Town Center project layout raises concerns
Wayland officials are raising concerns about the latest design of the proposed Town Center project, questioning whether the development's supermarket is too isolated from other buildings.
Taking their first look at the detailed plans, Planning Board members also said they wished the project's layout included more curves and wondered whether traffic would flow smoothly through the site.
The supermarket, which would be tucked along Route 20 on the southeastern edge of the property, seems like it hasn't been invited to be ``part of the party," said Steve Cecil, president of the Cecil Group of Boston, a design consultant for the board.
But after months of strained sessions leading up to Town Meeting's May approval of a zoning ordinance to allow the mixed-use project, discussion between the board and the developer on Wednesday was civil and pleasant.
Lynn Dunbrack, the Planning Board chairwoman, said it's an appropriate time for members to question the development's design, a combination of retail, office, and residential space on former
Dunbrack said she was impressed by the smaller storefronts and the prominent placement of a municipal building in the latest designs, the first new drawings since the project's zoning was initially defeated in a Town Meeting in November.
``It's promising," she said.
About two dozen residents also attended the meeting to get the latest information on the $100 million project and to give their input. Resident Philip Pattison, an environmental consulting engineer, said Route 20 should be widened to four lanes to make the project feasible.
The developer planned to submit traffic studies to the town late last week or early this week. The town is also hiring a traffic consultant.
Zoning approved for the project allows for up to 167,500 square feet of housing, 155,000 square feet of retail space, and 10,000 square feet of office space. The developer is also required to set aside 40,000 square feet for the municipal building and to incorporate 2 acres of open space in the development.
Dean Stratouly, president of the Congress Group Inc., which is joining with KGI Properties, both of Boston, to build the project, said Wednesday's meeting with the Planning Board was the most productive he's participated in since he first proposed the project nearly 18 months ago.
He said he would consider the board's concerns, including questions about the location of the supermarket.
``I don't like where it's located either," he said.
He said he expects to submit an application for a master special permit on Nov. 1. The state's timeline for such permits would require that a public hearing be held by Jan. 8 and would enable the developer to secure the permit by April 1, Stratouly said.
Project architect Scott Pollack of Arrowstreet in Somerville said his designs were constrained by limited access to the site, by the requirement that housing be on the north side of the property (contamination issues on the other half of the lot preclude housing there) and by the railroad line that runs through the southern portion of the parcel.
He said the newest drawings attempted to address earlier board concerns that housing was too disconnected from the rest of the development and that a road through the property would be too busy.
Despite the revisions, some Planning Board members still had concerns. Board member Larry Stabile said he thinks there is too much segregation of uses.
``Personally, I would like to see a lot more integration," he said.
