URBN, the parent company of Terrain, Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie, has filed plans to the Zoning Board of Appeals to convert the former Whole Foods plaza at 297–311 Boston Post Road into a destination complex.
The proposal is composed of a 4,500-square-foot farm-to-table restaurant, a 9,000-square-foot event hall for 175 guests, a second 120 seat dining room and about 6,500 square feet of indoor retail for home décor and specialty gardening. Seasonal merchandise would occupy up to 6,000 square feet outdoors.
The company is working with Grossman Development Group of Framingham, which has the site under agreement and would lease it to URBN on receipt of permits, attorney Joshua Fox of Rollins, Rollins & Fox told the Economic Development Committee (EDC) on April 17.
The Wayland Village Shopping Center is a 34,341-square-foot center on a 3.8-acre parcel that has been largely vacant since Whole Foods relocated in 2017 to Sudbury. Whole Foods left 19,200 square feet of storefront and eliminated roughly 125 local jobs. The lease is currently being paid through 2033 by Fresh Market, though the store never opened.
Fox said Terrain chose Wayland for its high household income and proximity to the Mass Central Rail Trail, adding that delays beyond June could “kill the deal” because the purchase-and-sale agreement expires this summer.
Long-running Route 20 plan still unfinished
Some municipal officials remain uneasy that the proposal is advancing while the Route 20 Corridor Master Plan contracted to BETA Group for a lump sum of up to $85,000 has yet to be delivered in final form. Under Task Order #6 absent from the March 2025 report is a stand-alone pedestrian & bicycle improvements plan with cost estimates, a 10% design-level drawing and cost estimates for new pathways/sidewalks and a preliminary way-finding signage plan. The study was first championed by former town planner Sarkis Sarkisian in February 2020, and formally authorized in July 2022.
Payment records in the Select Board’s August 7, 2023, packet show BETA invoices totaling $95,051, of which $43,085 remained outstanding at that date. Acting Town Manager Stephen Crane executed a supplemental task order that capped preliminary design work at $41,750, but several scope changes extended the schedule.
Town Planner Robert Hummel told the Planning Board on April 22 that the master plan “needs to be in place so we are not permitting Route 20 one parcel at a time.” A joint meeting of the Select Board and Planning Board is set for May 6 to review BETA’s latest draft.
Annual Town Meeting on April 1 approved Article 10, Motion 2, allocating $250,000 from Rivers Edge sale proceeds to design Route 20 sidewalk and curb-cut upgrades needed for a future state Transportation Improvement Program grant. The EDC agreed at their April 17 meeting to consolidate contact information for every Route 20 property owner and begin recruiting businesses that could use newly allowed drive-through pickup windows authorized under Article 20 at ATM 2025.
Competition worries from Russell’s Garden Center
Elizabeth Russell Skehan, co-owner of the adjacent Russell’s Garden Center, warned the EDC that Terrain’s merchandise overlaps with her fifth-generation family business, which employs 50 year-round workers. “They sell tabletop décor, houseplants and garden gifts, the very categories that keep us afloat in the off-season,” she said, urging the town to impose limits on outdoor retail and large plant sales.
Fox responded that live plants would represent less than 25% of Terrain’s inventory and said the venue could increase overall foot traffic for Route 20 retailers. He added that Terrain would hire local florists for most event arrangements.
Permitting path and infrastructure issues
Restaurants require a special permit in the Business B zoning district so URBN will appear before the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) in May. By re-using existing foundations and reducing paved surface area, the development team hopes to avoid a full site-plan review, and adding months to the schedule. Hummel said the ZBA may still attach conditions covering parking, wetlands buffers and noise from outdoor functions. The site presently contains 178 parking spaces; Terrain’s traffic engineer projects weekend peak demand of 190 when the retail and restaurant are open and operational, and an event is being held in the ancillary space.
Wetlands scientist Brad Holmes, consulting for the owner, told the board that an expanded storm-water system will pull runoff away from wetlands bordering the Sudbury River. The Conservation Commission review would be triggered only if an additional impervious area is created.
Next hearings
URBN must file its ZBA application by April 30 to be placed on the board’s May 23 agenda. If approved without appeal, Grossman hopes to close on the property by August and start demolition in late 2025, with a projected nine to 12-month build-out. Planning Board members said any façade or parking-lot changes proposed after the master plan is adopted would require site-plan review, even if the restaurant is already operating.
