Weston Planning Board splits on Chestnut Street tree removals, saves two oaks

WESTON -- June 18, 2025, Weston Planning Board approved removal of two disputed Chestnut Street trees while voting to spare two others during its June 18 meeting. The board split its decisions 2-2 on four contested Eversource trees, voting unanimously to preserve a healthy 26-inch oak at 150 Chestnut and a sleeved 23-inch oak at 100 Chestnut, while approving removal of a structurally declining 38-inch oak at 118 Chestnut and a fourth tree that had sustained heavy burn damage from direct wire contact. Chair Leslie Glynn and the full board also received word that the town's Superior Court appeal of the 104 Boston Post Road 40B affordable housing project had been dismissed, with Town Planner Yemaya Yu warning the ruling could complicate the town's path to its 10 percent Subsidized Housing Inventory threshold. On a separate front, developer Trina Murphy of DND Homes presented three layout options for a two-lot subdivision at 51 Willard Road, and the board signaled strong opposition to the required cul-de-sac, with member Alex Selvig calling it inconsistent with the character of the narrow, pastoral road.