Wellesley Town Meeting
Town of Wellesley 
525 Washington St, 
Wellesley, MA 02482

May 5, 2026

Dear Wellesley Town Meeting Members,

Wellesley has an important decision ahead of it, one that could shape the future of three areas that we all cherish about this special community: people, open space and education.

I write today on behalf of the Charles River Regional Chamber and our member businesses to urge your support for the Commonwealth’s plans for a portion of MassBay Community College campus that benefits all three of these areas. We urge you to support Option A at the Special Town Meeting on May 11.

Option A is not perfect. We’ve been listening closely to the discussion about this project since it first surfaced last June. We respect the concerns raised about traffic, environmental impact, design and local impact. Those issues deserve continued attention, but we believe they should be addressed through negotiation and collaboration, not litigation or efforts to reduce the number of housing units.

Option A best affirms the full promise of this proposal and opens the door for continued collaboration with the state. It best preserves the full opportunity: Up to 180 homes, permanent protection of at least 37 acres of open space and investment in MassBay while allowing continued negotiation on traffic,  environmental impact, design and local impact.

This is an extraordinary opportunity for Wellesley and offer the following reasons why it is worthy of your support.

Why this matters

Wellesley's housing shortage isn't a policy abstraction. It's the young professional who grew up here but can't afford to stay. It's the senior who wants to downsize but has nowhere to go. It's the employer who loses talent because workers can't find a place to live nearby. It’s the toy shop that closes because the number of local children is shrinking.

The numbers tell a sobering story. The number of Wellesley's young professionals has declined by more than 3,100 since 1990. The population under age 20 is projected to fall by nearly 9% by 2050. More than half of the town's moderate-income renters are cost-burdened. Well over half of those who work in Wellesley commute more than 10 miles.

This is not due to a lack of demand. It is a function of limited supply. More than 80% of Wellesley’s housing stock is single-family. Of those, 63.6% of owner-occupied homes have four or more bedrooms. However, nearly half of Wellesley’s households are one- or two-person households. 

Creating more multi-family housing creates new options for young adults and new families, but also creates downsizing opportunities for seniors. When seniors downsize, they open new opportunities for families to move into existing single-family homes and enjoy the experience of growing here as past generations of Wellesley families have.

Multifamily housing like that proposed at 40 Oakland Street directly addresses these gaps, welcoming those who would cherish an opportunity to live here and allowing longtime residents to remain in the community they love.

What's actually on the table

The state has the legal authority under the 2024 Affordable Homes Act to build housing on any property it deems surplus — including MassBay Forest. While some are urging the town to contest whether the forest is surplus, only a property owner can determine whether their property is surplus. The state’s ownership of the property is not in question.

Instead, the Commonwealth is offering something remarkable: limit development primarily to an existing parking lot, permanently protect at least 37 acres of open space and fund critical upgrades to MassBay's campus — in exchange for 180 units of housing.

This framework should be treated as an opening for partnership, not a reason to retreat into litigation.

The state’s offer to save MassBay Forest may never be repeated. Rejecting or significantly weakening that offer doesn't save the forest. It just excludes the Town from the negotiating table.

On traffic, environmental impact and design

We share some of the concerns we’ve heard about traffic, environmental impact and design. These are valid issues. But they are best addressed through a collaborative process with the state and the eventual developer. By working together, Wellesley retains a meaningful role in shaping mitigation strategies, influencing site design and ensuring the project reflects local priorities.

It's also worth noting, however, that MassBay's on-campus activity has already changed significantly. Online courses now represent roughly 40% of the college's offerings. Peak enrollment between 2010 and 2012 exceeded today's levels by more than 700 students per semester. The campus has operated at a higher intensity than it does now.  These shifts suggest that the net impact on traffic may be less than assumed. 

MassBay has stated that it can meet future parking demand without the lot at 40 Oakland Street and is actively planning for that future. The college has every incentive to ensure its campus continues to function effectively.

Why Option A, not B and certainly not C

We understand the appeal of Option B. The instinct to negotiate harder is understandable. But Option B includes one provision that could undermine the entire opportunity:  it calls for reducing the number of units "to the greatest degree possible." That's not a negotiating posture, given that the state has said the number of units is not on the table.

As Advisory Committee member and former judge Doug Wilkins said plainly: Option B's call to reduce units is "a dealbreaker for me…there is no way we will get the state to budge."

He's right. Pursuing unit reductions risks blowing up the very collaboration needed to address the real concerns about traffic and design. 

Option C — litigation — is the path Milton took against the MBTA Communities Act. We know how that ended: costly, time-consuming and ultimately unsuccessful. 

What a yes vote on A means

A vote for Option A is a vote to protect at least 37 acres of cherished open space — forever.

It's a vote to create 180 homes for young families, working adults and seniors who want to stay in or move to Wellesley.

It's a vote to invest in MassBay Community College, which trains workers in healthcare, cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing and IT — fields critical to the regional economy and to keeping businesses rooted here.

And it's a vote to be the kind of community that says yes when the right opportunity comes along — rather than one that lets fear of change define its future.

The state has made Wellesley a serious offer. It protects what we love. It builds what we need. It funds what matters.

We urge Town Meeting to seize this opportunity to protect open space, create much-needed housing, and engage constructively with a willing partner.  Your vote for option A is the clearest path to achieving those goals.

Sincerely,

Greg Reibman

President & CEO 

Charles River Chamber

117 Kendrick St., Suite 300, Needham, MA 02494