Weston Planning Board advances Drabbington zoning amendment toward May 1 vote

WESTON — April 24, 2024 — Weston Planning Board moves Drabbington Lodge zoning toward May 1 vote and May 6 Town Meeting. Chair Leslie Glynn and Vice Chair Sean Lanier walked the public through a draft development agreement between the town and owner Bob Parsekian's Virginia Weston LLC that would require on-site parking, towing of cars on Drabbington Way, exterior historic preservation, and inclusion of all roughly 20 units — not just the 10 percent bylaw floor — on the town's Subsidized Housing Inventory. Town planner Imai Aiu said town counsel forced removal of discretionary language from the by-right bylaw; the draft now applies only to historic buildings of at least 10,000 square feet within a half-mile of an MBTA station, with a minimum age of 62. Member Alicia Primer objected to the transit limit, saying it excludes properties like the Henderson House: "I cannot think of another building in town to which this would apply." Council on Aging chair Linda Johnson and Elderly Housing Committee chair Tom Timko, citing a Brook School Apartments waiting list of three to 10 years, urged passage. The board separately approved removal of a 20-inch white pine at 2 Sudbury Road with two replacement trees.