Wayland Patch 6/6/12: Wind Turbines at Town Center Could Pose Zoning Issue. Wind turbines at Wayland Town Center were again up for discussion at a Planning Board public hearing Tuesday night. Representatives from Stop & Shop, which wants to erect the turbines as part of its efforts to achieve LEED certification, have made a significant change to their original plans as presented during a public hearing on March 27.

In advance of Town Meeting on April 7, 2011, the Planning Board and Town Planner would like to provide residents context around the following three…

Boston Globe 7/18/10: The march of the McMansions. Wayland and Brookline are two towns intent on preserving housing stock. In 2004, Wayland’s voters changed zoning language to allow the town to block the demolition of any building that no longer conforms to the zoning rules for the lot it sits on, a designation that applies to about 50 percent of Wayland’s housing stock. The only way such a building can be torn down is if it has been irredeemably damaged by fire or other involuntary or natural events. And even if the board approves the teardown, the house that replaces it “shall not be substantially more detrimental to the neighborhood” than what already existed. The result is that the number of demolition permits in Wayland has dropped each year since 2005, going from 13 in 2005 to two for the first half of 2010. But owners can demolish an existing, conforming building for any reason, as long as the new building complies with all zoning rules.