The Wellesley Historical Commission says its proposed bylaw that would allow the creation of Neighborhood Conservation Districts in the community isn’t the same as Wellesley Town Hall (above) prescribing guidelines on residents.

Tired of seeing older homes torn down and replaced with enormous mansions that dwarf nearby properties, local preservationists are pushing a measure that would enable Wellesley neighborhoods to set guidelines for new construction and renovation projects.

The effort is drawing mixed reaction from local Realtors, who are torn between their desire to preserve neighborhoods, as well as property values, and protect private property owners’ rights.

The Wellesley Historical Commission has crafted a bylaw that would allow neighborhoods to create Neighborhood Conservation Districts. Residents in those districts would be able to establish design guidelines but not dictate architectural details or set dimensional or zoning standards. Town Meeting will vote on the measure on March 27.

Supporters say the bylaw would not prohibit homeowners from expanding their properties or demolishing them and building from scratch. Instead, it would give neighborhoods a chance to protect themselves from new construction that is incompatible with existing homes, they say.

“It allows the neighborhood to figure out what’s important,” said Linda Buffum, the commission’s chairman. “It’s not ‘one size fits all.’ It isn’t Town Hall prescribing guidelines.”

The effort comes after 305 homes have been torn down in Wellesley during the last seven years. A significant number of those homes have been replaced with multimillion-dollar homes that are often thousands of square feet larger than neighboring residences.

Buffum said the commission has heard concerns from residents about neighborhood changes that have taken place over the years. When the Wellesley Inn was taken down last April to make way for new condominiums and retail shops, many residents were upset.

“It was one item on a list of very visible actions that have happened that really struck a chord with people,” said Buffum.

Because a consultant’s comprehensive plan for the town recommended the Neighborhood Conservation District, or NCD, as one tool that Wellesley could use, the commission began researching the topic.

But the NCD concept has drawn a mix of opinions.

“There’s a real diversity of opinion in the real estate community,” said Vicki Schauffler, a local Realtor and commission member. “There’s often a knee-jerk reaction to any perceived limitation on sales.”

Commission members have traveled to local real estate offices to explain the bylaw.

Some Realtors are supportive because they’ve been disturbed by the type of development that has taken place in town in recent years, according to Schauffler, an agent with Prudential Town and Country Real Estate.

“There are certainly Realtors who are very conscious about what some of the development is doing Wellesley,” she said.

Other Realtors worry that it could restrict homebuilders and clients with whom they’re working. But Schauffler pointed out that the NCD bylaw is not a restrictive planning tool.

“It certainly will not prevent [homeowners] from expanding their homes or putting an addition on their home,” she said. “What it attempts to prevent is the out-of-scale building that is going to change the character of the neighborhood.”

Schauffler said while some real estate agents argue that the “the market should take care of the problem,” she is not convinced. She pointed to a newly built 5,900-square-feet home on Denton Road that has been on the market for more than a year. The mansion, which sits on a lot that is a slightly larger than a quarter-acre, replaced a modest home and doesn’t fit in with surrounding houses.

“The market is speaking. This house is overpriced and out-of-scale and it hasn’t sold. But that doesn’t help the people who have to look at it every day,” Schauffler said.

‘Intelligent Zoning’
Neighborhood Conservation Districts actually can help protect property values by ensuring that a neighborhood’s characteristics are not significantly altered, according to supporters.

“[Homeowners and buyers] benefit by the long-term stability that an NCD can provide; growth and updating still happen but the character of the neighborhood is preserved,” said Buffum.

Schauffler said NCDs also can be a good selling feature. Buyers who are interested in purchasing a home in a particular neighborhood that they like will have the reassurance that the area will essentially retain its look and feel if it’s located in such a district, she explained.

If the bylaw wins a majority vote at Town Meeting, it must be approved by the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office. In order to establish an NCD, at least 80 percent of the property owners in a neighborhood would have to petition the Historical Commission and present a district map and guidelines.

The commission would have to approve the district and then hold a public hearing, along with the Planning Board. If both groups agree on the district, Town Meeting must approve it.

Neighborhood Conservation Districts exist in other Bay State communities. Lincoln passed a bylaw enabling such districts last year, while Cambridge and Amesbury have had such districts for several years.

Buffum said the commission used the Lincoln bylaw and a template provided by the Massachusetts Historical Commission to craft its own version.

In Cambridge, at least five conservation districts have been created since city leaders passed an ordinance enabling the creation of NCDs in 1983.

Fred Meyer, a longtime Cambridge Realtor, said he has found that properties in such districts are typically worth more.

“It’s not a stigmatizing thing at all if your property is in a Neighborhood Conservation District,” he said.

Meyer said he sees only two drawbacks to the districts. Buyers or homeowners who want to make certain types of changes must go through “another layer of bureaucracy,” he said.

And if a prospective homebuyer wants to make changes that are not permitted by district guidelines, then it could result in a lost transaction.

But overall, Meyer said he thinks the districts work well.

“The tradeoff of restrictions on your property is you have restrictions on neighbors’ properties, which may be positive overall for market values,” he said. “I believe in private property rights but I also believe in intelligent zoning.”

He added, “Most Realtors I know are concerned about preserving property values and that may well involve restrictions like this.”