Woods restaurant group says project on track for fall

The Woods, the long-awaited restaurant slated to make a home in the Josiah Smith Tavern, received two notable approvals this month from the Planning Board and Historic New England, the nonprofit that holds a historic preservation easement on the property.

While several hurdles have been cleared, there are additional approvals restaurateur Brian Piccini and the Friends of the Josiah Smith Tavern must obtain before construction can begin. Piccini had previously identified May 22 as the target date for final approvals to “remain on track for a restaurant opening later this year,” according to the Friends.

Although there are outstanding permits regarding parking and signage, Piccini said his team is still planning a fall 2026 grand opening.

“I feel like we’re still making progress and are still on target, even though we haven’t gotten all the approvals,” Piccini said.

He set the May 22 deadline in an effort to give the project momentum once his team submitted construction documents.

“I wanted to keep the ball rolling,” Piccini said. “Otherwise it was just open ended ‘come to the next meeting.’ It was our way to try to get some commitments back and it helped us flesh out which issues need to be met with which board.

Procedural issues stall The Woods

Historic New England

The Historic New England approval came after months of discussion, culminating in a May 12 on-site meeting, according to Dylan Peacock, the nonprofit’s director of preservation services.

A major holdup concerned the building’s rear windows, which The Woods group had proposed lowering below the height of tables to allow guests to “feel as if they are not confined in a barn, but connected to nature and ‘The Woods,’” according to an email Piccini sent on April 28 obtained in a public records request. Historic New England was concerned about the plan and wanted the project to “remain within the vernacular architectural style of a barn from this period.”

“At that meeting, we were able to work through the remaining questions noted in our May correspondence and reach agreement on those points,” Peacock said in an email. “The principal outstanding issue remained the rear fenestration, which had been identified in our November correspondence as requiring further resolution. That issue has now been resolved.”

Planning Board approval

The Planning Board gave conditional approval after Bob Medeiros, project architect, presented the updated window design and a new proposal for signage, which had been a point of contention in earlier months.

The restaurant group originally proposed two signs — one above the doors and one on the rock ledge between the tavern’s parking lot and the sidewalk — which would require a variance from the Zoning Board of Appeals.

At a ZBA meeting on March 24, The Woods was advised to withdraw both its applications for a special permit and the variance without prejudice due to concerns about on-street parking, occupancy and whether the project was ready to come before the board.

To address signage concerns, The Woods has instead proposed a smaller sign, similar in size and style to the wooden blade sign that currently stands in the tavern’s yard. A variance will still be required from the ZBA because the proposed sign exists within the setback and Weston’s bylaws only allow one sign downtown.

Confusion continued about the necessary amount of parking and whether or not street parking could be counted toward the building’s minimum. A 2009 finding issued by the building inspector determined a project located in the tavern could use street spaces to meet parking requirements. However, the application, which relied on the building inspector’s determination, was withdrawn without prejudice, and the ZBA’s decision at the time noted the “inspector’s memorandum did not specify the section of the zoning bylaw upon which his determination was based.”

The board requested that the building inspector create a master plan for parking in the town to ensure spots are not being double-counted. Glynn said there would be more information at the board’s next meeting.

Medeiros also discussed the location of the HVAC system makeup-air unit.

Planning Board member Leslie Glynn requested the duct be covered with cladding instead of being painted to prevent peeling.

“I want to see a nice, neat duct without any sealant,” she said. “I don’t want it to look like the back of Jersey City.”

Planning Board member Adrienne Giske expressed concern about the lack of on-site generators. She lives near the area and says she deals with power outages throughout the year.

“Brian, I would pray for you if you don’t have a generator,” Giske said. “I have maybe $200 or $300 worth of food in my refrigerator. You’re going to have like $5,000…It’s better to draw it now during construction.”

Members of the Permanent Building Committee, which advises the Select Board, were concerned about the lack of specifics in the construction documents, including how the HVAC system would be attached to the building. Chair Jim Polando said it is important for the plans to be as detailed as possible to ensure that contractors do not damage the historic tavern.

“Our responsibility as a town is to make sure that nothing happens to this building that could be detrimental to this structure,” Polando said. “We want to be very careful with the instructions given to a contractor.”

While several approvals are in hand, the project still needs to return to the ZBA, as well as the Permanent Building Committee before it can move forward.

Jay Valenta, president of the Friends of the Josiah Smith Tavern, said the restaurant will apply for a variance from the ZBA to allow it to count on-street parking.

Valenta said he is proud of the progress that has been made this month and he looks forward to seeing the rest of the project move forward.

“I’m super excited. I think there’s good momentum,” he said. “The team is very engaged.”