Wayland Housing Partnership divides tasks to boost visibility on town housing decisions

WAYLAND — March 25, 2026 — Wayland's Housing Partnership divvies up tasks to fight back against being sidelined. Members on Tuesday agreed to track state regulations and other towns' bylaw changes, draft a Town Meeting handout, and pitch monthly accessory-dwelling-unit updates for Town Manager Michael McCall's newsletter, after Kathleen Boundy warned of "hyper caution about pushing the envelope" in town. Chair Mary M. Antes will press Town Planner Robert Hummel for ADU permitting numbers since the new bylaw. The panel approved Jan. 14 minutes as amended on a motion by James Grumbach but held Feb. 4 minutes for further edits, including a clarification that MassHousing — the state housing finance agency — is distinct from the Massachusetts Housing Partnership. Members also reviewed a draft RFP for the next Housing Production Plan, which expires in 2027 and has a $60,000 Community Preservation Committee recommendation behind it. Jean Milburn called a proposed Orchard Lane feasibility-study warrant article "astonishing."