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Affordable Housing
Wellesley strives to promote and maintain affordable housing opportunities in our community, working in partnership with the Wellesley Housing Authority, the Wellesley Affordable Housing Trust, nonprofit and for-profit developers, other Town departments and other public entities.
The Wellesley Planning Department handles inquiries about affordable housing issues in Wellesley. Please email Planning Department staff with any questions.
Current Affordable Housing Opportunities
- Metro West Collaborative Development Housing Search Case Management Counseling
- For affordable housing options throughout the Boston Metro Area, search the City of Boston Metrolist
What is Affordable Housing?
Affordable housing is generally defined by the income of the household in relation to housing costs. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) identifies units as "affordable" if gross rent (including costs of utilities borne by the tenant) is no more than 30% of a household’s net adjusted income (with small deductions for dependents, child care, extraordinary medical expenses, etc.) or if the carrying costs of purchasing a home (mortgage, homeowners association fees, property taxes, and insurance) is not more than 30% of a household's net adjusted income.
If households are paying more than 30% of their income on housing, they are described as experiencing housing affordability problems or cost burdens. If households are paying more than of their income on housing, they are described as experiencing severe housing affordability problems and cost burdens.
Affordable housing can also be defined according to percentages of median income for the area as summarized in the following table:
HUD Area Income Limits for the Boston Area, 2025
| Number of Persons in Household | Extremely Low - 30% of Area Median Income | Very Low - 50% of Area Median Income | Low - 80% of Area Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $34,750 | $57,900 | $92,650 |
| 2 | $39,700 | $66,200 | $105,850 |
| 3 | $44,650 | $74,450 | $119,100 |
| 4 | $49,600 | $82,700 | $132,300 |
| 5 | $53,600 | $89,350 | $142,900 |
| 6 | $57,550 | $95,950 | $153,500 |
| 7 | $61,550 | $102,550 | $164,100 |
| 8 | $65,500 | $109,200 | $174,650 |
Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
The most commonly used definition of affordable housing applies to the Chapter 40B Comprehensive Permit Law. For a unit to be considered affordable under Chapter 40B and counted toward a community’s progress in reaching the 10% affordability threshold and included as part of its Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI), it must meet specific State requirements including the following:
- Units must be subsidized or approved by a subsidizing agency.
- Occupants must have income at or below 80% of area median income, adjusted by household size as presented in the above table.
- The unit must be deed restricted for specified periods of time including in perpetuity for newly constructed affordable homeownership units. These deed restrictions are monitored and enforced.
- The units must be affirmatively marketed through the implementation of a state-approved Affirmative Fair Housing Marketing and Tenant Selection Plan.
Wellesley Subsidized Housing Inventory
Of the year-round housing units in Wellesley, the State has determined that 1,006 out of 9,184 or 10.95% are eligible for inclusion in the Town's Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI). The table below summarizes the units that are in the SHI and meet the State requirements of affordability. These units also meet the criteria established in the Town of Wellesley affordable housing policy .
Wellesley Subsidized Housing Inventory, 2025
| Project Name / Address | SHI Units | Type/Subsidizing Agency | 40B Comp Permit | Expires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barton Road Development | 90 | Rental/EOHLC | No | Perpetuity |
| Dean House/List House | 57 | Rental/EOHLC | No | Perpetuity |
| Kilmain House | 40 | Rental/EOHLC | No | Perpetuity |
| Morton Circle Development | 36 | Rental/EOHLC | No | Perpetuity |
| Linden Street Development / Waldo Ct | 12 | Rental/EOHLC | No | Perpetuity |
| Ardemore at Wellesley | 36 | Rental/EOHLC | Yes | Perpetuity |
| Jubilee House | 4 | Rental/HUD | No | Perpetuity |
| Glen Grove | 125 | Rental/MassHousing | Yes | Perpetuity |
| Edgemoor Circle Townhouses | 3 | Owner/EOHLC | Yes | Perpetuity |
| DDS Group Homes | 12 | Rental/DDS | No | N/A |
| Walnut Street Fire Station | 1 | Owner/EOHLC | Yes | Perpetuity |
| Hastings Village | 52 | Rental/MassHousing | Yes | Perpetuity |
| Wellesley Manor | 7 | Owner/FHLBB | Yes | Perpetuity |
| Peck Ave & Mellon Rd | 3 | Owner/EOHLC | No | Perpetuity |
| Waterstone at Wellesley | 82 | Rental/EOHLC | No | Perpetuity |
| Wellesley Commons | 1 | Owner/MassHousing | Yes | Perpetuity |
| The Belclare | 5 | Owner/EOHLC | No | Perpetuity |
| Wellesley Place | 36 | Rental/EOHLC | No | Perpetuity |
| Linden Street | 2 | Rental/EOHLC | Yes | Perpetuity |
| Fieldstone Way | 11 | Owner/MassHousing | Yes | Perpetuity |
| The Albion | 0 | Owner/MassHousing | Yes | Perpetuity |
| 680 Worcester Street | 20 | Rental/MassHousing | Yes | Perpetuity |
| The Nines at Wellesley Park | 350 | Rental/EOHLC | No* | 2050 |
| Cedar Place | 17 | Rental/MassHousing | Yes | Perpetuity |
| 136-140 Worcester Street | 0 | Rental/MassHousing | Yes | Perpetuity |
| Terrazza | 4 | Owner/EOHLC | No | Perpetuity |
Under the Massachusetts Chapter 40B law, if a municipality has less than 10% of its year-round housing stock set-aside for low- and moderate-income residents, it does not meet the local and regional need for affordable housing. This makes the town vulnerable to an override of local zoning if a developer wants to build affordable housing through the Comprehensive Permit process. By surpassing the 10% affordable housing threshold, Wellesley is no longer required to process Chapter 40B Comprehensive Permit applications that it determines are inappropriate and/or do not address local housing needs.
*Units may not be countable in perpetuity as per the State "safe harbor" algorithm. Though unlikely, if Chapter 40B is no longer in place by 2050, these units will be removed from this list in 2050.