Wellesley Select Board approves Special Town Meeting warrant language after split vote over 40 Oakland Street options

WELLESLEY, Mass. — On April 21, 2026, the Wellesley Select Board voted 3-2 to approve Special Town Meeting (STM) warrant language that presents two contrasting advisory approaches for the Commonwealth—s proposal concerning land at 40 Oakland Street.

Town Counsel Thomas Harrington presented Article 2 as a nonbinding advisory question offering two ‘‘bookends’’ for Town Meeting Members to consider: Option A would advise pursuing an agreement with the Commonwealth under which roughly 180 housing units would be built on about 7 to 8 acres in exchange for a conservation restriction, held by the Town, preserving roughly 37 to 38 acres for passive recreation; Option B would advise pursuing litigation to seek a declaration that some or all of the land is not legally available for housing and to limit construction to the greatest extent feasible, Harrington said.

Select Board Chair Marjorie Freiman said the core issue is whether the Town's priority is preserving the forested portion of the parcel and whether that goal could be achieved under a negotiated agreement. Board member Beth Sullivan Woods objected to publishing specific acreage figures in Option A, saying she was uncomfortable putting out numbers that appeared to eliminate negotiating leverage and that the framing created a false binary between accepting housing or litigating. Kenneth Largess offered proposed alternative language intended to preserve flexibility and avoid strategic risk, arguing broader parameters would allow Town Meeting to give more meaningful direction.

Three residents spoke during the public comment portion. Jeanne Mayell of Seaver Street urged the Board to pursue litigation and questioned whether the land could be protected under Article 97 given its historical use. Mark Bellis of Oakland Circle backed Largess—s broader language and urged that, if the Board kept the counsel-drafted options, they be labeled clearly as ‘‘parameters’’ rather than binary choices. Patricia Quigley of Fairbanks Avenue asked how executive session material would be shared with Town Meeting Members and whether a visioning session might provide more nuanced public input.

After debate about the merits of narrower, bounded language versus broader, open-ended language and discussion of Open Meeting Law limits on discussing litigation, the Board voted to approve the warrant language as drafted in the meeting packet. The motion to approve was made by Colette Aufranc and seconded by Thomas Ulfelder; the vote was Aufranc — Aye, Freiman — Aye, Largess — No, Sullivan Woods — No, Ulfelder — Aye (3-2).

Earlier in the meeting the Board unanimously (5-0) voted to call a Special Town Meeting for Monday, May 11, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. in the Wellesley High School auditorium (50 Rice Street), to open the warrant on April 21 and to close it at 9:00 a.m. on April 24; motions for STM are due electronically to the Select Board office by 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 28. The Board noted the state response deadline of May 13 and that an RFP is expected in July, which influenced the decision to frame the warrant language so Town Meeting could provide timely advisory direction.

Following the vote, Sullivan Woods asked whether the language could be amended to soften its binary framing; Freiman responded that, by procedure, amendments must be offered at the time a motion is made and seconded. The Board scheduled the Advisory Committee to meet April 22 and planned additional Select Board discussion of STM motion language on April 23 and April 27.

The meeting adjourned at 8:10 p.m.