Weston Planning Board Continues Hemlock Road, Highland Street Cases Amid Unresolved Disputes

WESTON -- July 13, 2022, Weston Planning Board continues two contentious development cases and approves a preliminary materials compromise on a third. The board unanimously continued a proposed flexible subdivision at Zero Hemlock Road to September 7 after members including Vice Chair Alex Selvig said they were "uncomfortable" approving dead-end and road-width waivers without a clearer picture of private road ownership rights, despite Town Counsel John Murray's written opinion that the applicant holds a legal right to use Hemlock Road. At 355 Highland Street, the board was equally blunt, with Member Adrienne Giske saying the revised 6,781-square-foot proposal was "in direct conflict" with all six criteria of the scenic road bylaw and should be withdrawn; the case was continued to September 7. At 98 Love Lane, the board negotiated a working materials compromise requiring full natural stone on the two front gables and chimney, dry-laid terraced retaining walls, and exterior lighting reduced below the proposed 950 lumens per fixture, with a written certificate of appropriateness to be drafted for a July 27 vote. The Cambridge School special permit decision was accepted unanimously, and the board closed the public hearing on the 119 Church Street flexible subdivision, directing a decision by July 27.