Large concrete apartment block at Mahoney's Garden Center - recap of Wayland Conservation Committee meeting on 11 May

Dear Wayland neighbors: First, a big Thank You to everyone who attended the Wayland Conservation Commission hearing on May 11th. They moved the hearing to the 'large' meeting room, which was a good idea. We filled the seats, so we pulled another row of chairs out of the stacks in the back. That was not enough, however, so it turned into standing-room-only! The size of our crowd was very important, because 'voting by attending' makes a difference with Town committees. Support from Wayland residents helps to inform their decisions. If we don't show up, we lose.

Here is a recap of the Commission hearing:

(1) Environmental map review: The purpose of the hearing was to review the map of the environment at the Mahoney site that was prepared by the developer's environmental consultant, Beals & Thomas. (www.bealsandthomas.com). This map determines the outline of Pine Brook, surrounding wetlands etc. These boundaries are crucial because they will become the baselines for the 'setback' distance that will limit where the developer can build. Beals & Thomas presented their map, but there were not many questions from the Commission because they (wisely) approved hiring a company to do an independent peer review. When the peer review report is in, then the Commission can compare the two maps -- and determine where the boundaries lie.

(2) Questions from the audience: Our group asked a number of good questions. For example, has a study been done of water quality and endangered / threatened species along Pine Brook? (No.) Has a study been done of the impact of existing development and septic systems along Pine Brook, e.g. runoff from the PrimeBar parking lot and the septic system from 16 condos at Post Road Village -- just down from PrimeBar? (No.) Will the public be able to attend a review of the site with the Commission? (Yes - the date is TBD.)

(3) Next steps: The hearing was continued to the next Conservation Commission hearing on Thursday, 25 May, at 7:30pm. The peer review map may be ready by then. If so, it will be discussed. Again, it will be VERY important to have a big crowd in attendance. Developers depend on the community tiring out. They get paid to be at these hearings. We have to make a commitment. So please be there!

(4) Why the Conservation Commission review is important: The 40B process allows developers to ignore Wayland zoning, height restrictions, etc. -- and ram their proposals through with limited review. This site, however, has a unique issue. Pine Brook runs right through it, one of two 'cold water' streams in Wayland that support native brook trout and other species. Plus there are wetlands on the southeast corner that have been 'declared' by MassDEP. Plus Pine Brook connects directly to Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Wayland, 1 mile to the west -- a confirmed habitat for threatened and endangered species. So this is clearly not the right place for a large concrete apartment block that will generate 3.65 million gallons of sewage every year.

If you value the Wayland environment, it is obviously essential to stop this proposed development. If you care about our Wayland neighborhoods, traffic and the value of your home, this is also an important lever in our favor.

(5) Environmental study of Pine Brook: It was surprising to find that no environmental studies have apparently been done of Pine Brook - even though we know it is a habitat and spawning area for native brook trout, connects directly to Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge downstream, and connects (via Hayward Brook) to major wetlands and endangered species habitat upstream. Pine Brook is clearly a major resource. So we reached out to a number of organizations to see if an environmental study can be done.

(6) What you can do:

1. Share this story with all of your neighbors across town.
2. Ask your neighbors to send an email to ProtectWayland@Gmail.com, so we can add them to our list and add their names to our letters.
3. Write a letter to the Wayland Conservation Commission and Board of Selectmen -- and get ready to send one to the Wayland ZBA, MassDEP and Mass Housing.
4. Write a letter to Michael Wyner, editor of the Town Crier: mwyner@wickedlocal.com
5. Put a sign on your front lawn, if you haven't already. Any experienced political campaigner will tell you: "This works!" Just send us an email and we will deliver one: ProtectWayland@Gmail.com
6. Register on The Patch and post your concerns: https://my.patch.com/register
7. Register on NextDoor for the Wayland area and post your concerns: https://claypitarea.nextdoor.com/news_feed/?is=sidebar

Want to receive updates? Contact ProtectWayland@Gmail.com, and we will add you to our list.