Town Meeting approves MBTA plan

Voters at Special Town Meeting Wednesday night approved Weston’s revised MBTA Communities Act proposal, setting the town up for compliance with the state law.

The proposal was approved by a majority of residents, 387-86. Voters also approved the seven other articles on the warrant, including reappropriating $18,750 of unspent money to finish the study of the Weston Depot.

More than 470 residents packed into the Weston High School auditorium Wednesday evening.

Select Board Chair Lise Revers said the MBTA Communities Act plan “strikes the right balance between current development and long-term zoning.” Additionally, she noted the town’s options are limited at this point because the attorney general’s office has threatened enforcement actions against noncompliant municipalities beginning in January, including daily fines and loss of state aid.

“We feel confident that the new plan we are presenting tonight is the best possible solution for our town,” Revers said. “The upshot is that we have exhausted our legal remedies and we are at a point in time where compliance is not an option; it is a requirement.”

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.

Additionally, residents approved amendments to a development agreement with Boston Properties, which places height restrictions on the three zones within 133 Boston Post Road and limits future development on the site to uses under 3A only.

With Wednesday’s vote, Boston Properties now has the opportunity to build up to 480 housing units at 133 Boston Post Road, if every phase of development is completed. The proposed phases are as follows: 100 townhomes in the northeast corner of the site, 280 multifamily units at the existing parking structure and 100 age-restricted units at the site of the existing 350,000-square-foot office building.

“From the start, our vision for this site was to create an inclusive, welcoming community integrated into and consistent with Weston’s scale and character,” Planning Board member Al Aydelott said.

The Finance Committee unanimously supported both the zoning act and development agreement, with Chair Bharath Venkataraman presenting his board’s analysis of the potential development. If all three phases of the development are built, the town is expected to collect $5.7 million in revenue and spend about $6.5 million to educate students and support town services.

In the “worst-case scenario,” Venkataraman said this approximately $800,000 deficit is preferable to the ramifications of noncompliance, as daily fines can add up and state aid makes up about $12 million of Weston’s budget.

Residents also approved a citizens’ petition submitted by the Friends of the Weston Depot requesting a transfer of $18,750 to finish the study of the 144-year-old Weston Depot.

Voters previously approved $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.

The Friends of the Weston Depot said they plan to use the money for soil testing, structural analysis and for fencing around the site. Friends member Alicia Primer said the group is in negotiations with the MBTA, which owns the land around the building.

Venkataraman said the Finance Committee voted to support appropriating the money because it is a “worthy endeavor,” but future money should come through the Community Preservation Committee.

“We would like to see at least 75% of costs of the project to be covered by grants and by private fundraising; the rest can be covered by the town through the use of the CPC,” he said.

Alongside the MBTA Communities Act proposal, residents also approved another zoning bylaw amendment. Voters authorized closing a loophole in the town’s earth removal bylaw by expanding the definition of “earth” to include ledge, removing exemptions for “unsuitable materials” and changing exemptions for foundation excavation to only include the foundation and clearance needed for construction. Removal is subject to Planning Board review through a special permit.

The four consent agenda articles were also approved. Those articles are as follows:

• Article 1 authorized $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 corrected 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 appropriated $75,000 of Community Preservation Act money 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 corrected 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.