Design Review Board approves revised Albion Road plan

Design Review Board · Meeting of October 21, 2026

Wellesley's Design Review Board approved revised plans for a large house at 35 Albion Road after the applicant removed a planned pool and agreed to shrink a retaining wall. Vice Chair Iris Lin had objected that the pool and wall system violated design guidelines requiring landscaping to be "preserved in its natural state," and architect Chris Russ confirmed the team dropped the pool that afternoon. The board also approved sign permits for Love Care Pet Grooming at 868 Worcester Street, Degree Wellness at 51 Church Street, and Carly's convenience store at 46 Washington Street, the latter conditioned on changing proposed 24-inch black letters to dark charcoal.

A fourth sign application, for a business called Wonder at 56 Central Street, was withdrawn. The Planning Department has begun hiring a new planner amid an ongoing staffing shortage.

In the full story:

• Call to Order and Roll Call
• 868 Worcester Street: Love Care Pet Grooming Sign Permit (DRB-26-56)
• 56 Central Street: Wonder Sign Permit and Minor Construction (DRB-26-57, DRB-26-58)
• 51 Church Street: Degree Wellness Sign Permit (DRB-26-61)
• 46 Washington Street: Carly's Special Sign Permit and Minor Construction (DRB-26-62, DRB-26-63)
• 35 Albion Road: Large House Review (LHR-26-09)
• Minutes Approval and Staffing Update
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,634 words

Source: the Design Review Board meeting of October 21, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.