Hannah Williams Site Visit Results in Talk of New Plans

The Wayland Planning Board took a soggy stroll through Monday morning during a site visit that is part of next steps to revitalizing the park.

Don Ouellette, director of pointed out multiple trees marked for removal – some to make way for new fencing and others because they are sick and in danger of falling.

Plans have not yet been finalized when it comes to the layout of the park, but Town Planner Sarkis Sarkisian brought sketches of the plans as well as a tape measure to actually walk off the area suggested.

The debate continues to center on where to put the parking lot.

Months ago, two sets of plans were pitched. One plan put the parking lot in more or less its current position along Main Street, but expands it to accommodate more cars. Sarkisian said 60 feet is needed for two rows of cars plus a 20-foot lane between them.

Standing in the middle of the current play structure, Sarkisian held one end of the tape measure to visually mark 60 feet from Main Street. If that option is selected, the new play structure would be pushed back from the road to create space for the parking lot and, more than likely, to create enough space so a row of trees can be planted between the parking lot and Main Street.

Originally, the second plan called for parking to be located on the north side of the park where green space is currently. Ouellette said that if the Town of Wayland owned the parcel abutting Maple Street and could put the park's entrance along that side street, that site plan would be ideal. However, Wayland does not own that land, and a negative impact of putting parking there is the loss of green space that is popular at the park.

With the goal of preserving that green space, Sarkisian said, a new plan calling for parking along the south side of the park is being drawn up for consideration at a May 31 meeting.

“There’s concern about preserving the current green space,” Sarkisian said, adding that he thinks that space makes for a pleasant visual from the street. “It may make sense to put parking along the TD Bank property.”

Debate surrounds how many parking spaces are necessary, as well. The current lot features about 12, while 20 have been proposed for the new lot. Sarkisian said that the new lot would be considered public parking, so people could park there and walk to the surrounding businesses, so additional spaces could be useful.

“We would like to issue a site plan approval in the next week or two,” Sarkisian said. “I know he [Ouellette] is anxious to get this project in place, and we don’t want to slow his deadline.”