Weston Planning Board moves to draft special-permit bylaw for large homes

WESTON — November 17, 2021 — Weston Planning Board commits to drafting a residential special-permit bylaw covering both houses and accessory structures. Acting Chair Alicia Primer initially proposed starting with accessory buildings, but Town Counsel John Whitten urged a broader scope: "It really is the same conversation," Whitten said, calling principal homes the more impactful target. Members converged on an "RGFA-plus" trigger layered atop existing site-plan review at roughly 20 to 25 percent of lot coverage, paired with separate triggers for lot disturbance and a stricter overlay for historic areas including the Boston Post Road National Register district. The board voted 4-0 to close the public hearing on a revised 15 Hallett Hill car barn — lowered 2 feet 7 inches, narrowed 18 inches, and shifted 5 feet from the conservation line — with a written decision due Dec. 1. A new 589 Wellesley Street house at 14.7 percent impervious sits just under the aquifer overlay's 15 percent special-permit threshold.