Natick citizen petition could pave way for senior living facility atop scenic Pond Road

The owner of 200 Pond Rd., a property that boasts a Wellesley address though mainly falls in Natick, will look to Natick Spring Annual Town Meeting to approve a zoning bylaw amendment that could pave the way for an assisted living development atop the scenic road.

As we reported this past summer on our Swellesley Report, the Wellesley Senior Living project being discussed at that time could change the scenery at the top of Pond Road, near Rte. 135, dramatically—again. The previous owner of 200 Pond Rd., which sold it to an investment firm, also owned adjacent property sold to a developer who built 2 large homes very close to the road, much to the chagrin of Pond Road neighbors. Whoever buys those homes could be in for a bit of construction noise if the senior living plan comes to fruition.

According to a presentation shared by the development team last year with Wellesley town officials, plans are to build a multi-story, 130,000 sq. ft. assisted living and memory care facility where a 10,000-plus sq. ft. Georgian Colonial estate with a pool and tennis court now stands. That 1990 home, on property spanning some 9.6 acres, has gone on the market in the past for nearly $10M.

This facility would be about a mile down the road from the new Anthology senior living facility in Natick on Rte. 135.

The draft citizen petition, submitted by the petitioner’s attorney, seeks the following:

A. To amend the Town of Natick Zoning Map as follows:
By including an “Assisted Living Overlay Option Plan (ALOOP)” overlay district on the land off East Central Street known as 0 (R) East Central Street and 0 Dorset Lane; also known as and shown as assessor’s parcels 1AA, 1B and 1C on assessor’s Map 38.

B. To amend the provisions of Section III-I.3 Assisted Living Overly Option Plan as necessary and desirable to allow for the inclusion of the above property into the ALOOP use district.