Wayland Select Board sends affordable housing zoning, nine articles to town meeting warrant

WAYLAND -- January 9, 2023, Wayland Select Board advances affordable housing zoning and up to $6M in COA/CC contingency to town meeting. The board voted 5-0 to submit nine warrant articles and 4-1 to submit a zoning overlay for 124 Cochituate Road that would allow an affordable senior rental project at St. Anne's as of right, preserving the town's Chapter 40B safe harbor past its mid-May expiration. Owner's project manager Ben Keefe said existing contingency on the $11 million Council on Aging and Community Center totals about $1.1 million and warned that "if the market goes up again like it did last year, we will use all our contingency just to get to award the project." Carol Martin called the late add "the elephant in the room" for sidestepping the finance team's capital plan. The board also approved transfer of the 302 Commonwealth Road package store license to BAPA Whelan Corporation 5-0, and worked through draft hybrid town meeting legislation ahead of a Jan. 20 state filing deadline.