MBTA Zoning Deserves Wayland's Attention: Planning Board

The following was submitted by the Wayland Planning Board

WAYLAND, MA — The Planning Board, Select Board, and Finance Committee are all encouraging residents to attend Town Meeting (which starts on May 13) and vote in favor of Article 26, the MBTA Communities Multi-Family Housing Zoning. The Planning Board has been working hard to help set the stage for Wayland to comply with the state’s MBTA Communities Multi-Family Zoning Act. Under the Act, to help address the state’s housing crisis and encourage people to use public transportation, the 177 cities and towns that are in the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority’s service area must approve a new zoning district that permits multifamily housing by-right. If communities do not comply, they will lose eligibility for state grants and could be sued by the state for non-compliance. The deadline for Wayland’s district and bylaw to be submitted for state approval is Dec. 31.

Wayland has been designated as an “MBTA-adjacent community” because of its proximity to the rail stations in Lincoln, Weston, Natick, Concord, and Framingham. The law requires Wayland to create a zoning district of at least 50 acres that could accommodate a minimum of 750 multifamily housing units. State guidelines require that the district be able to support at least 15 units per acre on average across the entire multifamily district. There cannot be any age-restrictions on the units, and the town can only require that 10% of the units be affordable. Compliance will be based on whether the district conforms with the state’s computer-based model.

The Planning Board’s proposed zoning map and bylaw language will go before Town Meeting, which starts on May 13. A simple majority vote is required for approval. The proposed zoning map and bylaw language were created by the Planning Board, with guidance from the Barrett Planning Group, and community input from numerous public meetings and public forums.

After careful consideration, and assurances from the Barrett Planning Group that the proposal is compliant, the Planning Board has proposed four sub-districts to comprise the multifamily housing overlay district. The four sub-districts are close to Route 20 or Route 30, the town’s major east-west roadways and the corridors most-likely to have public transportation improvements in the future. Two of the proposed sub-districts are where multifamily zoning is already in place: the non-age-restricted portion of Alta Oxbow and a small portion of Mainstone (Coltsway). The other two sub-districts are within commercial zones where owner support is significant and disruption to existing neighborhoods is limited: Rte. 20 West on the Sudbury town line and Town Center (which already has residential development).

The Planning Board has noted its disappointment that according to the state Guidelines, the town is not allowed to require more than 10% affordable units. There is a widespread understanding that Wayland needs more affordable housing.

The state law mandates new zoning, not new building. The Planning Board has stressed that the proposed amendments to Wayland’s zoning map and bylaw create multifamily housing zoning overlay districts, but do not require that any construction be undertaken. Only if landowners are so inclined, will new development occur.

Related: How Will MBTA Zoning Law Affect Wayland? Forum On Changes Coming