Special Town Meeting to consider 3A plan

Voters at Special Town Meeting on Oct. 15 will consider eight articles, including Weston’s revised MBTA Communities Act proposal and a citizens’ petition requesting funding for the Weston Depot.

The meeting will be held at Weston High School, 444 Wellesley St., at 7 p.m.

MBTA Communities Act

Topping the warrant is Weston’s MBTA Communities Act proposal. The town is currently noncompliant with the law, also referred to as 3A, and risks enforcement action from the attorney general’s office if a plan is not in place by January.

“I really believe the town has taken enough time to come up with a plan that is not just compliant with 3A,” Select Board Chair Lise Revers previously said, “but is something that can actually enhance our town in the future.”

The plan proposes creating four multifamily zoning overlays of varying densities around town. Three of the proposed zones are considered to be long-term zoning districts unlikely to be developed in the near future: Merriam Village, 751 Boston Post Road and 75/99 Norumbega Road. The key overlay, located at the 133 Boston Post Road campus owned by Boston Properties BXP, proposes a phased build-up of a multigenerational neighborhood.

While development is expected to be limited at the other three zoning districts, 133 Boston Post Road is expected to be built up, and Article 6 requests residents to amend the development agreement to unlock the opportunity to create up to 480 housing units, if every phase of the project is completed.

The amended development agreement places height restrictions on the three zones within 133 Boston Post Road’s overlay, while also limiting future development on the site to uses under 3A zoning only.

“The range of housing choices and the distribution of these housing units across the entire BXP property will create a village-like setting with pathways and water features connecting the buildings,” Revers said. “In addition, the pathways will connect to the abutting conservation land and rail trail, which will link the property in a natural way with the abutting land features.”

Earth removal regulations

Another zoning bylaw amendment is on the warrant, as the Planning Board seeks to close a loophole in the town’s earth removal bylaw, which requires a special permit for removal of more than 1,000 cubic yards for residential construction. However, it exempts “unsuitable materials,” which has allowed for excessive removal of ledge, as well as removal of fill from sites where wetlands were filled prior to the Wetlands Protection Act.

The proposed amendment expands the definition of “earth” to include ledge, removes the exemption for “unsuitable materials” and changes exemptions for foundation excavation to include only the foundation and clearance needed for construction, according to the Planning Board’s recommendation to the moderator. Removal would be subject to Planning Board review through a special permit.

Weston Depot

The last article on the warrant is a citizens’ petition submitted by the Friends of the Weston Depot requesting a reappropriation of $18,750 of unspent funds to finish the study of the 144-year-old Weston Depot.

Residents appropriated $30,000 for a land-use study and a structural evaluation of the building at the 2022 Annual Town Meeting; however, only about $12,000 was spent because interior access was limited.

If the money is reappropriated, the Friends of the Weston Depot said they plan to use it for soil testing, structural analysis and for fencing around the site, according to member Alicia Primer. Primer said the ultimate goal is for the building to “remain in Weston as a public amenity.”

There are also four articles in the consent agenda, which will be taken up as a single vote, unless residents request to have them addressed separately.

Those articles are as follows:

• Article 1 seeks approval for a $483,695 budget adjustment to allow the town to get a jump on projects earlier than the next fiscal year, according to Town Manager Leon Gaumond.
• Article 2 seeks approval to correct an article approved at the May 2025 Annual Town Meeting that revised the source of funds for the Recreation Department Enterprise Fund. That budget will not change.
• Article 3 seeks approval of a $75,000 Community Preservation Act appropriation for Weston’s Housing Production Plan. Weston’s current plan is set to expire in September 2026 and the funds would be used to update the plan with consulting services.
• Article 4 seeks approval to correct an administrative error in the May 2025 Annual Town Meeting warrant to fix the definition of a term in the town’s wetlands and floodplain protection bylaws.

The full Special Town Meeting warrant and explanations for each article can be found on the town website.

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