Dear Editor:
The proposal submitted by the Egyptian Coptic Church at 169 Rice Road raises serious concerns.
Respect for the environment: When condominium communities within the Mainstone Farm/Hamlen Woods conservation area were initially built, the intention was to keep the housing barely visible from Rice Road and to protect the natural environment by removing as few trees as possible. The church plans to strip more than 500 trees. Birds and animals will be terrified and displaced, vegetation uprooted and serenity lost, thus permanently and unjustifiably altering the town’s original intent for this property.
Poor neighborhood communication: Only a fraction of neighbors at Turkey Hill and The Meadows were notified shortly before their first meeting, despite elaborate plans underway for many years. Other nearby neighbors were given no notice whatsoever.
- Size and scope of the project: Plans include a total demolition of the two existing structures and the construction of three or four large new buildings (including two church towers rising more than 90 feet in the air), plus a residence for the elderly, a large patio for outdoor gatherings, parking for 190 cars, a soccer field and extensive lighting throughout the complex. No part of this 5.5-acre parcel of conservation land will be left untouched.
- Misleading intentions: It may be a clever subterfuge to add religious classrooms to a building that is both a gymnasium and senior housing, but such nonreligious functions do not support the need for worship space. The plans for the extensive new complex lack common sense and are an assault on protected conservation areas.
- Congregation attendance and land usage: Few Wayland residents actually attend this church, but neighbors will bear the burden of construction noise and traffic over the next 10-15 years. Future congregants expected from all over greater Boston will further imperil the many walkers and bikers on this narrow, winding road, and totally upend the bucolic environment that attracted so many to live here.
In conclusion, many years ago, Wayland denied a proposal to install sidewalks on one side of Rice Road because it would require the removal of trees. If the Coptic Church is determined to build such an environmentally destructive complex, a different parcel of land is required. Surely Wayland’s thoughtful town leaders will see that the church’s proposal is both inappropriate and antithetical to the nature of Wayland’s “longest historical way.”
RaeAnn and John Duff
Bayberry Lane
