The red oval shows the location of the proposed Oxbow Meadow playing field in Wayland, just south of the Lincoln town line in red (click to enlarge).
By Alice Waugh
Opponents of a new playing field at Oxbow Meadows in Wayland close to the Lincoln town line have filed suit in an attempt to halt the project, but “both sides are talking right now” about resolving some of issues outlined in the appeal, according to Sarkis Sarkisian, Wayland’s town planner.
The recreational field was proposed by the Wayland Parks and Recreation Department for the old Nike missile site on Trout Brook Road just south of Birchwood Lane in Lincoln. The site would include a soccer field, a 34-space parking lot, and a pathway connecting to the existing Farrar Pond trail network, but no lighting. The playing field is a permitted use, but the town needed Planning board approval to expand parking from the current 10 spaces.
The proposal is the subject of numerous “Save Oxbow Meadows” lawn signs in Wayland and Lincoln, and the issue was debated in an August 4 Boston Globe article
The federal government deactivated the site in 1974 and Wayland purchased some of the land for housing and recreation purposes, according to a Wayland Recreation Department website detailing the history of the site and the various studies that have been done over the years.
The Wayland Planning Board granted site plan approval with conditions on August 8. Abutters filed an appeal in August with the state Land Court and the Zoning Board of Appeals, taking issue with a traffic study and the project’s potential impact on pedestrians from overflow parking on nearby roads. The ZBA determined it had no standing in the case because there was no building permit involved, but the court litigation is still pending.
At a Lincoln Board of Selectmen meeting in July, some residents expressed concern about the possibility of increased traffic on Farrar Road as well as environmental impacts from digging up land that may have been polluted by the missile site. But selectmen and Town Administrator Tim Higgins noted that Lincoln has no legal jurisdiction to intervene, although the board sent a letter in June asking Wayland to minimize impacts from traffic, noise and light.
Other Wayland projects
Wayland and Lincoln share the problem of having too few public playing fields. Last spring, Lincoln approved purchase of some of the Wang property on Bedford Road and is building a playing field which will be shared with the Birches School.
Two more fields were recently built in Wayland close to the Lincoln town line on Old Sudbury Road by the Carroll School, which has relocated some of its students to renovated buildings on the site. Lincoln officials explored the possibility of seeking field privileges there, “but we were advised by Carroll School that this would not be an option as they are attempting to limit impacts on the neighborhood,” Higgins said earlier this month. The town has not requested privileges for the proposed Oxbow playing field, he added.
A second set of protest lawn signs in Lincoln and Wayland saying “Stop the Monster” refers to another Wayland construction proposal. Developers are hoping to build a three-story residential building with 60 units (15 of which would be affordable housing) at 133-119 Boston Post Rd. on the site of the former Mahoney’s Garden Center, which has moved to expanded quarters at the company’s existing location at Nine Acre Corner in Concord. Yet another proposal for 188 apartments at 484-490 Boston Post Rd. near Wayland’s town line with Sudbury. At least 25 percent of those units will be affordable, and at least 25 percent age-restricted for older residents. Both proposals are in the public hearing process with the Wayland ZBA.