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.