N40 Charrette October 1, 2026

Select Board Chair Marjorie Freiman welcomed over 200 attendees to the North 40 Community Charrette and introduced town officials and staff in attendance.

• Attendance: Present were Select Board members Marjorie Freiman (Chair), Tom Ulfelder (Vice Chair), Colette Aufranc (Secretary), Beth Sullivan Woods, and Kenneth Largess. Also participating were Executive Director Meghan Jop, Assistant Executive Director Corey Testa, Fire Department leadership, and staff from Planning, Natural Resources, Sustainability, and Facilities Management.
• Fire Station Master Plan Clarifications:
  • Addressed resident correspondence expressing concern over the potential selection of the North 40 for a new fire station, quoting an email: "We are outraged about how the select board went about selecting this site for a new fire station. And going this far along without input from us, the taxpayers of this town."
  • Clarified that the Select Board has not selected a site for a new fire station and has not advanced the process without taxpayer input.
• Fire Service Needs Assessment:
  • Both existing fire stations are undersized and cannot accommodate modern apparatus, necessary firefighter health and safety measures, or decontamination spaces separating living quarters from contaminated gear.
  • Station 1 (Weston Road and Central Street) must be replaced, and Station 2 (Route 9) requires modest operational expansion.
  • Two stations are mandatory to maintain equitable four-minute response times across Wellesley.
• Site Evaluation and Next Steps:
  • A planning group screened potential town sites of 1.5 acres or larger against 14 objective criteria, narrowing the list to 12 candidate sites.
  • Two locations on the North 40 scored highest; a third parcel at 515 Washington Street (Morton Park, protected under Article 97) was also identified for preliminary fit testing.
  • The Select Board will decide in the coming months on which site or sites to advance into a formal feasibility study involving staff and residents.
  • Funding for feasibility will not be sought earlier than Annual Town Meeting.

Executive Director Meghan Jop presented a comprehensive overview of the North 40's acquisition history, legal and environmental restrictions, and municipal planning context.

• Acquisition and Financing History:
  • Wellesley acquired the 46-acre parcel from Wellesley College in January 2015 following a unanimous vote at Town Meeting for $35 million.
  • The purchase was intended to secure a long-term asset to provide choices for municipal needs rather than dedicated parkland.
  • Financing was divided: 13.12 acres funded through Community Preservation Act funds to be placed under permanent conservation restriction (anticipated to be held by the Wellesley Conservation Land Trust); 15.75 acres financed with taxable bonds to permit potential commercial or long-term lease uses (similar to 900 Worcester Street); and the remainder funded via tax-exempt municipal bonds.
• Fixed Site Constraints:
  • Activity and Use Limitation (AUL): Covers the historic municipal landfill used from 1955 to 1960. Permanent remediation restrictions prohibit any building, trail construction, or tree planting.
  • Purchase and Sale Requirements: Mandates that at least 50% of the entire property remain open space in perpetuity.
  • The "Southern Six" Acres: Parcel area south of the Cochituate Aqueduct must remain in existing conditions to safeguard the Wellesley College astronomy lab.
  • Access Restrictions: Prohibition against any vehicular access or roadways connecting through to Route 135 (Central Street).
  • Community Gardens: The original agreement required a three-year maintenance term; although licensed to residents beyond that period, indefinite operation is not legally mandated.
• Evolving Community Needs:
  • Housing: Identified needs include affordable housing, workforce housing, and specialized community-based housing for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The Wellesley Affordable Housing Trust continues to study 156 Weston Road.
  • Recreation: Ongoing need for rectangular athletic playing fields and youth-requested amenities such as a bicycle pump track.
  • Arts and Community Space: Studies since 2018 have identified deficits in performing arts facilities, black box theaters, rehearsal spaces, and community meeting rooms.
  • Municipal Space: Displacement of municipal departments from leased facilities at 888 Worcester Street requires town attention, alongside fire facility planning.

Executive Director Jop outlined the instructions and parameters for the collaborative working session.

• Exercise Structure:
  • Attendees worked at assigned tables with base maps showing fixed legal constraints (AUL landfill zone, Southern Six, conservation areas, and roadway access restrictions).
  • Tables were supplied with scaled cutouts of potential uses—including playing fields, arts centers (scaled to the Tolles Parsons Center footprint), housing configurations, open spaces, and fire department facilities.
• Deliverables and Reporting:
  • Participants were instructed to discuss trade-offs, test layout ideas, and paste their chosen configurations onto the map.
  • Each table completed a record sheet capturing key choices made, rationale, trade-offs accepted, and any dissenting viewpoints.
  • Staff from Planning, Fire, Sustainability, and Facilities circulated to provide technical support, with completed maps collected at 8:15 PM to inform ongoing town planning.