Wayland Planning Board advances solar and ADU bylaws for spring town meeting

WAYLAND -- September 10, 2025, Wayland Planning Board advances solar and ADU bylaw drafts ahead of January warrant deadline. Clerk Jesse Newberry presented a tiered ground-mounted solar bylaw, small (under one acre), medium (one to five acres) and large (over five acres), with large arrays requiring a special permit, battery storage permitted only as accessory use, and decommissioning bonds set at 125 percent of removal costs. Chair Anette S. Lewis warned a proposed 60 percent lot-coverage cap would conflict with the Aquifer Protection District's roughly 20 percent limit. Vice Chair Robin Borgestedt said she would draft special-permit rules allowing ADUs up to roughly 1,500 square feet, "certainly not 2,500 square feet, because that's a house", while keeping the 900-square-foot by-right threshold. The board voted 4-0 to issue an RFP for a stormwater and traffic peer reviewer for the Carroll School site plan at 3145 Waltham Street. Articles must be filed with the Select Board by Jan. 15.