Image courtesy of Christopher Ross Architects

MBTA Communities rezoning spurred a development proposal to convert an office building near the Wellesley Hills commuter rail station into 28 condominiums.

Developer Babson House LLC acquired the 16 Laurel Ave. property in June 2025 for $14.225 million, according to data compiled by The Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman.

Babson House LLC is an affiliate of Wellesley-based Pioneer Construction.

The project is seeking site plan approval from the Wellesley Zoning Board of Appeals for conversion of the interior into 28 residential condominiums and construction of a 56-space underground garage.

The property is assessed at $12.8 million, according to Wellesley Assessors Department data.

The conversion would reduce vehicle traffic trips generated by the property by 72 percent compared with office use, according to an analysis by Howard Stein Hudson, to 104 trips.

A public hearing is scheduled for April 16. The project was first reported by local news website The Swellesley Report.

The project is the first to be proposed under Wellesley’s MBTA Communities zoning, which was approved in 2024. Town officials estimated the changes expanding multifamily housing development opportunities could spur construction of up to 1,628 units.

Photo courtesy of the Wellesley assessor’s office