Housing articles appear aimed at Wellesley’s annual town meeting

At least a few housing-related items appear to be aimed at Wellesley’s annual town meeting in the spring.

This would follow last fall’s special municipal meeting, which approved motions regarding the MBTA Communities plan and I voted against those concerning zoning changes that could have paved the way for multifamily developments in Lower Falls.

The Wellesley Housing Development Corp. was established in 1998 with the mission “to sponsor and assist in the development of affordable housing opportunities for low-, moderate-, and middle-income persons in the City of Wellesley in order to implement the City’s affordable housing policy.” city ​​”. The named body, which has been reconstituted in recent years with an active roster of members, is mobilizing to convince the town meeting to approve a change in the organization that would make it an affordable housing trust with much more flexibility for move things forward (a proposal to do so in 2021 was postponed; the advisory committee, which reviews Town Meeting papers, voted adverse action 9-4). The Housing Development Corp. attempted to address all of the concerns raised a few years ago by the Select Board and other city agencies by making a new speech.

The Housing Development Corp. is also seeking approval from the Town Meeting for a zoning change that could pave the way for the construction of two duplexes with a total of four affordable units on Weston Road.

The designated municipal body recently discussed its strategy at its November 21 meeting (view Wellesley Media recording), then at the December 2 planning committee meeting (view Wellesley Media recording). The Housing Development Corp. is on the Agenda of the Board of Directors for December 3as he hopes to secure joint sponsorship for his proposed items from the planning and selection boards.

At the Dec. 2 Planning Board meeting, Micah O’Neill of Wellesley Housing Development Corp. explained the reasons for the conversion to a trust, notably that the current organization is set up unlike those of 140 to 150 communities which operate on the basis of a law adopted in 2005. “What we are really trying to do is is to somehow integrate Wellesley into the way communities currently manage and oversee affordable housing. »

Current challenges for the Wellesley organization are that it cannot seek federal funds, cannot invite developers to redevelop properties and faces restrictions on receiving monetary or real estate gifts. The change could, for example, allow the agency to work with the Wellesley Housing Authority to bring developers to redesign and redevelop the Barton Road public housing property by accessing more than just limited public funds. The Housing Development Corp. currently has about $1 million from the Community Preservation Committee and other sources.

Having the freedom to not wait for City Meeting approval to make purchases would allow the Housing Development Corp. to take advantage of opportunities more quickly, said Executive Director Meghan Jop.

Although the proposed change would give the company more flexibility, controls would remain for certain activities. Board approval, for example, would be required for large transactions, but members of the Housing Development Corp. argue that more typical activities would involve relatively small amounts of money. The group would continue to hold public meetings and be audited annually.

In addition to the question of reorganization, the city is rethinking how to manage its property located at 156 Weston Road. along the Property North 40 acquired by the town of Wellesley College. The city originally sought to rehabilitate the house and make it available for rental as affordable housing, but ran into various red tape. Wellesley Housing Corp. is now seeking approval to rezone the property and an adjacent parcel as part of a general residential district with the idea of ​​building two duplexes that would be offered as affordable housing (the existing house at 156 Weston Rd ., may or may not survive, depending on the difficulty of rehabilitation). “We think the landscape and scale of the two buildings and properties would be very consistent with the current streetscape, so it would not deter the current neighborhood,” O’Neil said. (Neighbors were to be notified of the Planning Board and other meetings on this topic, according to discussion at the Housing Development Corp.’s Nov. 21 meeting.)

There would be various financing and construction options on the site, from Habitat for Humanity to developers building in other parts of the city who need to obtain credit for affordable housing as well as part negotiations with the city.

While there are broader discussions to be had about the North 40 itself, the Housing Development Corp. is currently focusing on these specific plots.

The Planning Board is seeking to vote on these issues on December 16, before the End of term of the annual municipal meeting on December 18.

Wellesley is currently working with a consulting firm on a strategic housing plan as it balances local efforts to provide more and diverse housing with rules imposed by the state through the MBTA Communities Act.

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