Rail Trail Committee Votes to Send MBTA Letter on Church Street Station Easements

WESTON — March 12, 2018 — Weston's Rail Trail Advisory Committee voted unanimously to send a joint letter with the Historical Commission to the MBTA seeking easements and historic preservation conditions tied to any lease of the Church Street Station property. The letter, drafted with input from Michael Herity and volunteer adviser Brian Costello — a Burlington, Vermont rail trail developer who founded a nonprofit that built 13 miles of trail including a causeway across Lake Champlain — outlines five demands: trail-access easements on both sides of the station, the right to reconstruct the historic passenger platform, adequate turning room for emergency vehicles, lessee compliance with local zoning bylaws, and Historical Commission review of any exterior changes. Station owner Brian Burke, who bought the property roughly six months ago to restore it as a residence for his 22-year-old daughter, attended and confirmed he is negotiating with the MBTA for a land grant sufficient to support a septic system. Separately, the committee confirmed the hire of landscape architect Alison Richardson to conduct a needs-based trail assessment and announced plans to present her screening matrix to abutters and the Community Preservation Committee at the March 26 meeting, with a town-wide public meeting set for April 12 at the Weston Public Library.