Planning Board rejects composite decking at Highland Meadows, mandates tropical hardwood

WESTON — March 20, 2024 — Weston Planning Board denies Trex composite on a Highland Meadows deck and backs Central Cemetery gate restoration. The board voted unanimously March 20 to require any 2 Kettle Lane deck replacement to be tropical hardwood (mahogany or ipe), rejecting the homeowner's Trex request despite Highland Meadows trustees' approval. Chair Leslie Glynn called switching to an inorganic product "not the way we would want to go," and member Alicia Primer warned of precedent across the development. The board also voted 5-0 to issue a letter of support for a Community Preservation Act article restoring the 1937 Josephine Merriam memorial gates at Central Cemetery — a $5,000 gift equivalent to about $110,000 today. A separate public hearing on a bylaw allowing up to 20 age-restricted units in historically significant structures, prompted by Bob Parsakian's Drabbington Inn proposal, was continued to April 24 after North Avenue and Drabbington Way neighbors raised traffic and parking objections.