Wayland design board defers Coptic church review, citing thin detail

WAYLAND — September 9, 2025 — Wayland design board continues Coptic church review, says plans lack required detail. The Design Review Advisory Board voted unanimously Tuesday to reschedule its hearing on Saint Mercurius and Saint Mina Coptic Orthodox Church, a three-building, 5.5-acre complex proposed off Rice Road, until DSK Architects returns with information on lighting, materials, buffer zones and landscaping. Architect Shaun Landon said the church would be built first, with construction starting in 2027 and lasting about 18 months; a recreation building would follow in three to five years and a diocesan building in 10 to 15. Chair William Sterling urged the applicant to pursue net-zero energy, saying a traditional building done that way "would make the magazines." Member Robin Borgestedt said the plans show "an awful lot of pavement," and member Tatiana Person asked for redistributed parking and a 3D view. Neighbors objected to the removal of roughly 450 mature trees and to a church proposed at about 90 feet tall on a 30-foot grade. The Planning Board takes up the application Oct. 15.