What’s happening in Weston? Update on the status of major projects

While folks were off on summer vacation and taking a break from Weston affairs, work on major projects continued.

In no particular order, here are brief updates on some of those projects as the town gears up for Special Town Meeting in October.

MBTA 3A

Since passing over the article at Town Meeting last May, the Planning Board and Select Board have been holding weekly working meetings to develop a plan compliant with the state’s new zoning requirements under the MBTA Communities Act.

Weston must create one or more zoning districts totaling a minimum of 50 acres and allowing for the development of 750 units of multifamily housing. State law requires a minimum of 15 units per acre. At least 40% of the units and 40% of the acreage need to be located within a half mile of the Kendal Green Commuter Rail station. Within these districts, multifamily housing would be allowed by right.

The current proposal under consideration is to create four multifamily zoning districts, which could host up to 750 units, around the community. District 1, the largest and closest to the Kendal Green station, would be in the area of the 133 Boston Post Road campus owned by Boston Properties BPX. The property owner is proposing a multiphased development that would see the creation of 100 townhomes in the first phase, 280 multifamily units adjacent to the rail line at the existing parking area in the second phase and 100 age-restricted units at the site of the existing office building in the final phase.

District 2 is located at the Merriam Village housing complex, which already has 62 age-restricted units. District 3 is set at the existing development at 751 Boston Post Road which currently has 172 units planned for construction, and district 4, the site of Charles River Recovery and Maplewood Assisted Living currently has 75 and 99 units respectively.

The deadline to adopt a compliant zoning overlay was July 15 and Weston is now ineligible for several state funding programs. If the town does not have a compliant map in place by 2026, the attorney general’s office could take legal enforcement action.

A Special Town Meeting is set for Oct. 15 where the proposed plan will be put before voters.

Josiah Smith Tavern

While rehabilitation and restoration work on the Josiah Smith Tavern was completed several years ago, the Friends of Josiah Smith Tavern officially opened the building as an event space in August 2024.

With a season of event rentals under the Friends’ belt, Pam Gossman, a member of the group, said the goal this fall and next year is to further inform the community about the historic event space available in town.

“We want to make the town feel like this is their building,” Gossman said, adding the building is a great venue for hosting community events, such as the Weston Forest & Trail Association’s upcoming third annual celebration. She noted residents are more than welcome to check out the Tavern’s public gardens and grounds.

In the meantime, Gossman said The Woods, a new restaurant slated to open in the Tavern, is making progress, and the Friends will be “working on that relationship as the restaurant is built.”

For more information about the Josiah Smith Tavern’s history and rental spaces, visit friendsofjst.org.

Middle and High Schools feasibility study

With the feasibility study exploring options to expand or construct the Middle and High schools complete, this fall the School Committee will be hosting a public forum, with a date to be determined, to present the study’s findings and answer residents’ questions.

Of the six potential options identified in the study, the School Committee in early August voted to further consider four of those choices. Option 2 is to construct a new high school and renovate the middle school; Option 3 is to construct two new schools; Option 6A/B is to build new middle and high schools within a connected two- to-three-story building, and option 7A/B would also build a connected but smaller two-to-three story building with certain ineligible spaces eliminated in order to qualify for Massachusetts School Building Authority funding. Cost estimates range from $326 million to $441 million.

The committee in August, based on members’ perception of return on investment, opted to remove the baseline option of maintaining the current buildings and option 1, which would be renovating the schools and constructing additions.

More information about Weston’s plans to address the middle and high schools’ building needs can be found on the project webpage at https://www.westonschools.org/school-committee/hs-ms-feasibility-study/#tab-id-1

Water tanks

The town is currently in the process of replacing its water tanks to enhance its ability to meet the increasing water needs for residential use, firefighting and other emergency situations.

At the March Special Town Meeting, voters overwhelmingly approved approximately $39.6 million in funding to locate, design and construct water storage tanks for Weston. Broken down, the town transferred $2.5 million in free cash and voters authorized borrowing of up to about $37.15 million to fund the project.

In the months since, the Select Board has continued its regularly scheduled water tank project meetings and hired Weston & Sampson as project manager to assist with the design and review of the project. Design is currently underway and specific aspects of the plan will need to come before the Planning Board, tentatively scheduled for Sept. 17.

Field work, including tree and property line surveys, is underway.

Fire Station

Over the summer, the Fire Station Working Group and Select Board continued their analysis of potential locations for a new fire station.

Assistant Town Manager Lisa Yanakakis and Fire Chief Justin Woodside said the early Special Town Meeting means the community will not be asked about appropriating design funds until the spring 2026 Annual Town Meeting – and, even then, design funds may not be requested. Instead, they said meetings this fall will be about trying to “nail down sites,” while conducting the most exhaustive property analysis possible.

“What we’re trying to do is look at every property,” Yanakakis said. “So when we go to either the Select Board, who are now part of the group, or go to the town, we can say we looked at every possible place and we’ve eliminated certain ones for these particular reasons.”

The two options under consideration are building a new station on the Middle School’s property at 456 Wellesley St. or rehabbing the current headquarters at 394 Boston Post Road. At the Fire Station Working Group’s Aug. 4 meeting, the committee agreed to identify which site to pursue for further analysis.

The Working Group is expected to meet again in September.