Wayland Planning Board Continues Islamic Center Funeral Facility Hearing to October

WAYLAND — September 10, 2024 — Wayland Planning Board continues Islamic Center of Boston funeral facility hearing, advances MBTA regulations. The board voted 5-0 to continue the site plan approval hearing for 129 Boston Post Road to October 8, 2024, after civil engineer Bruce Ringwall of Goldsmith Peirce and Ringwall presented plans to demolish an existing office building and construct a new mayat washing facility — an Islamic religious space for ritual preparation of the deceased — along with a parking lot and stormwater management system on the one-acre Route 20 corner lot. The board flagged unresolved questions about emergency vehicle access and requested fire department sign-off before October 8, with Vice Chair Robin Borgestedt pressing on whether proposed tree plantings along the lot's edge would block apparatus access from the adjacent restaurant property. A separate 5-0 vote authorized the town planner to commission a stormwater peer review jointly with the Conservation Commission, with the statutory decision deadline extended to November 6. Chair Anette S. Lewis then led the board through a two-hour editing session on draft MBTA Communities Act site plan regulations, with a final 5-0 vote directing Lewis and the town planner to complete the draft and schedule a public meeting — urgency driven by the town's MBTA zoning bylaw already being live and open for applications.