Wellesley Planning Board Unanimously Approves FAR Permit for 26 Washington Street Bank

WELLESLEY — June 29, 2026 — Wellesley Planning Board approves FAR special permit for Lower Falls bank building, defers affordable-housing permit to July. The board voted 4-0 Monday to approve a special permit under zoning bylaws section 2.11 for a 15,343-square-foot commercial bank building at 26 Washington Street in the Lower Falls Village Commercial District, accepting findings from a May 14 staff memo by Planning Director Brad Downing. A related Inclusionary Zoning special permit for the same site was continued to July 13 pending resolution of an outstanding dollar amount. Chair Marc Charney confirmed that a travel-lane feasibility question raised at prior sessions had been resolved after consultation with town engineer Dave Hickey, who concurred with the applicant's traffic analysis. Vice Chair Thomas Taylor was absent from the four-member quorum. In his chair's report, Charney announced the town's new Planning Director begins July 8 and that the board's annual retreat is set for August 5, where leadership elections are expected to be held.