Wellesley, MA: Family ROI Micro-Area Heat Map for SFHs in MBTA Overlays

Under 1 min read

•January 17, 2026

THE BOTTOM LINE

Wellesley's overlay is not one giant TOD blob. It's a big Williams St / Route 128 40R 'Wellesley Park' node, plus tight bands around Wellesley Square and Wellesley Hills stations. Family ROI varies a lot by sub-node. Go long on Wellesley Square side streets, select Wellesley Hills/Poets' Corner blocks, and Wellesley Farms core. Avoid track-adjacent parcels, Washington/Linden frontages, and properties abutting 40R/128 campus.

WHO NEEDS THIS

Single-family home buyers evaluating properties in Wellesley's MBTA overlay districts, investors tracking land value opportunities, and anyone trying to understand where the research says to go long vs. short on SFHs in upzoned areas.

KEY INSIGHTS

•Wellesley has 3 commuter rail stations: Wellesley Farms, Wellesley Hills, Wellesley Square
•State obligation: zone for 1,392 multifamily units at ≥15 units/acre
•Wellesley Park 40R (Williams St / office park) up-zoned to 850 units
•Additional capacity split between Wellesley Square and Wellesley Hills commercial corridors
•Total theoretical capacity ≈ 1,727 units (enough to satisfy MBTA 3A)

DO THIS NEXT

Target SFHs 1–3 blocks off Wellesley Square or Wellesley Hills stations, safe walk routes, no direct frontage on Washington/Linden. Look for 8,000–12,000 sq ft lots, rectangular, usable yard, no adjacency to parking fields or obvious tear-down assembly.

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