Weston Conservation Commission Advances Birchard Park Courts, Defers Hemlock Road Waiver

WESTON — February 14, 2023 — Weston Conservation Commission closes notice of intent for Birchard Park pickleball courts and defers contentious Hemlock Road waiver discussion to March 14. The four-member quorum voted unanimously to issue an order of conditions for the pickleball and tennis court project at 269 Concord Road, with a special condition requiring a stormwater permit before work proceeds; consultant Meg Bosinski of Activitas presented revised mitigation planting plans and a boulder erosion wall, and the Cambridge Water Department raised no major concerns. The commission also voted 4-0 to approve a negative determination for a native-planting pathway project at 16 Nash Lane and continued a septic repair determination at 30 Culpits Road to February 28 pending stormwater review. The evening's sharpest debate centered on zero Hemlock Road, where landowner Richard Barnall is seeking a zoning waiver that requires written agreement from the commission as an abutter; Chair Rees Tulloss invoked "a great history of encroachments" with the landowner, while member Josh Feinblum warned that waiving a 15-foot buffer protection could undermine future conservation donations to the town.