Weston School Committee asks ZBA for bus safety conditions on 518 South Ave project

WESTON -- September 13, 2021, Weston School Committee sends ZBA safety-focused letter on 518 South Ave 40B without taking a position. The committee voted 5-0 Monday to recommend that the Zoning Board of Appeals condition any comprehensive permit for the proposed 200-unit rental project on guaranteed school-bus access, a paved bus loading and turnaround area within roughly 30 feet of the building, and a requirement that the leasing office notify the school business office of any mid-year enrollments. Vice Chair Ken Newberg, authorized to speak for the committee at the ZBA's Oct. 6 hearing, said the applicant's fiscal impact report estimates roughly 70 student residents, 38 of them elementary age. "By offering these comments, in no way is the school committee endorsing, supporting, or otherwise opining on the merits of the project," Newberg said. A proposed 10-month minimum-lease condition was struck after members Tia Lenard and Allison Mozilla raised equity concerns. The committee also approved FY23 budget guidelines and a warrant of $1,804,292.73, and heard that pooled COVID-19 testing will begin Sept. 21.