Door closed on HYM project, Regis to consider what comes next

On Oct. 21, the Weston Planning Board officially closed the public hearing on rezoning 30 acres of Regis College land for a proposed senior housing project, after the Select Board voted against advancing the issue to next month’s Special Town Meeting.

Select Board Chair John McDonald said the Board made the decision because the date of their meeting was the last day to add items to the Special Town Meeting warrant. At the Select Board meeting, member Rebecca Mercuri said she was concerned the project had not been adequately vetted and that residents still had outstanding questions.

HYM Investment Group of Boston had proposed building a 215-unit senior living complex at 300 Wellesley St., across from Regis College. The development required a zoning bylaw amendment and special permit approval. The Select Board’s decision effectively puts an end to the proposal as Thomas Pistorino, Regis College’s chief financial officer, stated the school’s contract with HYM was contingent on the town passing the zoning bylaw. Without that agreement in hand, the contract will terminate at the end of December, he said.

Planning Board member Leslie Glynn expressed frustration that the Select Board halted drafting the zoning bylaw while they were still conducting the review process.

“They handed it over to us and said go through the public hearing, put together a report and come back with recommendations. We are still in the middle of that entire process and they stopped it,” she said.

Glynn said she was disappointed not to have the opportunity to bring the issue to Town Meeting  to gauge residents’  appetite for some kind of a senior living model, whether independent living or assisted living, a model that would require a high level of services.

“[Assisted living] requires something of a larger building that we in the town are not necessarily comfortable with, so we would have to weigh those two options,” she said.

The town’s senior housing advocates largely supported the proposal. The volunteer organization Engage Weston came out in favor of expanding the town’s senior housing options and allowing more Weston residents to age in their community. It also saw the project as a means to forestall Chapter 40B affordable housing developments that the state allows to override some local zoning provisions.

Tom Timko, chair of the Elderly Housing Committee and the Affordable Housing Trust, said Weston still needs to address the need for housing for its older adults.

“Weston is transitioning to an older population, creating a desperate need for both affordable and high-end senior options to prevent residents from being forced out of town,” he said.

If some were in favor of the development, abutters to the proposed site were vocal in their concerns about density, traffic, quality of life and project scale. Ken Morrison, who lives “three doors down from Regis College”, and Chris Cavanagh and Palak Shah, both of Colonial Way, issued a joint statement after the Select Board decision:

“We believe the Select Board was correct to take the time to get this right. This isn’t just about one parcel: the proposed bylaw would allow a roughly 399,000-square-foot development in a single-family neighborhood, one of the largest in Weston, and the same standard could apply to other sizable properties in the same residential district. Residents deserve a thoroughly-vetted proposal before being asked to vote on it,” the group said. “We appreciate the Board’s consideration of the concerns raised by abutters and neighbors, and we look forward to working collaboratively with Regis College and the town boards.”

HYM did not say whether they would be returning to the drawing board with Weston, but released a statement:

“We’re disappointed that the Select Board chose not to advance this proposal to Town Meeting. We continue to believe this project would bring meaningful benefits to Weston, including much-needed senior housing options for residents who want to remain in the community they call home,” the company wrote. “We’re grateful to the residents who engaged with us throughout this process, and we’re now taking time, together with Regis College, to evaluate our options and determine the best path forward.”

What will happen to the 30 acres of Regis College land remains to be seen, but it will likely not remain undeveloped.

In a letter to the Select Board written prior to its decision, Pistorino stated that if Town Meeting failed to support the bylaw change, “[t]he land would be placed back on the market and most likely be sold for an institutional purpose that would maximize the value to Regis,” he said.

Timko said, “The reality is, Regis is selling the land. They’ve made it clear to us. They have received numerous offers from 40B developers and are continuing to receive those offers.”

While the Planning Board ended the conversation on the HYM project, it passed a motion to include a discussion of the proposed senior living bylaw at the next meeting.