Wayland Finance Committee declines to back self-storage zoning article

WAYLAND — March 13, 2024 — Wayland Finance Committee declines to recommend self-storage zoning article on a 2-3-1 vote. The committee voted Wednesday against Article KK, a citizen petition to rezone a 2.9-acre parcel at 193 Commonwealth Road to allow a 100,000-square-foot retail self-storage building with roughly 3,500 square feet of community space. Members Steve Correa and Pam Roman voted yes; Michael Hoyle, Kelly Lappin and Brian O'Herlihy voted no; April Methot abstained. The vote followed a 5-0 Planning Board recommendation against the article one night earlier over spot-zoning concerns. Lappin said she struggled with "spot zoning, and particularly the size of this proposed building." Separately, Finance Director Brian Keveney told the committee that full-day kindergarten — about $535,769 — is being pulled from the school operating budget and funded through ARPA, and that a reversion to minimum Chapter 70 aid could leave Wayland $250,000 to $300,000 under levy in fiscal 2026.