By June Valliere
Concern about exacerbating an already heavily trafficked area was the focus of the Planning Board’s review of the Carroll School’s expansion plans on October 15.
The school plans to expand enrollment from 50 to 250 students within the next 10 years. To do this, the school proposes to replace two of its smaller buildings with a two-story academic building. The total footprint of 47,506 square feet would sit on 11.4 acres. Due to the expected traffic increase, a school zone with a 20 mph speed limit is proposed for a stretch of the road near the campus.
The Carroll School, located on 45 Waltham Road, is a private school for students with dyslexia and other learning disabilities. It has three campuses, organized by age groups. The Wayland location serves grades eight and nine. The other schools are in Lincoln and Waltham.
Waltham Road is a residential road with a mix of classic homes and large estates. Most of the abutting streets in Wayland and Lincoln are narrow one-lane country roads.
The meeting began with Planning Board Chair Annette Lewis reading the Dover Amendment – designed to prevent municipalities from prohibiting or unreasonably restricting the use of land for religious, educational, or agricultural purposes – and Sean Malone, civil engineer and Vice President of Oak Consulting Group, reviewing the proposed construction project.
According to Malone, the proposed expansion conforms to local zoning regulations on building bulk and height of structures, yard size, lot area, setbacks, open space, and parking and building coverage. He said that the former mansion, known as the Fish Center, will remain, but it will be reconfigured. The pool house, which is an administrative building, and the two-story barn, which houses garage and maintenance equipment, will be demolished. Malone said lighting would be grouped and turned on only when needed. They will replace the septic system to accommodate the larger enrollment, and will use a drainage system to infiltrate stormwater back into the ground. Lincoln provides the drinking water. Thirty trees will also be planted.
Architect Daithi Blair said there will be three buildings, housing different academic subjects, connected by transparent corridors. The connecting buildings would be set back to align with the existing structure. Landscaper Michelle Crowley said parking would be expanded to 118 spaces on the west side, and rain gardens and a fire lane will be added in the rear.
Renee Greenfield, Carroll’s head of the school, presented the campus vehicle circulation plan that is modeled after the Lincoln campus. Vehicles will enter from the west and exit in the east. There would be a separate bus entrance in the center.
Traffic Engineer Kenneth Cram reported the expansion was expected to generate 275 new vehicle trips during the peak time in the morning and 131 every evening. He said that most of the school traffic would peak before rush hour.
The planning board’s questions and concerns focused on parking and traffic. Vice Chair Robin Borgestedt said she was concerned about the traffic on Waltham and Concord roads. She said she has experienced frequent backups in that area and felt that a five-fold student population increase could exacerbate the problem. According to Borgestedt, the traffic report did not address the impact on Lincoln Road and Route 117, not enough parking spaces for events, and no information was provided on potential traffic backups onto Waltham Road. She asked how many students took the bus. Borgestedt also pointed out that the submitted drawings failed to illustrate how the entire construction project fit into the site.
Larry Kiernan questioned the estimated traffic volume on Waltham Road. Jesse Newberry questioned why the traffic study did not include Route 126. Lewis asked how the teachers and emergency vehicles would get out of the parking lot at dismissal time and what the plans are for the garage and maintenance equipment kept in the barn near Apple Tree Lane. She pointed out that Apple Tree Lane is a narrow country road that cannot accommodate parking.
The school officials responded to some of the Board’s questions. About 35% of the students take the bus. The teachers will not need to get out of the parking lot until after the students leave. Some of the maintenance equipment will be moved to one of Carroll’s other locations. If there is an emergency during dismissal, the teachers will direct traffic. For school events, they will shuttle students from the Lincoln school.
Town Planner Robert Hummel said that Wayland and Sudbury Police chiefs are planning to meet in the next two weeks with school representatives to discuss traffic and safety. Carroll School attorney Bill Proia announced they were also meeting with the Lincoln Select Board on October 20.
Lewis scheduled the next Planning Board meeting to review the Town’s independent consultant reports, which will include a traffic study, with Carroll’s representative on October 29.
