Just five minutes into our interview, Ed Hudson excused himself to relocate to his living room. 

“My daughter and my granddaughter just walked in, so I’m moving rooms,” Hudson explained. “See, that’s one of the advantages of all living on the same property.”

For Hudson, small interactions like that are what made building an accessory dwelling unit (ADU)— a small residence on the same property as the primary home—worth it. As retired Natick residents, Hudson and his wife Mary wanted to “age in place” by keeping their existing home and proximity to downtown. 

So when the Affordable Homes Act passed in 2025, legalizing ADUs statewide, the Hudsons jumped at the opportunity. Natick quickly amended its zoning bylaws to align with the new act, and ADUs have been slowly but surely cropping up around town since: ten permit applications were filed in 2025, and another 8 in 2026.

The legalization of ADUs coincided with Hudson’s daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren deciding to move back to Natick, creating the perfect reason to build the ADU. Construction began in late 2025, and by 2026, their family had moved in. 

“The town was excellent in walking me through the permitting process and answering my questions,” Hudson said. “There were no unnecessary delays in the whole process in terms of approvals and getting to go ahead to start building.”

Hudson said he could see more residents beginning to build ADUs, especially as it makes sense for multi-generational living and allows residents to stay in town. A few people have inquired about the Hudsons’ ADU, leading him to believe others are considering it. 

“Everybody’s ADU journey is going to be a little bit different,” Hudson said. “We had a kind of a challenging project, but we’re very happy with the results.”

Although the Hudsons’ ADU is one of few right now, that may soon change. Since Natick changed its zoning rules, homeowners have increasingly begun exploring their options—and so have architects. 

New England-based architect Jillian Rene “J.R.” Coffin decided to found Dwelly, a company specializing in building ADUs, following their legalization in Massachusetts. The company helps homeowners navigate new ADU bylaws and offers designs tailored for the New England landscape.

Coffin said she has noticed a large increase in projects related to ADUs since they were legalized statewide. 

“Before the new law, I’d regularly hear from homeowners who assumed an ADU wasn’t allowed on their property, so they never looked into it any further,” Coffin wrote in a statement to The Natick Report. “Now the first question isn’t ‘Can I?’ but ‘How do I get started?’”

Dwelly’s own numbers reflect that interest. According to Coffin, roughly 1,000 people visit the company’s website each month to learn about ADUs, with about 20 homeowners per month expressing interest in building one.

The company was also recently selected as a feasibility study provider—a firm that assesses the practicability of a project before construction—for the Massachusetts Housing Partnership. Through the program, a professional study that would normally cost about $800 can be offered to homeowners for $300.

For most homeowners considering ADUs, Coffin wrote that rental income is rarely the primary motivation—rather, they’re trying to “solve a very personal problem.”

“Maybe an aging parent wants to live independently but nearby,” Coffin wrote. “Maybe an adult child has been priced out of the local housing market. Maybe a homeowner wants a little more financial flexibility without having to leave the neighborhood they’ve spent years investing in.”

For Coffin, that personalization is what makes ADUs so compelling. 

“Rather than replacing existing homes with larger developments, they’re a thoughtful way to create more housing choices within the community that’s already there,” Coffin wrote. 

Still, allowing ADUs does not necessarily make them simple to build.

Coffin said one of the biggest misconceptions among homeowners is that statewide legalization means every property can automatically accommodate one. Local setbacks like building codes, stormwater regulations and energy requirements can limit a project’s feasibility. 

Pushback from neighbors can also impact a homeowners’ willingness to build an ADU. Although opponents of ADUs worry that they may alter the character of their neighborhoods, Coffin wrote that most projects aren’t geared toward maximizing development.

“Almost all of the homeowners I work with [are] building for family,” Coffin wrote. “Those kinds of projects don’t change the character of a neighborhood—they strengthen it by allowing families to stay rooted in the communities they love.”

Although ADUs are still relatively new to the East Coast, Coffin thinks they are here to stay. 

“I think Massachusetts is at an inflection point,” Coffin wrote. “Between the new ADU law, state incentives, and growing homeowner interest, ADUs are becoming a practical, long-term housing solution.”

More info on ADUs from the town of Natick.

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While this is largely a proposed five-story apartment complex (a mix of studio, 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom units—330 bedrooms in all) that involves demolishing the existing Natick Crossings structures at 273 West Central St., it’s presented as a mixed-use project because there are plans for 4,000 sq. ft. of ground level space likely to be “programmed” for such purposes as co-working, community art displays, and perhaps a grab-and-go shop. Don’t expect traditional retail tenants, such as restaurants, though there will be room for food trucks on the property, and of course food delivery vehicles.

The other component of this project that town officials have embraced are the applicant’s plans for a welcoming 14,000-plus sq. ft. public plaza that would fit would Natick’s plans to “activate,” as planners like to say, that section of Rte. 135, and eventually make it more pedestrian and cyclist friendly. As a transit-oriented project, the Gables Natick Crossing plan would fit with statewide efforts for more housing to be built near public transportation, and provide improved access to the station. Natick has complied with the state’s MBTA Communities Act.

 
Legal notices for public hearings on this topic were published in a local print newspaper, allowing the town to comply with outdated state rules. We encourage the town to consider paying for additional legal notices on our online site, where interested parties might actually see the notices. No one from the public chimed in at the July 1 meeting.
 

At the July 1 Planning Board meeting, the board’s Doug Landry set the tone early by complimenting the applicant on having done its homework. “I think we are on a very good track here with this project,” he said, while also noting that the expectation would be that the hearing would be continued before the board would vote. Indeed, the hearing—which took about an hour-and-a-half, was continued at the end to July 29.

The applicant brought a small army to the meeting featuring architects, landscape designers, engineers, and you name it. Their goal was to share updates on the plan since the team last met with the Planning Board in March, incorporating responses to Planning Board questions as well as those from other town bodies. Jamie Fay, of consulting firm Fort Point Associates, cited specific updates regarding truck turning movements through the site, an updated traffic study, and the latest on handling of a sidewalk along the street, plus noted that acoustic, shadow, and other studies are included in the project package submitted to the town. Fay was complimentary of the feedback received from town departments and bodies, including the Design Review Board about ensuring the building has a “signature entryway” (it’s gone from two to three stories). An architect for the team said they focused on simplifying a design that originally might have been trying to do too much.

Regarding the public plaza, plans are for ample seating, as well as permanent and dynamic decorative features, such as stuff reminding you you’re in Natick (hey, we used to make baseballs here or maybe now, hey, we used to have a dam here!) and fancy light displays featuring designs, quotes, etc. Residents will have their own amenities, including pool and fitness center access.

Planning Board member questions focused on issues such as the MBTA connector path, truck turning clearance (like for moving vans), parking (plans are for about 260 spaces, 184 in a garage) and traffic generation (the project is estimated, you guessed it, to generate less traffic than the previous use or other possible future uses). The board said it would like to see new signalized pedestrian crossings as part of the project’s traffic management plan.

The developer raised questions about whether having a multi-use path as part of its project on its side of Rte. 135 is really the best approach given that most pedestrian traffic currently is on the opposite side of the street where there are continuous sidewalks and there would be a lack of other pathways to connect to on the north side where the project would be. There are construction challenges too, including current utility pole placement. Fay referred to the town conducting a study as part of a master plan for the area, and looking at whether the north (where the train station is) or south side would actually be best for a multi-use path. There was agreement from the board that a sidewalk will at least need to be constructed in front of the project, with the possibility of reserving space on the 3.4 acre property for a multi-use path if such a corridor emerges in conjunction with other properties.

Assuming Gables gets through the town approvals process in the near future, it hopes to begin construction in the spring. Projects of this type typically take 18-24 months to construct prior to occupancy, according to the applicant.

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As a transit-oriented project, this would fit with statewide efforts for more housing to be built near public transportation. Natick has complied with the state’s MBTA Communities Act.

The existing two-story Natick Crossings structure would be torn down to make room for the new 273 West Central St., development, currently being dubbed Gables Natick Crossing. The new development would feature four floors of residential units above a 184-vehicle parking level and some 4,000 sq. ft. of potential retail space. Overall, there would be 258 parking spaces, more than the current setup, on the nearly 3.4-acre lot.

While documents filed by the developer, Gables Residential Services, don’t explicitly refer to apartments or condos, the company is known for its apartment complexes. A mix of studio, 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom units are planned (largely 1- and 2-bedroom). Pricing on units has not been detailed, but at least 10% of units would be deemed affordable under a state formula.

The new structure, at 50-feet high, would be about twice as tall as the current building, and about 20% more open space is being proposed on the property. A fitness center and courtyard, with pool, would be part of the project, as proposed.

So too would a public plaza with seating and landscaping, and a shared-use path to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists in sync with a town vision for the Rte. 135 corridor to be more accessible, not just to marathoners on Marathon Monday.

Natick paved the path for redeveloping a stretch of West Natick along Rte. 135 at last year’s Fall Annual Town Meeting via zoning changes.

The Natick Crossings property owner spoke at a Planning Board meeting last spring about the seemingly never-ending discussions about town rules for development in this area, and how that might force him to take a less ambitious approach to redeveloping the property.

Now that rules have been updated, developer Gables Residential Services  is coming forth with its project proposal for the property adjacent to the train station, and across Rte. 135 from more than 1,800 multifamily units at several developments.

The applicant, which has a downtown Boston location, seeks site plan approval from the Planning Board beginning on March 25. Parking and traffic studies have been submitted, and as is typically the case for such developments, the traffic assessment concludes that the development wouldn’t amp up traffic much if at all and that current roadways should be able to accommodate any increase. An argument is made that the mixed-use project would actually generate less traffic than a re-tenanting of the current commercial property, not that that was planned. No mention was made of potential traffic impact of this project within the context of other multifamily projects that have recently come online east and west of it on Rte. 135.

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Not that you’d see it: The opening of the public hearing for this matter, according to the Planning Board agenda, is being “Advertised in MetroWest Daily News: March 9, 2026; and March 16, 2026.” Not that anyone will see those notices, which cost the town about $141. Please encourage your town administrators and elected officials to advertise public meetings where people will more likely see them.
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