Whose decision is holding up the corner of Washington and Grove? For most of this year, anyone walking past brown paper and "for lease" signs in the Taylor Block windows could only guess. According to Town of Wellesley meeting minutes, the owner plans to finish a senior-living rezoning and project on Route 9 first. Until that is settled, the most likely change on this block is a new tenant behind the paper, not a new building.
A 1904 Bank Building and Five Storefront Blocks
The Taylor Block is the run of buildings at 540–568 Washington St. at Grove Street. The Boston Globe describes it as five mixed-use buildings on about 1.2 acres facing Washington and Central streets, with businesses on the ground floor and offices and apartments above. It sits a short walk from the Wellesley Square commuter rail station. Its oldest building went up in 1904 for the Wellesley National Bank. The Swellesley Report, drawing on a 2013 Wellesley History blog post, reported that Charles N. Taylor built it to house the bank he led, along with the post office, which moved across to its current Grove Street location in 1964.
The block went on the market in November 2024. A Colliers assessment at the time put it at $23 million. The Globe reported that Quincy-based Jumbo Capital bought it in October 2025 for about $15.3 million. The Swellesley Report gave the figure as $15.25 million. Either way, the price was well below that $23 million figure. The Globe also noted that the site had been seen as a prime candidate for redevelopment. The town's most recent comments suggest that won't happen soon.
What Left, and What Is Still Serving
The vacancies started at different times. Some came before the sale.
- Panoply Spa and Boutique, 558 Washington St. According to the Swellesley Report's March 2025 storefront roundup, it closed in February 2025, months before Jumbo bought the block.
- Comina, 566 Washington St. The home décor shop was set to close in January 2026 after more than 32 years in Wellesley. Its Concord store stayed open.
- Still open as of mid-October 2026: Rice Burg, Old School Pizzeria and Tutto Italiano, along with other businesses on the strip.
On October 15, the Swellesley Report reported that brown paper and "for lease" signs had gone up in some of the empty windows. The outlet read the signs as a sign that the owner is still looking for tenants to replace Comina and Panoply. "For lease" is the important part. Signs like these mean the owner wants to fill the existing storefronts, and that fits what the town has since said about the block's timeline.
The Five-Year Line in the Town Minutes
The clearest statement so far did not come from Jumbo. It came from Wellesley Executive Director Meghan Jop, who updated the town's boards on active development projects at the September 29, 2026 All Board Meeting. The approved minutes summarize the Taylor Block this way:
"Also acquired by Jumbo Capital, which has indicated it intends to complete the 888 Worcester Street project first. Development of the Taylor Block site is not anticipated for approximately five years."
So the timeline for Wellesley Square depends on a property on Route 9 east. Jumbo's plan for 888 Worcester St., about 6 acres that served as Wellesley's temporary Town Hall and still houses the town's land use departments, is a senior-living community with independent living, assisted living and memory care. At the Planning Board's October 19 session, Jumbo's Tom Powers said the firm has partnered with Life Care Services to run the facility if the zoning can be worked out, the Swellesley Report reported. An earlier presentation put the size at 150 to 200 units. The town posted a recording of the session, with the discussion starting about two hours and 25 minutes in.
That project needs a rezoning. Most of the site is zoned for administrative and professional use, with a small piece of single residence zoning. Jumbo hopes Annual Town Meeting will approve the change in spring 2027, which means the details have to come together within the next couple of months. At the October 19 meeting, Planning Board member Tom Taylor raised the idea of a new zoning district that could apply to other properties in town, instead of a change written for one parcel. Planning Director Rob Watchilla mentioned use variances as another possible route.
How that zoning discussion turns out will set the pace for 888 Worcester. Because Jumbo has said 888 Worcester comes first, it also sets the pace for the windows at Washington and Grove.
A Landlord With a Lot of Wellesley Square
The Taylor Block is only one piece of Jumbo's Wellesley holdings, which makes the order of its projects matter more.
In 2023, Bisnow reported that Jumbo bought a seven-building Wellesley office portfolio from Haynes Management for $48.5 million. The buildings are 40 Grove St., 326–332 Washington St., 336 Washington St., 366 Washington St., 16 Laurel Ave., 10 Prescott St. and 16 Prescott St. 40 Grove alone was reported at $15 million. The same September 29 minutes say Jumbo now owns 888 Worcester St. and has recently bought 110 Cedar St., an office complex whose future use is still being evaluated.
The October 15 Swellesley Report said one of its interns had tried over the summer to learn what might become of the Taylor Block but could not arrange a meeting with the Jumbo representative the outlet had been in touch with. The same report described the firm's plans for its Wellesley properties as "somewhat mysterious." After the purchase, Powers told the Boston Business Journal that the company recognizes both the need for multifamily housing in Wellesley Square and the community's connection to the Taylor Block's small businesses, according to the Globe. "Every property we look at is situational," he said. For now, the firm's public schedule points to Route 9.
The Town's Own Clock Runs on a Similar Track
Separately, the town is redesigning the street in front of these buildings, on a schedule of its own.
The Wellesley Square Improvement Project covers Central and Washington streets from the Weston Road intersection to Wellesley Avenue/Route 135. It also takes in parts of Weston Road and Crest Road up to the railroad bridges, Washington Street to Wiswall Circle, Grove Street from the post office to about 51 Grove, and all of Church Street. The goal is a district that is more welcoming, accessible, safe and green. No start date has been set. The project website projects a funding request of about $6 million at a Town Meeting in 2027 or 2028.
Here is how the two schedules line up from where things stand today:
- November 18, 2026: Wellesley Square Improvement Project Public Meeting #2, on refined design alternatives.
- January 20, 2027: Public Meeting #3, on the preferred design concept.
- Spring 2027: Public Meeting #4. Annual Town Meeting is also when Jumbo hopes for the 888 Worcester rezoning.
- Mid-2027: Town land use departments expect to move out of 888 Worcester St.
- 2027 or 2028: The projected roughly $6 million funding request for streetscape work.
- About 2030 and later: When the town expects Taylor Block development might begin, based on the "approximately five years" in the September 2026 minutes.
On this schedule, the town could redesign and fund the sidewalks, crossings and plantings in front of the Taylor Block before anyone proposes changes to the buildings behind them. So the block faces years of normal leasing. The questions for the street in the near term are which tenants move in and whether the streetscape plan fits the 1904 building and its neighbors as they stand.
Where Wellesley Square Gets Filled in the Meantime
Short-term retail is already a familiar part of the Square. The Cashmere Sale, now in its 16th year, has moved among at least half a dozen Wellesley locations. This season Needham resident Heidi Wells opened it in the former Dover Saddlery at 595 Washington St., next to The Village Bank. It runs from October 16 through December 22, Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday noon to 4 p.m. There is metered parking in front and free parking in back. Down the street, Rice Burg, Old School Pizzeria and Tutto Italiano are still serving customers at the Taylor Block.
The design meetings are open to anyone who walks this stretch. The November 18 session is where refined design alternatives for Washington, Central, Grove and Church streets get public comment. The town's public survey is open now for anyone who can't attend.
If you own property near Wellesley Square and want to understand how the 888 Worcester rezoning, the streetscape plan and a five-year timeline for the Taylor Block could affect your own plans, Jennifer Fish can walk you through them with a builder's understanding of how these projects tend to unfold. Book an Appointment.
