Weston Planning Board advances Josiah Smith Tavern site plan review, splits on tree removal

WESTON — July 10, 2019 — Weston Planning Board advances Josiah Smith Tavern site plan and closes a scenic road loophole at its July 10 meeting. The board heard civil engineer Rob Gemma of Metro West Engineering and landscape architect Wesley Wirth of Amosworth Associates present a full site plan for the 6.61-acre property at 358 Boston Post Road, where a 501(c)3 group led by Adrienne Giske is seeking approval for a 105-seat restaurant, a 46-person community room, and nonprofit office space inside the historic tavern. The plan calls for 44 on-site parking spaces, a 33,000-square-foot total impervious area, and an advanced septic system expected to last well over 30 years, with the remaining 13 required spaces credited to nearby on-street parking confirmed as adequate by town staff. The board deadlocked over whether to approve the removal of a linden tree near the town cemetery, continuing both that decision and a separate dogwood removal to the July 24 meeting, while unanimously approving a scenic road bylaw amendment referral to the Board of Selectmen designed to prevent landowners from stripping properties off scenic road frontage through lot divisions.