Weston Rail Trail Panel Flags 40B Development Threat to Trail's Scenic Core

WESTON — March 11, 2019 — Weston Rail Trail Advisory Committee urges sightline studies for proposed 180-unit development abutting the trail's most scenic stretch. At the March 11 meeting, members reviewed plans by developer Mill Creek and consultant Michael Monowitz for the 751-761 Boston Post Road 40B project, reaching informal consensus to oppose any construction in the northwestern parcel — which committee members called the "jewel" of the trail between Gun Club Lane and Jericho Road — due to its isolation and winter visibility. The committee agreed to request cross-section sightline drawings from the developers before finalizing written comments to the Select Board and said it would explore a publicly accessible comfort station on the development's adjacent leaching field only if the developer, not the town, agreed to maintain it. On bench materials, the committee deadlocked three-to-three between all-granite and mixed granite-and-log styles for three interior trail locations, but unanimously approved granite benches at the Concord Road and Church Street trailheads, where construction is already scheduled. The committee also voted to recommend that Eversource's tree-clearing contractor coordinate with three concurrent spring construction projects through DPW tailgate meetings organized by Tom Cullen.