Planning Board continues Veritas, Islamic Center hearings into new year

WAYLAND -- November 26, 2024, Wayland Planning Board punts Veritas Academy decision to mid-January amid stormwater, height disputes. The board voted 4-0 to continue the Cochituate Road site plan hearing to Dec. 17 and extend its decision deadline to Jan. 22, accommodating a Jan. 24 financing close. Architect Chris Blessen defended a 39-foot building height, four feet over zoning, citing 14-foot floor-to-floor needs, but Chair Jennifer Steele and member Annette Lewis pushed back hard. "I'm not hearing the reasonableness of it," Lewis said. Attorney Mark Bobrowski identified four Dover Amendment waivers sought, covering height, impervious coverage, retaining-wall setbacks and a sports court corner. Consultant Scott Horsley, representing abutters, challenged the applicant's groundwater modeling, arguing saturated thickness was overstated against the consultant's own eight-foot bedrock depth. The board also continued the 129 Boston Post Road Islamic Center hearing to Dec. 10 and opened a 13 Charena Road subdivision hearing for 108 students, 16 full-time and six part-time staff.