Is There a One-Building Plan for the Finnerty's Site?

The redevelopment of 150 Main St., also known as the Finnerty's site, has been in Wayland's headlines for months.

Most recently, developers Matthew Levy and Jesse Adelman withdrew their special permit application for the site -- which was considered the next step after the Planning Board voted site-plan approval in January.

The plan already approved for the site features two buildings: one, a CVS and the other, a mixed-use building expected to house a restaurant and some additional retail space on the first floor and office space on the second. The total approved project consists of 27,374 square feet of commercial space.

This week, however, a second site plan, this one featuring only a CVS building, was submitted to Wayland's planning office, setting in motion a new site-plan approval process.

"It's a completely different plan," Town Planner Sarkis Sarkisian said, explainig that it will require all the hearings and approvals of a new plan. "It's not an amendment or modification."

The new plan features a CVS building with an 11,968-square-foot footprint situated between two curbcuts on West Plain Street. The required 103 parking spaces for the retail establishment are located on the corner of West Plain Street and Main Street. The CVS features a one-lane pharmacy drivethrough in the northwest corner of the building.

Sarkisian said that it appears the one-building plan meets all of Wayland's bylaw and setback requirements without any needed variances or special permits. Sarkisian said he needs to look at whether the landscaping in the parking lot is sufficient to meet bylaw requirements, but he does believe the plan meets the "by-right" requirements.

Sarkisian said he initially had a question about whether the drivethrough meets the town's accessory use requirement, but he spoke with Town Counsel Mark Lanza and Building Commissioner Jay Abelli who both agreed the drivethrough meets the three standard criteria for accessory use:

- It is constructed on the same lot as the principal structure;
- It customarily found in connection with the principal use of the site;
- And there is common ownership for the principal and accessory uses.

For their part, Levy and Adelman said they still prefer the two-building plan for the site and will continue to pursue that plan through the Zoning Board of Appeals during a yet-to-be-determined hearing. They discovered they need ZBA approval for outdoor seating at the site and will, therefore, seek the remaining special permits for parking and signage through the ZBA rather than the Planning Board.

"We'd like to build the two buildings still," Adelman said. "That was our vision and we have a tenant that we’re excited about. It adds amenities that we think are missing in Wayland, and we think it more embodies the spirit of what a village should look like."

In the meantime, Sarkisian scheduled the initial Planning Board hearing for the new, one-building site plan for April 23 at 7:30 p.m.

The new site plans will be posted soon on the Town of Wayland Planning Department website.