Weston Planning Board advances tree bylaw and child care hearings toward May votes

WESTON — April 6, 2022 — Weston Planning Board continues contested tree bylaw and child care hearings ahead of Town Meeting deadline. The board voted unanimously at its April 6 remote session to push both matters to its April 20 meeting, with a final vote expected May 4 — days before Town Meeting. Chair Alicia Primer and Town Planner Imai fielded more than an hour of public comment on the sustainable tree initiative bylaw, with builders Jonathan Buckman and Mario Alignment warning the ordinance would drive larger home construction and produce unintended tree loss, while residents Nina Danforth and Terry Eastman praised the board's deliberative approach. On the Artisan Child Care Center proposal at 863 Boston Post Road, traffic consultant Rick Bryant projected roughly 110 vehicle trips per peak hour for 153 enrolled students, but neighbors from Westway Road and Applecrest Road in both Weston and Wayland described the Route 20 and Plain Road corridor as already recording two to three accidents per week, with a recent fatality directly across from the site. Imai told the board that as a Dover Amendment-protected educational use, the project cannot be stopped — only mitigated on-site.