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How did 40 acres of forested land, so valuable to our Town and environment, end up for sale to finance a new building? 

MassBay has added 45 acres of land - outlined in red below - to the Surplus Land Inventory, to be sold to a developer and used through the new Affordable Homes Act (AHA)

This land is directly adjacent to Centennial Reservation's 40 acres. 

This is a State-sponsored project which does not go through the Town's normal zoning and approval process. 

State land to be sold outlined in "red" above.
Map is hand illustrated, lines are approximate. 

• The "top half" of what we think of as Centennial Reservation is actually owned by the State
• Combined these 80 acres are the largest forested lands in Wellesley - an amazing natural resource, providing clean air and water, stormwater capture, wildlife habitat, and recreation
• Massive construction and development would erode this natural resource. 
• Proceeds from the land sale will partially fund a new $75 Million dollar academic building on the main campus at 50 Oakland Street.
• New location, costs and phasing of the 650 students parking spaces are unknown.
• The sale value of the land to a developer is unknown.
• The date for the issuance of an RFP (Request for Proposal) to developers is unknown. 
• Whether the 180 units can be clustered on the parking lot is unknown. 

The State's new Affordable Homes Act allows "by right" zoning, and limits a municipality's ability to control the permitting. It stipulates a minimum of 180 units to be built "by right" on this 45 acre parcel. (4 units per acre), and fastracks development. DCAMM and EOHLC* have informed the Town that this project is on a fast timeline, yet we know no details about the project. 

*DCAMM: Department of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance

*EOHLC: Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities

WHAT CAN YOU DO?! 

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Contact the following officials and agencies regarding the MassBay Land Sale and Proposed Development at 40 Oakland Street:

1. Governor Maura Healy Contact Form

2. DCAMM (Department Capital Management and Maintenance) at realestate.dcamm@mass.gov

3. Michael Feloney, DCAMM: Michael.Feloney@mass.gov

4. Edward Augustus, Massachusetts Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities: ed.augustus@mass.gov

5. Tom O’Shea: tom.oshea@mass.gov

6. Rebecca L. Tepper: Rebecca.l.Tepper@mass.gov Secretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

7. Melissa Hoffer: melissa.hoffer@mass.gov Climate Chief of Massachusetts

8. David Podell, MassBayPresident: dpodell@massbay.edu

9. MassBay Trustees via Jeremy Solomon, MassBayCommunications: jsolomon@massbay.edu

and, Copy our elected officials:

1. Wellesley Select Board: Sel@WellesleyMa.gov

2. State Rep. Alice Peisch: Alice.Peisch@mahouse.gov

3. State Senator Cynthia Creem: Cynthia.Creem@masenate.gov

4. Wellesley Planning Department: planning@wellesleyma.gov

5. Wellesley Natural Resources Commission: nrc@wellelseyma.gov

Article 97 of the Massachusetts Constitution is a state law that protects the right to a clean environment and specifies that certain public lands, designated for conservation, recreation, or agriculture, cannot be disposed of or have their use changed without meeting strict legal requirements. The MassBay State-owned 40 acres are not designated as being protected under Article 97, unlike adjacent Centennial Reservation. 

This map from the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs evaluates this land as "Prime Forest Land." The pink lines are Hiking Wilderness Trails with a 10 meter buffer.  The map is entitled: Article 97 Natural Resource Site Evaluation. 

TAKE A DEEPER DIVE:

• Town Project Website

• MassBay Slide Presentation to Select Board

• affordable-homes-act-section-122

• Wellesley Property Added to Inventory of State Land to be Used for New Housing

• State Land for Homes, Upcoming Parcels

• Gov. Healey unveils plan to cut environmental rules to fast-track housing development

• Healy-Driscoll Administration Launches Nation-Leading Plan to Protect Nature and Wildlife