Planning Board sets April 15 for final Veritas Christian Academy vote

WAYLAND — March 25, 2025 — Wayland Planning Board moves Veritas Christian Academy to the verge of approval. The board voted 5-0 Tuesday to continue the public hearing on the 164-172 Cochituate Road campus to April 15 and extend the decision deadline to April 18, with members signaling they will not require special permits for earth removal or for siting a septic system within the town's Zone II under the Dover Amendment. Attorney Scott Schlager of Troutman Pepper Locke cited the 2014 Jewish Cemetery Association appeals decision; wastewater engineer Jay Thrasher said the 5,000-gallon-per-day system falls well under the 550-gallons-per-acre Zone II limit across the 10.15-acre site. Abutters' consultant Scott Horsley pushed unsuccessfully for an on-site slug test, arguing groundwater mounding could reach 1.6 feet at the property line rather than the applicant's three inches at 30 feet. The board also released the final lots at Five Paths Court and held outgoing Chair Jennifer Steel's last meeting before her departure after town meeting.