Good morning,

At least not yet.

That was the message Wellesley Town Meeting sent to the Select Board after three hours of debate last night.

Members were weighing a state offer that would gift Wellesley up to 40 acres of forest, create multifamily housing for 180 middle-income families, seniors and professionals and help fund MassBay Community College campus upgrades.

Thirty-six percent of the 206 Town Meeting members present voted to urge the town to proceed directly to court.  Just 5% advised the opposite: accept the offer as presented.

But 57% chose the middle ground, advising the town to negotiate and reserve the right to sue later,  something that could — and I’d argue should — have happened in November, when town leaders decided to engage legal counsel instead.

The only reason the chamber didn’t endorse the middle option is a clause seeking the “number of units be reduced to the greatest degree possible,” even after the state said 180 units is non-negotiable. We believe the number is needed and reasonable.

A Boston Globe editorial called that clause a “poison pill,” something Select Board Chair Marjorie Frieman disputed last night, saying “180 may indeed be the lowest number.”

Frieman and her colleagues now have until tomorrow to decide how to interpret the non-binding advice before responding to the state’s May 13 deadline.

Was anything accomplished?

Asking Wellesley Town Meeting to weigh in may have diluted the voices of those who’ve been pushing for a legal fight since last fall.

That’s a positive. But every delay is another day someone can’t find a place to call home, and the town could have been negotiating all along.

Last night, Town Meeting also authorized spending $900,000 if the board eventually chooses litigation, on top of nearly $500,000 already allocated. Frieman said legal bills could end up in the “high hundreds of thousands of dollars or more.”

On the other hand, Town Meeting member Donald Shepard, a professor at Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management, estimated a 180-unit development could net the town $45 million in tax revenue above municipal expenses over 30 years.

And the cost to the town to forever save nearly 40 acres of MassBay forest?

Zero.

Watertown Mall to get a makeover

A little more than six months after National Development purchased the Watertown Mall from Alexandria Real Estate for $100 million, the Newton-based company is unveiling a practical, long-overdue refresh.

In place of Alexandria’s ambitious plans for a life sciences complex, National will invest in upgrades to the existing shopping center, including improved landscaping and a new grassy area, according to Watertown News.

The popular Joyful Garden will relocate and feature a new front entrance visible from the parking lot. At least one new retailer will be added.

Stop & Shop and Bradlees were the original anchors when the mall opened in 1975. Target and Best Buy are the current anchors.

Chestnut Hill development may be closer to Brookline OK

City Realty’s proposed Route 9 project in Chestnut Hill may be closer to winning Brookline Town Meeting approval in a few weeks.

Abutters say they’ve reached an agreement with the developer that “changes the base height of the zoning to 10 stories, but will still allow City Realty to build two buildings as high as 14 and 12 stories as long as the developer meets higher requirements for the minimum amount of commercial use,” according to Brookline.News.

Meanwhile, WS Development, which operates The Street across Route 9, and Newton Mayor Marc Laredo have both flagged concerns about parking and/or traffic.

But it’s unclear how much Brookline Town Meeting will listen to concerns from Newton.

Members are more likely to be swayed by the project’s estimated $5 million in annual tax revenue — especially after just seeking a mammoth override — and by the fact that more Brookline abutters now seem satisfied.

Tuesday grab bag

• After eight years at the helm, Brenda Noel is stepping away as executive director at Pathway to Possible, effective Dec. 31. “I’m feeling energized to explore new opportunities, and this feels like the right time for the organization,” Noel, a former Newton City Councilor, said in a statement.
  
  
• Wellesley Wonderful Weekend returns this weekend (May 16-17). Highlights include an antique car show in Wellesley Square on Sunday, followed by the parade, picnic in the park, concert and fireworks.
  
  
• My Mass Home is a one-stop resource to help Massachusetts homebuyers navigate their path to homeownership. It includes information about first-time homebuyer courses, mortgage products and down payment assistance programs.
  
  
• North Hill's First Annual Golf Classic is June 29 at Wellesley Country Club, proceeds support North Hill's Team Member Support Fund for staff facing financial emergencies. Register
  
  
• SharkNinja shut down for a week last month, but for an entirely productive purpose.  (Boston Globe)
  
  
• Our chamber’s Nonprofit Coalition's Thursday (May 14) at noon meeting will feature Dana Benjamin,of Back of the Napkin Consulting, for a workshop on making better use of the data your organization already collects to ask sharper questions and gain insights your team, board, and funders. Via Zoom. RSVP.
  
  
• The Newton Beacon asked, but didn’t really get an answer about why the  Newton Asian Market at the former Walgreens in Newton Center still isn’t open
  
  
• Circle of Hope brings back Hope Blooms tomorrow (May 13) at Gore Place in Watertown, a festive spring celebration supporting its mission to provide clothing and hygiene essentials to people experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity.

Needham Farmers Market announces a thyme out

After 13 seasons of providing homegrown produce, herbs, local crafts and live music, the organizers of the Needham Farmers Market have decided the market will not be operating this year.

The market’s board of directors says it plans to “regroup and reorganize” and is seeking a fresh crop of volunteers to help bring it back in 2027.

Taylor to take on the broken job search system

Jeff Taylor, founder of the original online job search site Monster.com, will be the featured speaker at our Spring Business Breakfast this Friday.

Taylor will discuss why the job search system is failing both employers and job seekers — and his idea for fixing it.

Taylor sold Monster in 1995 and served as CEO until 2005. Coincidentally, his former company just released survey results that illustrate the problem, reports Andy Medici for the BBJ.

• Nearly half of job seekers say they frequently or regularly apply to many roles quickly, rather than focusing on a smaller number of opportunities that closely match their skills.
  
  
• That’s partly because 60% of applicants question whether a human will ever look at their resume.
  
  
• 43% of job applicants abandon an application if it takes 15 minutes to complete and 59% after 20 minutes.
  
  
• And 13% of recent job seekers said they have lied on their resumes.

Limited tickets remain for Friday. Reserve yours here.