Weston Select Board Demands Financial Proof on Stalled Tavern Restaurant Project

WESTON — October 28, 2025 — Weston Select Board demands proof of financing for the long-stalled Joshua Smith Tavern restaurant project. Chair Lise N. Revers confronted restaurateur Brian Piccini of BU West at the October 28 meeting, noting the project is already past a contractual 12-month opening deadline from a March 2024 lease start, that BU West has not filed state annual reports and cannot currently obtain financing, and that Piccini announced the same day he is selling two Boston Chops locations downtown. The board has requested a construction budget, schedule, and proof of funds on three separate occasions without receiving substantive documentation; estimated renovation costs have been cited at between $2 million and $4 million, with base rent of approximately $10,900 per month due to begin March 2026 regardless of opening status. Jay Valenta of the Friends of the Joshua Smith Tavern argued that demanding financials directly from the select board level would undermine the Friends' role as intermediary and that protections already exist in the sublease, while Piccini told the board, "I don't need to sell a restaurant to do this — I'm a resident, I live around the corner." No formal vote was taken, and the board agreed to schedule a follow-up update as early as mid-November tied to expected preliminary approvals from Historic New England and the Planning Board.