Large Redevelopment Proposed For Wellesley Office Park

WELLESLEY, MA — While years away, changes could be coming to the Wellesley Office Park right off of Route 9 on the Wellesley-Newton line.

Representatives from office park owner John Hancock and the Hanover Company met with the Wellesley Board of Selectmen Monday to discuss plans for a redevelopment of the property which would turn the all-business area into a place where people could live and work.

“It’s a 9 to 5 environment. No one is there in the evenings, no one is there on the weekends. We always thought there was an opportunity to do better than that,” Rob Maulden, managing director for real estate for John Hancock told the board.

Early plans for the site call for one building to be used for rentals and a second to be used for either rentals or condo units, or possibly a hotel. Offerings such as new offices, on-site amenities, cafe, and a small market are being considered.

Peter Tam, an attorney for the project, said the retail component would not be destination-style, rather it would exist for the people on-site.

Project officials told the board that they don't expect the redevelopment to add many kids or traffic to Wellesley. David Hall of the Hanover Company said that a similar project in Westwood had 34 kids in 350 apartments while the Charles River Landing in Needham has 25-30 kids in a similarly sized building.

"They just don’t attract as many children as you might expect. We won’t flood your schools with kids," Hall said.

Hall added that he expects a trickle of traffic, with future residents leaving when office workers are arriving.

Selectmen Vice-Chair Jack Morgan said he appreciated the approach.

"I personally think this is a great, a spectacular site for mixed-residential/office space," he said.

Chairperson Ellen Gibbs said this would be a chance to create a model for affordable and moderate-income housing while Selectman Marjorie Freiman called the potential hotel, "an attractive feature."

"I do find there are a lot of residents who have visitors and we have many colleges. Housing for visitors is kinda limited around here," Freiman said.

The project remains in the early phases and some approvals from Town Meeting and the zoning board of appeals will be needed. Tam said that the first building won't be ready to open until 2021 and that's only if everything goes perfectly.

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