Assisted living proposal on Natick-Wellesley line is scrapped. Why developers backed out
A proposal to build a 130-unit assisted living facility on the Natick-Wellesley line has been withdrawn from each town's upcoming Town Meeting, amid strong public criticism of the project.
The proposal, brought forth by Ohio-based Welltower, called for construction of the facility on a piece of land in Natick containing a 10,000-square-foot mansion, but with a driveway entering it from 200 Pond Road in Wellesley.
But last Friday, a letter was sent from the project group to the Wellesley Select Board requesting that a proposed zoning change, which was set to be Article 43 at Town Meeting on March 25, be withdrawn. A similar notice was sent to Natick, were a few zoning changes were proposed for Town Meeting starting in April.
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Peter D'Agostino, a spokesperson for Tenax Strategies, a consultant working with Welltower, confirmed to the Daily News that the group is no longer pursuing the project.
"As we have navigated the hearing process, it is clear there isn’t sufficient support for the zoning amendments," D'Agostino said. "What we clearly demonstrated is that assisted living and memory care are needed in both communities, and we look forward to working with the towns to address that need; however, we do not plan to resubmit zoning changes for an assisted living and memory care community at 200 Pond Road."
Permitting was required in both Natick and Wellesley
Because the project impacted land in both Wellesley and Natick, the developer was required to propose zoning changes in both communities in order to get permitted.
In Wellesley, the proposal sought to change zoning bylaws to allow for private commercial entities to utilize roads in residential neighborhoods, such as Pond Road, for private business purposes.
"What they were looking at is to add another section to the single residence district, and it would allow for the use of land to access utilities for assisted living or elderly housing on abutting properties," Wellesley Director of Planning Eric Arbeene told the Daily News. "They can't just access a commercial entity through a residential community (as the law currently stands)."
In Natick, several zoning changes were proposed that would allow for the creation of an assisted living facility in a district that was zoned only for single-family residential units.
The various proposals faced strong opposition in both Wellesley and Natick, with several groups organizing and speaking out about the issue.
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A petition started by one group, Preserve Pond Road, had collected more than 9,000 signatures through Monday.
On Feb. 28, the Wellesley Advisory Committee, a town committee that vets Town Meeting articles, voted 11-2 in recommending an unfavorable action concerning Article 43.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Proposed assisted living facility for Natick, Wellesley is withdrawn
