Wayland committee votes to issue RFI on disability housing for Cochituate Road parcel

WAYLAND -- September 3, 2025, Wayland advisory committee advances RFI for shared-living disability housing on Cochituate Road. The 212 Cochituate Rd Advisory Committee voted unanimously Wednesday to let member Bill Whitney finalize and issue a request for information seeking models for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to occupy a town-owned four-acre parcel, with a recommendation due to the Select Board in mid-February. Most of the meeting was a presentation by Katherine Stanley of the proposed High Spirit East and Bob Sweeney of High Spirit Community Farm in Great Barrington, which serves nine residents across three houses at a two-to-one staffing ratio. Sweeney said each house costs about $350,000 a year to operate, funded through state and federal programs, while Stanley said her nonprofit has raised $150,000 since October and applied for $200,000 more in grants. Member John Thomas added language aligning the RFI with the Commonwealth's "philosophy of person-centered planning."