Select Board sends 40 Oakland Street to Town Meeting as three-way advisory vote

WELLESLEY -- April 27, 2026, Wellesley Select Board sets three-way advisory vote on 40 Oakland Street for May 11 Town Meeting. The board voted 5-0, on a motion by Secretary Colette Aufranc and seconded by Vice Chair Tom Ulfelder, to approve motion language letting Town Meeting choose between accepting the Commonwealth's framework, negotiating a broader package, or proceeding directly to litigation over the MassBay Community College parcel. The state's framework, outlined in an April 13 letter from Housing Secretary Juana Matias, would put 180 units on seven to eight acres and place a conservation restriction on roughly 37 to 38 acres. A companion warrant article seeks $900,000 from free cash for FY27 "legal and related professional services" tied to the site, on top of $200,000 already appropriated in FY26. Resident Ann-Mara Lanza called the state's preservation offer "an extraordinary gift"; the Wellesley Conservation Land Trust has retained the Hill Law Firm to test Article 97 protection.