On June 18th, a public meeting was held to introduce the new Housing Task Force established by the Town to review the 2019 Wellesley Unified Plan on Housing. This meeting was led by a member of Barrett Planning Group, the group that won the RFP to help analyze and develop a housing plan comprised of a range of housing types to address the “housing shortage in Massachusetts.”

 

This Task force had been meeting for several months unbeknownst to most residents. The Task Force was created to help propose future changes on how Wellesley responds to a need for housing diversity. After much persuading, Katie Schuller was invited to sit on this task force as the representative from Neighbors for Better Planning along with a representative from The Friends of Brookside. Neighbors position is that the Town/Task Force needs broader representation with all Town resident’s ideas recognized for an active discourse at the table.

 

Katie Schuller participated in two (2) task force meetings so far. Meetings are currently monthly. Here, is a link to the Wellesley Town website which all readers are encouraged to visit to learn more. In 2019, the Town voted to rezone certain commercially zoned Wellesley areas to accommodate multi-family living opportunities. Neighbors supports the current zoning changes agreed upon in this vote. There are rational reasons for this: 1) These areas are often close to public transportation. 2) These areas are within walking distance to pharmacies and shopping. 3) This rezoning of commercial areas allows Wellesley to maintain its single-family nature while incorporating housing diversity into our Town.

 

The Task Force is preparing a questionnaire to all Town Residents asking about their appetite and attitude for changing the current single-family zoning and what type of housing would be acceptable in the future in Wellesley. Please complete this questionnaire if you receive one. Please access the Town website if you wish to participate and need to find where these questionaries may be available. Your comments will influence the Task Force’s recommendations.

 

Here is the Town’s position regarding housing shortages in Wellesley:

 

The Town’s position is that it is now actively planning for its economic future with a focus on housing. Wellesley is in compliance with Massachusetts's 40B & MBTA Statute. The creation of this Housing Task Force is a pre-emptive act to address what some see as a lack of diverse housing opportunities in Wellesley. As stated on the Town’s website, The Town of Wellesley is taking a strategic approach to creating and developing a range of housing types in Wellesley, such as affordable housing, senior housing and “missing middle” and to strengthening its commitment to Fair Housing.