Wayland committee advances draft RFP for supportive housing at 212 Cochituate Road

WAYLAND — December 3, 2025 — Wayland advisory panel reviews supportive housing model and advances draft RFP for 212 Cochituate Road. Chris Ferguson of the Walpole-based Roach Family Real Estate Company told the 212 Cochituate Road Advisory Committee his firm owns five homes housing 43 adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, with roughly 75 percent of residents on Section 8 vouchers and services funded through MassHealth's Group Adult Foster Care benefit. Ferguson said a wait list of more than 30 prospective residents exists and called the model an opportunity for people "who deserve it just as much as you and I." Member Bill Whitney's draft RFP drew unanimous praise for being deliberately broad; Chair Tom Fay relayed town counsel's opinion that the 2025 Town Meeting Article 30 vote bars market-rate-only conveyance of the four-acre parcel. The committee voted 7-0 to approve November minutes and must file recommendations with the Select Board by Feb. 15, 2026.