideas” in a process similar to what was done regarding Lower Fall parking and the 900 Worcester St., project, said assistant executive director for the BoS office Meghan Jop. The town has explored development possibilities for this space since the 1990s, and most seriously of late in 2004, when it was determined not to be economically wise, Jop said.

“Given the recent developments with 40B and proposal at Delanson Circle it’s really brought forward this notion of should we look to see if the Tailby lot… has a higher development potential,” Jop said. Development of Tailby and possibly the lot near the post office could result in an alternative to the proposed 90-unit Delanson Circle project. One scenario might even involve a scaled down version of the Delanson Circle project that syncs up with something at Tailby.

Developing the railroad parking lots would fit with the town’s effort to take more control over where housing is developed through a housing production plan and fend off 40B proposals seen by some as exploiting the fact that Wellesley has less affordable housing than what the State mandates.

The team behind the proposed 90-unit Delanson Circle housing development in Wellesley emphasized at a Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) meeting this past Thursday the lengths it is going to in order to make the 40B project attractive to those who will live there and those who already live in the neighborhood. But dozens of neighbors, organized as the College Heights Association, said the 5-story project (includes underground garage with 1.1 parking spaces per housing unit) will need to change a great deal to be welcomed by them.

The sounds of the ZBA meeting were recorded and can be heard on Wellesley Public Media. You can get a feel for the proposed design in the project application shared in September.

The proposed Wellesley Crossing project off of Linden Street gained public awareness over the summer and recently secured a key approval from the quasi-public Massachusetts Housing Partnership, which specified that “the site of the proposed Project is an appropriate location for residential development.” The development team now seeks a Comprehensive Permit from the ZBA so that it can build its project, which includes 18 affordable units, under flexible zoning rules allowed by the Massachusetts 40B statute that encourages affordable housing production.

Development manager Victor Sheen (cited experience mainly in residential and affordable housing, dropped I.M. Pei‘s name and MIT chops) and architect Dartagnan Brown of Embarc did most of the talking for the project team, whose development would replace 5 existing homes (61K square feet) that sit across from the Wellesley Square train station parking lot.  Sheen referred to a smaller Brookline project of his that was approved earlier this year without appeals in a more commercial district just before Brookline got a 1-year reprieve from 40Bs. As with the Brookline project, which started at 6 stories and shrank to 4.5 stories, Sheen’s team has already revised its Delanson Circle project once to knock off a story and a handful of units.

“We’re not one to stiff arm [editor’s note: see GIF below] the neighborhood or the various consultants or boards…what we like to do is work cooperatively with the town” on projects that work for neighborhoods and are financially sound, Sheen said. He noted attention the team will pay to traffic, landscaping and environmental issues.

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Architect Brown gave more of an overview of the project itself, and stressed that this presentation was really the start of a 180-day process that would involve neighborhood input. “When we went through the one on Harvard Street in Brookline we personally spent a lot of time working with all the abutters so that we could understand everybody’s concern and we truly molded the building to reflect the input that we got from abutters,” he said. This involved visiting abutters and checking out the possible impact of shadows that would be cast by the new building. The goal, he said, is to get through the zoning process with the support of neighbors as the team gets more familiar with the area (a mention of the Pinkberry store no longer in Linden Square shows that the team isn’t totally familiar with the area).

Among other things, the development team aims to take advantage of Delanson Circle’s steepness by building its Wellesley project in such a way that the structure won’t tower over surrounding homes, including Capes and other houses not of the McMansion variety. A minimum of 20-to-25-foot setbacks are envisioned to give residents space and allow for landscaping, Brown said. “Around half the site will be open space and landscaped area,” he said.

College Heights rises up

Neighbors who spoke, representing a newly formed group of 40-plus residents calling themselves the College Heights Association and that has hired legal counsel, thanked the development team’s reps for their presentation, but expressed their remaining concerns about the project’s impact on their neighborhood’s character, traffic, safety and more. They stressed that they are supportive of Wellesley’s effort to create a Housing Production Plan for affordable housing in Wellesley, and of the economic, social and ethnic diversity that affordable housing likely will bring.

“We are for affordable housing on Delanson Circle if it’s done right. We are, however, against the current proposal in the form in which it’s been presented,” said Lewis Collins, who has lived in town for about 20 years and whose home is a couple hundred feet from the proposed project.

“Mr. Sheen, I appreciate your comment at the beginning of the meeting that you didn’t want to stiff arm the neighbors, but I’ve got to tell you that your initial proposal of 95 units sure felt like a stiff arm to a lot of the neighbors,” Collins said. “The re-proposal reduced to 90 units felt like a stiff arm, too. I imagine [New England Patriots Coach] Bill Belichick would be proud and sign you tomorrow… so you know, not off to a great start.”

Fellow neighbor MaryJane Kubler started off by trying to familiarize the developers with College Heights, which she described as a quirky neighborhood consisting of an eclectic collection of homes, including those that have been around for 100 years or more. Then she went on to outline neighbors’ top concerns, saying she was thankful that Mr. Sheen was there to hear about them directly. “The size, scale and density of the proposed project is materially incongruous with the surrounding neighborhood,” she said.

Emergency vehicle access is a concern, as is the potential environmental impact of the project on stormwater and sewage, she said. Traffic and pedestrian safety are huge issues, and Kubler said the group really wants a comprehensive and independent study to take place during weekday hours when commuter and school-related traffic peaks. On a personal note, Kubler mentioned she doesn’t drive and might be the most experienced pedestrian in town, and has seen that “the traffic volume and regulation is already approaching a near crisis.”

Anne Marie Towle, another neighbor, aired her worries about loss of a nice view and invasion of privacy, as well as noise that will likely come from the project’s community area. She sparked an outburst of applause from attendees when she showed how her 2,300 square foot Cape would fit into the proposed building about 57 times. That resulted in a stern warning from the ZBA chairman, who threatened ejection of anyone who spoke without permission going forward.

Stay tuned for the next ZBA meeting in Jan. 18, with stormwater and traffic issues likely on the agenda.

MORE: Wellesley’s affordable housing challenge (video)

Delanson Realty Partners will get a public hearing about its planned 90-unit 40B development project at the next Wellesley Zoning Board of Appeals meeting, set for Dec. 21 at 7:30pm at Town Hall.  Residents who have concerns about the Delanson Circle project are readying to have their say at the meeting, as they have at various town meetings about the slew of 40B projects proposed in Wellesley.

The proposed Wellesley Crossing project off of Linden Street gained public awareness over the summer and recently secured a key approval from the quasi-public Massachusetts Housing Partnership, which specified that “the site of the proposed Project is an appropriate location for residential development.” It says that the site is zoned for residential development, is within walking distance of assorted services (i.e., Linden Square shops), and is near public transportation. MHP found the developer’s revised plans, including one less story than originally proposed, to be acceptable. The project also appears to be a good bet to get financing, according to MHP.

Those opposed to the project, which would sit across from the Tailby parking lot for the Wellesley Square commuter rail station, say it will make traffic much worse and cause safety problems.

Here’s the latest on Wellesley 40B activity…

The envelope please…

Wellesley’s Board of Selectmen, Planing Board and Housing Development Corp., liked both consulting teams that bid to work on the town’s housing production plan, but unanimously wound up choosing the team of Barrett Planning LLC & JM Goldson community preservation + planning (Wellesley Public Media recorded the interview session if you’re interested in viewing).

Both teams had experience with other communities’ (Brookline, Bedford, etc.) housing production plans and put forth creative ways to engage with the Wellesley community during the process of assembling a plan designed to put the town more in control of its destiny on the affordable and other housing fronts. Judi Barrett, from the winning team, said during her interview that she always advises clients to seek advice from “3 people they love and 3 they cannot stand,” so be forewarned that you might fall into one of those categories if you wind up getting such a personal invitation for input from the town…

The winning bid, for $35K, was revealed in a semi-dramatic envelope opening (at about the 32-minute mark of video) that Planning chief Michael Zehner pulled off without one of those Oscar-like snafus. Town officials made their selection, though noted that they still needed to do some reference checking, etc., before finalizing their decision.

Assuming that all goes well, next up will be looking over a first draft of the plan, holding a public open house later this month, nailing down a final draft in January and then getting the Planning Board and Board of Selectmen to give the plan their final blessing in February or March. Once the plan is in place it would help set Wellesley on a course of boosting its affordable housing inventory on a regular basis that would satisfy state rules and help fend off 40B proposals that the town and residents find hostile.

Weston Road’s 40B proposal

The Planning Board and Board of Selectmen this past week publicly discussed the BoS’s draft letter of response to a local developer’s site eligibility application to build a 55-unit housing complex, with 11 of the rental units to be deemed affordable, at 148 Weston Rd. This 40B project, dubbed Wellesley Park, would be located in between a couple of homes in the North 40 area of town.

But the town has plenty of concerns about this project, too, with traffic impact being perhaps the largest, both in terms of how a project of this density could clog up Weston Road and neighboring streets. The town also has raised concerns about privacy infringement on neighbors, whose yards the project would bump right up against and hover over, and is disappointed by the lack of a public storm water plan.

A handful of neighbors spoke at the Planning Board meeting, airing their issues with the project (Wellesley Public Media recorded the meeting). One referred to the project as being “preposterous” and akin to plopping an aircraft carrier into the middle of Sturbridge Village. The project shows no concern for the people who live near it, he said, and would essentially trap neighbors in a traffic prison.

The Board of Selectmen will continue its review of the letter to MassHousing (a quasi-public outfit that oversees and funds affordable housing projects) at 8:35 pm on Monday, Nov. 27 at Town Hall.  Public comments are welcome, but residents are encouraged to submit comments in advance of the meeting to mjop@wellesleyma.gov

The proposed 40B project at Delanson Circle across from the Wellesley Square train station parking lot has received a key preliminary approval from a nonprofit outfit that works with the state to boost affordable housing production.

The proposed Wellesley Crossing project off of Linden Street gained public awareness over the summer — and was soon followed by a handful of other 40B plans that developers are looking to build out in light of Wellesley’s overall stock of affordable housing not being large enough by state standards. Under the 40B statute, builders get leeway on zoning rules in exchange for including affordable units in their projects.

Neighbors have argued that plunking down 90 rental units on Delanson Circle will create serious traffic and safety issues, as well as greatly change the feel of the neighborhood. The Massachusetts Housing Partnership, however, has given preliminary site eligibility approval, specifying that “the site of the proposed Project is an appropriate location for residential development.” It says that the site is zoned for residential development, is within walking distance of assorted services (i.e., Linden Square shops), and is near public transportation. MHP found the developer’s revised plans, including one less story than originally proposed, to be acceptable. The project also appears to be a good bet to get financing, according to MHP.

Only a few 40B proposals in recent years have been shot down by organizations like MHP that work with the state. The quasi-public MassHousing agency hasn’t rejected the site eligibility of proposed 40Bs at 680 Worcester St., and Stearns Road in Wellesley but has asked the developer to revise its plans.

MHP acknowledges that Wellesley, which is now working on a housing production plan and interviewing consultants this Friday, has taken steps in recent years to boost its affordable housing stock. But the fact remains that the town’s stock of affordable housing is below the 10% threshold sought by the state, and that makes it vulnerable to 40B proposals.

Meanwhile, the developer still has lots of work to to. It’s expected that a Comprehensive Permit plan will be submitted to the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals shortly. After that, there could be appeals, and the developer will need to sort out funding.

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Latest on 135 Great Plain Ave. 40B plan

Separately, the town has sent a letter to MassHousing regarding the proposed 40B development at 135 Great Plain Ave.  The town says that the architectural design of the 44-unit Great Plain project fits in, but has a list of questions regarding traffic impact, public safety (pedestrians/cyclists) and stormwater management. The town says the development, located near the Wellesley Recycling & Disposal Facility on Rte. 135,  would essentially double the size of the neighborhood.

The developer originally planned to build 12 separate homes but determined later that it would not be financially feasible.

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