Wayland EDC confirms MBTA zoning application filed minutes before state deadline

WAYLAND — August 1, 2024 — Wayland files MBTA Communities zoning plan at the eleventh hour, seats two new EDC members. Economic Development Committee Chair Rebecca M. Stanizzi told the Aug. 1 meeting the application reached the state at 11:55 p.m. the night before, closing a multi-year compliance push centered on the Mainstone condominium district. Town Planner Robert Hummel said the Planning Board will not revisit district boundaries until the state signs off, despite Stanizzi's argument that the Thacker and Ritchie parcel on Route 20 is a better fit. New members Katie Noble Harris and Val Lachenko were seated, bringing the committee to full strength. Stanizzi cited the 218-unit Riverside development — about $1.1 million in annual taxes, just 16 schoolchildren — as "a total home run." The committee also mourned MBTA advocate Bill Steinberg, who died after a long illness, and adjourned 6-0.