Design Review Board continues Rice Road church hearing to Sept. 9

WAYLAND — September 3, 2025 — Wayland Design Review Advisory Board punts Coptic church review to Sept. 9, advances guideline rewrite. The board voted unanimously to continue its hearing on a three-phase redevelopment of the St. Philopater Mercurius property on Rice Road — a new church, school, office building and residential use replacing the existing John Seiler-designed church — after the applicant could not attend. Member Tanya criticized the cloister-style site plan for ignoring solar orientation and maximizing asphalt, calling for green buffers and permeable parking materials. The board approved its 2025 annual report 3-0 after correcting the meeting count from 10 to nine. Members agreed to targeted edits to the Wayland Design Guidelines, including adding chain-link and PVC fencing to discouraged materials and a net-zero incentive section. Member Robin, working on the parallel Route 20 zoning rewrite, warned that "adding more things that we then have to eliminate is not necessarily helpful."