Wayland Select Board declines to sponsor 193 Commonwealth Road zoning article

WAYLAND -- January 8, 2024, Wayland Select Board declines to sponsor zoning article for 96,000-square-foot Cochituate self-storage project. By board consensus Monday, members signaled they will not insert the Economic Development Committee–backed amendment for 193 Commonwealth Road into the May warrant, leaving proponents until Tuesday's 4:30 p.m. deadline to file a citizens' petition. Vice-Chair Doug Levine said the draft's use of a sub-district and embedded architectural standards including "muted or historic village colors" was unfamiliar territory; Chair Carol B. Martin said Cochituate Village needs a vision before a warehouse lands next to the town's $125,000 historic facade investment at 1774 Main Street. Member Christopher Reynolds dissented, arguing insertion would preserve board control: "Voters look at how this board votes on things. Not who sponsors it." The board also unanimously appointed Robert Fox to the Trust Fund Commission, 7-0 in a joint vote, and learned the state's 9C cuts will trim $50,000 from Wayland's Energize Wayland earmark.