Wellesley PSC reviews Abutter Lot Sales draft, weighs expanding program beyond tax-title parcels

The Wellesley Select Board Policy Subcommittee reviewed a draft Abutter Lot Sales policy on April 23 and asked staff to refine the draft language before returning it for further review.

Mike Thompson, the town’s GIS Manager, joined the meeting to explain the mapping and records-based process used to identify potentially eligible parcels. Staff said the draft was modeled on a Littleton program and originally focused on small parcels acquired through tax-title proceedings; members discussed whether to broaden the policy to apply to Town-owned land more generally and recommended replacing the term “lots” with “parcels” throughout the document.

Town Counsel Eric Reustle explained that parcels valued at $35,000 or less are not subject to mandatory competitive bidding requirements under state procurement rules, and that threshold is determined by valuation rather than the offer price. Members asked staff to add language addressing how to handle competing or substantially higher offers, noting the Select Board should retain discretion to accept the proposal that best serves the Town’s interests. The PSC also requested technical edits to pricing, payment terms, fees and transaction-cost provisions and encouraged staff to coordinate the policy with other town departments and legal requirements—including delinquent tax handling, permit issuance, and encroachment remediation—before returning the draft to the PSC.