Select Board April 21, 2026

• Date: April 21, 2026
• Governing Body: Select Board
• Meeting Type: Regular Session
• Attendees: Marjorie Freiman (Chair), Tom Ulfelder (Vice Chair), Colette Aufranc (Secretary), Beth Sullivan Woods, Kenneth Largess, Corey Testa (Assistant Executive Director), Tom Harrington (Town Counsel), and Eric Russell (Town Counsel).

The Board officially called for a Special Town Meeting to address the 40 Oakland Street property.

• Meeting Date: Monday, May 11, 2026, at 7:00 PM.
• Location: Wellesley High School, 50 Rice Street.
• Warrant Dates: The warrant opened on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, and closed on Friday, April 24, 2026, at 9:00 AM.
• Motions: Electronic motions are due to the Select Board office by Tuesday, April 28, 2026, at 8:00 PM.
• Vote Outcome: The motion passed unanimously (5-0).

Town Counsel Tom Harrington presented draft language for Article 2, intended to provide the Board with non-binding advice from Town Meeting. The draft established two 'bookends' for discussion:

1. Option A (Negotiation): Advising the Board to pursue an agreement for 180 units of housing on 7-8 acres in exchange for a permanent conservation restriction on the remaining 37-38 acres.
2. Option B (Litigation): Pursuing litigation against the Commonwealth to declare the land not legally available for housing and to limit development.

Board Discussion Points:

• Beth Sullivan Woods expressed extreme discomfort with including specific acreage (7-8 acres) and unit counts (180) in the warrant, arguing it surrendered negotiating leverage. She stated, 'I am extraordinarily uncomfortable putting out an acreage that is almost twice the size of the parking lot.'
• Kenneth Largess proposed alternative, broader language to allow Town Meeting to provide guidance on 'priorities, process, alternatives and next steps' rather than a binary choice. He raised concerns that discussing litigation strategy in an open session was a 'false choice' that set the town up for failure.
• Tom Ulfelder and Marjorie Freiman supported the specific language, arguing it provided a 'truthful, realistic expectation' of the town's current options given the Commonwealth's refusal to move off the 180-unit requirement.
• Financial Impact: The Board noted that pursuing litigation would require a supplemental authorization for the FY27 legal budget, potentially costing hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Official Action:

• Motion: To approve the warrant language for Article 2 as drafted and presented by Town Counsel.
• Vote Outcome: Passed 4-1.
  • Ayes: Marjorie Freiman, Tom Ulfelder, Colette Aufranc, Kenneth Largess.
  • Nays: Beth Sullivan Woods.

Several residents provided feedback on the proposed warrant and the 40 Oakland Street project:

• Jean Mayell (27 Seaver Street): Supported litigation and argued the land should be protected under Article 97. She stated, 'I personally would prefer to vote on litigating.'
• Mark Bellis (Oakland Circle): Recommended using broader warrant language and suggested that if the 'goalpost' approach was used, the Board should explicitly label them as parameters to avoid the appearance of a binary choice.
• Patty Quigley (Precinct D): Questioned the lack of a visioning session and expressed concern that the A/B choice was a 'marketing strategy' that limited Town Meeting's input. She asked, 'Whenever you see a one and a two, you think you're voting on one and two... is that not what we're voting on?'

The meeting was adjourned following the vote on the warrant language. The Board will meet again on Thursday, April 23, 2026, to discuss specific motion language.