Three Things You Missed at Tuesday's Planning Board Meeting

The Wayland Planning Board had the Finnerty's project, medical marijuana and the proposed River Road Department of Public Works facility on its Feb. 5 agenda.

All but one of those hearings was continued to a later date. Here are three things you missed at Tuesday's meeting.

1. Finnerty's Special Permit Hearing. Developers for the 150 Main St. (Finnerty's) project were scheduled to meet with the board for a public hearing regarding special permits for signage, parking on residentially zoned land and fewer parking spaces than required by Wayland's bylaw.

That hearing was continued, without discussion, to March 5 at 7:35 p.m.

2. Medical Marijuana Zoning. The board was also scheduled to discuss a zoning bylaw change designed to make opening a medical marijuana treatment center in Wayland, “Unappealing ... but within the parameters of legality,” said board Chairman Kent Greenawalt.

This hearing was continued, without discussion, to Feb. 26 at 8 p.m.

3. Proposed DPW Facility. The board did hear from representatives with Weston & Sampson about the proposed DPW facility on River Road on the site of the current salt shed.

Wayland Public Buildings Director John Moynihan told board members that he has recommended separating the project into two bid phases: Construction of the building and the River Road site itself and construction of the road from Route 20, around the Wayland Transfer Station and back to the new facility.

He said the two phases will occur simultaneously, but would be bid separately as a building construction project and a road construction project.

Historical Commission member Sheila Carel spoke up during the hearing to ask that an archaeological survey and ceremonial landscape survey be conducted before the site was further developed.

Carel said a recent informal walk with a ceremonial landscapes expert "Identified an intact ceremonial feature … right where the road is."

In addition, Carel said the site was certified as a registered archaeological site in 1981 with artifacts up to 5,000 years old.

"We would need an archaeological survey before we would feel comfortable with anything going forward," Carel said. "You’re looking at a very sensitive area."

Carel said that a ceremonial landscape survey would cost about $15,000 and a couple of quick inquiries for archeological surveys revealed costs ranging from $2,000 to $15,000.

"The [Permanent Municipal Building] committee is sympathetic … our dilemma right now is that until Town Meeting approves the project, we have no money for investigatory work," Moynihan said. "Speaking for the Permanent Building Committee, they want to investigate this area. What they don’t want is to delay this project. I don’t think there’s anyone on the committee who thinks we should go digging through some sacred ground or tearing up an ancient burial ground. We want to do it."

The Planning Board voted to continue the hearing to Feb. 26 at 8:30 p.m. It also voted unanimously to waive a traffic study for the project given that peak traffic of 29 vehicles would occur just twice per day.