Wellesley Planning Board Continues Washington Street Permit, Debates State ADU Law Changes

WELLESLEY -- July 13, 2026, Wellesley Planning Board continues a Washington Street special permit and debates state zoning overhaul at its July 13 meeting. The three-member board, Chair Marc Charney, Vice Chair Thomas Taylor, and Member James Roberti, lacked the four-vote supermajority needed to act on the inclusionary zoning special permit for 26 Washington Street, voting 3-0 to push the item to July 27. The board also heard a returning presentation from developer Dean Barron and architect Michael McKay on a proposed 15-unit, 35-foot condominium at 136 Worcester Street, with board members pressing the team for written legal authority on paper-street land calculations and the exact bylaw name of the zoning district being sought. New Planning Director Rob Wachilla, in his first week on the job, briefed the board on seven Chapter 40A amendments tucked into the state FY27 budget bill, including use variances now permissible to advance housing creation and a Section 6 change that could allow additions to undersized lots by right, without ZBA review, if the existing structure meets setback, height, and story requirements. A dispute over a five-foot ADU setback at 365 Weston Road, where abutters are challenging a building permit issued under the least-restrictive accessory-structure rule, was forwarded to the ZBA without Planning Board comment. The board's planning retreat is set for August 5.