Weston Conservation Commission advances invasive plant permit, defers two compliance votes

WESTON — January 3, 2023 — Weston Conservation Commission defers a riverside compliance certificate and advances a draft invasive plant removal permit. At the January 3 meeting, the commission unanimously issued a partial certificate of compliance for 162 Winter Street, covering all conditions except site stabilization pending spring grass growth, while voting to continue the full certificate for 667 Wellesley Street — a raise-and-rebuild on riverfront land — to January 17, citing a missing hard-copy as-built plan needed to memorialize a perpetual no-further-alteration condition. Staff member Joshua Baker walked commissioners through a draft administrative permit that would allow staff-level approval of minor invasive plant removals in buffer zones without a formal hearing, sparking debate over chemical-use thresholds, square-footage caps, and whether the program should launch as a time-limited pilot. Chair Rees Tulloss and others supported giving staff discretion on case-by-case disturbance calls rather than setting hard numeric limits. The bylaw working group is set to meet January 10 with town counsel to finalize a draft Weston wetlands bylaw ahead of the May annual town meeting warrant.