At the October 14 forum on the Wellesley Square Improvement Project, one attendee who lives near the Square described the drive over to Roche Bros. as "going around the Mulberry bush." The Swellesley Report reported that she came to have her voice heard on congestion.
She came at a useful time. Wellesley Square has not been rebuilt since 1997. The design that replaces it is being drawn this winter, one meeting at a time, and the order of those meetings matters. First comes the layout of the intersections. Streetscape and amenities follow, and the Select Board finalizes the design in early spring. Only after that does a construction request go to Town Meeting, in 2027 or 2028. By the time Town Meeting members vote, they will be voting on a finished design. The most practical time to shape it is the next few weeks.
A 1997 street, reaching the end of a five-phase plan
The project is the last step in a long plan. When the Board of Public Works brought it to the 2024 Annual Town Meeting as Article 23, it called the Square streetscape Phase 5 of a plan to repave Washington Street and Central Street from the Newton town line to Weston Road. Phases 1 through 4 were finished as of FY20. The article asked for $600,000 to hire a consultant to design the project, run public engagement, finalize specifications and help with bidding and construction oversight. The Swellesley Report reported that Town Meeting approved it 187 to 20.
The 2024 presentation listed what is wearing out, and it reads like a walk down Central Street.
| What the town listed | Where you see it |
|---|---|
| Pavement past its useful life | The travel lanes along Central and Washington |
| Brick crosswalks and brick banding on sidewalks | The decorative brick at the crossings and along the sidewalks |
| Lighted bollards, streetlights, pedestrian lights | Along the sidewalks and at the corners |
| Pedestrian and car conflicts, traffic calming | The main signalized intersections |
| MBTA parking | Around the commuter rail station |
| Pedestrian and ADA access, bike accommodations | Curbs, ramps and crossings |
| Signage, drainage, benches, trees, barrels | The full length of the corridor |
The Select Board has organized the work around five stakeholder interests: safety, mobility, public spaces, traffic and parking, and architectural elements.
The study area is defined precisely. In this project, "Wellesley Square" runs from the Washington Street and Wellesley Avenue intersection to the Central Street and Weston Road intersection, and includes Church Street and part of Grove Street. According to the town's September announcement, Toole Design and BETA Group are collecting and analyzing existing-conditions data for the design. BETA has worked on this corridor before. Its project page describes an earlier Wellesley Square and Central Street master plan, with three signalized intersections carrying about 20,000 vehicles a day, and proposed crosswalk neckdowns, better pedestrian signals and special crosswalk paving.
What October put on the map
The listening phase drew a modest crowd. By mid-October, more than 100 people had filled out the public survey and about two dozen businesses had met with the project team. Just over 30 people came to the October 14 forum at Hunnewell Elementary, many of them town staff and consultants. Wellesley Media posted video of the presentations.
The Swellesley Report summed up the top themes plainly. Businesses do not want to lose parking, the main intersections feel dangerous, and there is interest in more places to spend time outdoors, on sidewalks or in parklets. Most of the evening was a hands-on workshop, where attendees marked up large maps and left sticky notes. According to the paper, the specific places people pointed to included:
- The five-way crossing on Washington Street, between the church and the corner where Anderson's Jewelers sits
- The public space near the post office, and whether it could be put to better use
- The roundabout drive to Roche Bros. through the Square's one-way pattern
- Parking geometry, where one attendee suggested oversized pull-in spaces that avoid parallel parking, and others pointed out that larger spaces mean fewer of them. A tiered garage came up too, along with its cost
- The commuter rail station, which one attendee said could use an actual station building, along with long-running questions about where the platform accessibility ramps sit
Nearly every item on that list depends on how the curbs and crossings are laid out. Street geometry is what decides parking counts, crossing distances and whether the post office space becomes a plaza. That is why the next meeting matters so much.
The intersections come first
The town's published schedule puts geometry at the front. Public Meeting #2 focuses on the layout of two key intersections, Central/Washington/Grove and Central/Crest/Railroad, covering traffic flow and pedestrian safety. Meeting #3, set for winter 2027, brings the streetscape and amenities together. Meeting #4, in early spring 2027 with the Select Board, finalizes the design.
The second meeting is on Thursday, December 10, at 7 p.m. at Hunnewell Elementary School, 28 Cameron St., as Patch reported. The Select Board's October update lists January 20, 2027, as the next date, with one more session still to be scheduled.
This order means a benches-and-lighting conversation in the winter will happen inside a street layout already settled in December. Someone who cares about the post office space or the crossing by Anderson's has the most influence at the meeting about lane and curb placement, not at the one about amenities.
Who else is waiting on the drawings
Residents are not the only ones watching. Some of the Square's larger property decisions are on hold until the design firms up.
The Taylor Block. At the forum, one attendee asked about Jumbo Capital's plans for the Taylor Block, home to Old School Pizzeria and Rice Burg, and for the former Auto Lab site. The Swellesley Report wrote that the word is Jumbo will bide its time and see how the Wellesley Square plan shakes out.
The Central Street fire station. Under an emerging plan for a new fire department headquarters, possibly on North 40 land along Weston Road, the classic Central Street station would close. Forum attendees wondered whether it could become an arts building. Others recalled an earlier idea for an arts center on the Tailby Lot, which serves the train station. The Select Board's October update confirms that possible fire station and headquarters sites have been identified on the North 40, fronting Weston Road.
The storefronts on Central Street. Things keep moving at street level. Bridgewater Chocolate has opened at 59 Central St., in the former Wellesley Toy Shop space. Wellesley Jiujitsu has been preparing a December opening at 566 Washington St. At 56 Central St., Wonder pulled its sign and minor-construction applications. Orangetheory, which operates there, has told customers Wonder is not coming and that it is committed to its Wellesley Square location. Every one of these doors opens onto the sidewalks and crossings now being redrawn.
The money question is still open. The Swellesley Report raised it directly, asking where funding for a major Square facelift would come from when the town faces other emerging capital needs. Next door, Natick's Main Street improvement debate has centered on grant funding that could require a bike lane through the town center. That shows how a funding source can end up shaping the design itself.
The dates between now and spring
- Through November 29: The online survey on the town's project page is open, asking about pedestrian safety, traffic flow and amenities.
- December 10, 7 p.m., Hunnewell Elementary: Public meeting on the Square, with the town's schedule pointing to the two intersections.
- January 20, 2027: The next session on the Select Board's list.
- Early spring 2027: The design is finalized with the Select Board.
- 2027 or 2028: A construction funding request at Town Meeting.
If you own a home or business near Central Street and want to understand how changes to parking, curbs or access around the Square could affect your property or a sale you are planning, Laura Wurster is glad to walk through it with you. Schedule a consultation to review your transaction with a legal-savvy, local broker.
