It’s been close to three years now since Wayland residents heard about the possibility of an actual town center. There have been some heated town meetings, lawsuits, skepticism, and strong opinions on both sides. Now it seems as if the project is definitely going to happen, with an optimistic date of completion sometime in 2009.

The project that started in mid-2005 seemed lost after the developer pulled out in 2006, expressing frustration with the town’s planning board. More recently, the developer went back to talk with the town, and the project was revived. After only a few months, the developer received its Master Special Permit this past January, allowing the project to finally get under way.



Shortly after the permit was issued, two lawsuits were filed against the town and the developer. One lawsuit came from the neighboring town of Sudbury, and the other one came from Glezen Lane residents. Both say that the town hasn’t taken the necessary steps to accommodate the increase in traffic flow that will come with the new center.

Developers have already spent approximately $600,000 to analyze traffic data and make plans to accommodate the new traffic. They also promised the town $7.8 million in funds to make the necessary adjustments to roads, allowing for increased traffic flow. Sudbury has since withdrawn its suit after talking with the town about the issue.

However, the project faces even more problems. The town will have to make significant upgrades to the water treatment facility to handle all the wastewater that will be produced by the new center.

In addition, the legitimate concern of the traffic flow should not be ignored. Around 3,000 cars are expected to pass through Sudbury on the weekends alone because of the development, which means a large increase in traffic for our town. The generally quiet “downtown” Wayland probably wouldn’t be nearly as quiet anymore.

Even still, there are certainly benefits to the project. Wayland would gain public transportation (which it has not had since 1971), plus there would be additional tax revenue for the town.

With the school district about to face a substantial budget cut of about $2.1 million, there is no question that our town is in need of additional sources of revenue to pay for the increasing costs of our services.

The Town Center is going to be created at the currently vacated Raytheon and Polaroid sites (a total of 57 acres). The project was originally proposed to be 500,000 square feet, but has been trimmed down to 400,000 square feet. The plan includes retail space, restaurants, a new 40,000 square foot municipal building for the town, 100 residential units, and a 2-acre green area.