Planning Board floats six sites to meet state multifamily housing mandate

WAYLAND -- December 11, 2023, Wayland Planning Board pitches six sites to meet state's 750-unit MBTA housing mandate. At a Dec. 11 public forum, Chair Anette Lewis and member Dan Hill walked roughly 50 residents through candidate overlay districts including the existing Alta Oxbow apartments, a 5.7-acre lot behind Ace Hardware in Town Center, two Mainstone condominium tracts off Route 30, and commercial parcels on Route 20 west. Hill called the law "essentially a mandate, not optional," warning of lost MassWorks eligibility and potential Attorney General lawsuits. Mainstone owner Paul Fidlin called his complex's inclusion "an absolute farce," while Economic Development Committee Chair Becca Stanizzi noted Alta Oxbow alone is assessed at $72.8 million, half the town's commercial tax base, and estimated full buildout could yield "$4 million every year forever." The board aims to submit a bylaw by Jan. 15 for spring town meeting.