Letter: Demand accountability on Wellesley Street rezoning

I live across from the wooded hillside that could soon hold a 215 unit complex. I will fiercely advocate for low and middle income seniors to have equitable options to age, but his plan fails them.

Our senior housing bylaw would allow 42 homes here. This proposal asks for five times that density, up to 57 feet, with over triple the building size current zoning allows, constructing the second-largest building in Weston. Minor architectural updates cannot mask reality: this immense massing is something the developer cannot easily fix without reducing unit count.

When asked about monthly rents, an HYM representative provided a rough estimate of $8,000, with final costs varying widely by unit type. A minimal 10% affordability threshold means this project is a corporate windfall, not housing for a longtime neighbor on a fixed income.

We are warned that saying no invites a predatory Chapter 40B project. But weaponizing fear to rush a permanent zoning change is a poor way to govern. Accepting a weak, unvetted deal today out of fear of an unproven hypothetical tomorrow is a failed negotiation strategy. Meanwhile, the developer’s offer of the off-site “Parcel 3” to sweeten the deal remains highly questionable given its restrictions between MWRA setbacks and active wetlands.

The town is rushing ahead without complete due diligence. Advancing this up-zoning without a finalized Municipal Impact Analysis, a public traffic peer review, or an independent financial analysis leaves voters in an informational vacuum. Further, we lack critical peer reviews on stormwater, tree canopy clearing, soil contamination, and Parcel 3 ‘buildability’.

If Town Meeting passes this text, the leverage of a public process is gone; design modifications move to more narrow administrative reviews and never return to residents for a vote. Please attend board meetings and demand accountability.

Ken Morrison, Wellesley Street