This somewhat-less-than-totally-comprehensive article appears on p.1 of today's Globe.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ Wayland, Framingham spar over development By Jenn Abelson, Globe Staff, 6/10/2003 WAYLAND -- Their first idea had a primitive appeal: Place cement blocks in the middle of Old Connecticut Path, disrupting traffic to the site of a massive housing development proposed for just down the road. Rebecca Butler and her friends quickly discarded that fanciful if illegal approach, but the antidevelopment campaign they hatched last fall over wine at a dinner party mushroomed into an unusual battle between two suburban towns. Planned for a Framingham site little more than a quarter mile in places from the Wayland border, the Villages of Danforth Farm is one of the largest residential developments proposed in the state -- 665 housing units on 170 acres of land that for years had been used by a gravel company. It would bring in about 1,250 residents, the developer says. Officials in Framingham, the most populous town in the state, have embraced the project, not least because of the $3.5 million annually in property taxes it would generate for the town. But their more affluent neighbors in Wayland backed Butler's proposal at April's Town Meeting and essentially handed officials a blank check to fight the project. ''It's worth it to Wayland because this project, more than any other, has the potential to destroy the semirural character of our town,'' she said. Wayland officials said they do not intend to bleed the town's coffers dry, but have spent $20,000 so far, including filing a court appeal of the Framingham Planning Board's decision to issue the developer a special permit. Wayland officials also said National Development, headquartered in Newton, agreed to pay for a management study of abutting conservation land and keep its trucks off town roads during the lengthy construction -- but neither showed up in subsequent official documents. ''We think they could have taken into account some of the concerns we were raising,'' said Mary Antes, chairwoman of Wayland's Board of Selectmen. ''We have hopes of being able to work things out. But in order to keep our options open, we had to file suit.'' Though wrangling between towns is nothing new in a state with limited regional governing structures, some planners say it's uncommon for a community to take such a fervent stand against a neighboring town, especially over a residential development. ''I've never heard of this,'' said John Robertson, deputy legislative director for the Massachusetts Municipal Association. ''It's not to say it doesn't happen, but you don't hear a lot like this.'' You do in Wayland these days. Talk about how to stop, or shrink, the Villages at Danforth Farm has become something of an obsession for many in town. Wayland officials have spent hundreds of hours over the past year gauging the development's impact. Joe Laydon, a town planner, set up a page on the town's website solely dedicated to the project after fielding countless calls from residents. Though the project is touted by officials from Framingham and National Development as a solution to the region's housing crisis, Wayland residents say it would threaten the town's wells, public safety, and the integrity of a bedroom community still clinging to its bucolic past. For now, the project is temporarily on hold while National Development fights Wayland's court appeal and two separate appeals of the same special permit filed by several Framingham residents who do not share their town officials' enthusiasm for the proposal to build at the current site of New England Sand and Gravel. ''I frankly think there's been an overreaction,'' Jack O'Neil, managing partner of National Development, said of the opposition. ''The perception is always worse than the reality.'' As the host community, Framingham would reap the tax windfall and other benefits, such as some water and sewer improvements. The traffic impact, however, would be borne more by Wayland, studies show. Where Wayland residents, numbering about 13,100, see suburban sprawl and a drain on its resources, in Framingham, population 67,000, officials eagerly await the transformation of an eyesore into a planned development with over-55 and affordable housing options, open space, and a canoe launching site. ''This development will allow us to reclaim land that is now being used as a sand and gravel pit and benefit the region by providing desperately needed housing,'' said Helen Lemoine, chairwoman of Framingham's Planning Board. The developer has already paid Framingham $500,000 to lease Riverpath Drive, which is three-tenths of a mile from Wayland's border, as the main access road for the development. As part of an agreement reached earlier this year, National Development will pay the town an additional $1.5 million to use the road once the court suits are settled. Moreover, after promising in its draft decision that the truck route for the project would stay within Framingham's borders during construction, the Framingham Planning Board made an 11th-hour decision to scrap the restriction, essentially allowing construction vehicles to travel through Wayland's narrow roads. The construction is expected to spread over a decade. On an average day, about 8,000 vehicles travel on West Plain Street -- what some here call Wayland's suburban highway. During an afternoon rush hour, cars can jam 33 deep, angling in front of oncoming traffic to make a left turn onto Old Connecticut Path toward Framingham. With the Villages at Danforth Farm, more than 800 additional cars are projected to travel daily through West Plain Street. ''I thought I'd live my life here,'' said Linda Barone, a West Plain Street resident. ''Now we're seriously reconsidering.'' Although National Development has suggested some ways to lessen traffic in Wayland, it has insufficiently measured the effects of the project and inadequately proposed methods to address them, Wayland town officials said. While recognizing the advantages to the area of the Villages at Danforth Farm project, Marc Draisen, executive director of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council said Wayland has ''legitimate concerns'' about congestion, well infiltration, and the strain it would place on the town's police and fire departments. He said the dispute underscored the importance of creating a system to encourage early stage discussions among towns to avoid costly legal battles. Still, a National Development official said that while the court appeals from Wayland and the Framingham residents have slowed progress, construction eventually will begin. ''This is just a road block,'' O'Neil said. Jenn Abelson can be reached at [EMAIL PROTECTED] This story ran on page A1 of the Boston Globe on 6/10/2003. Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company. To unsubscribe, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with body "unsubscribe frambors" (the subject is ignored).
