Weston UPC Sends Vision Statement Back for Third Draft After Member Revisions

WESTON — February 6, 2025 — Weston's Unified Plan Committee sent its draft master-plan vision statement back for a third revision after members said it over-emphasized protected open space and underplayed schools, housing diversity, and the town's near-total dependence on residential property taxes. Meeting February 6, the full committee directed consultants EMI and the Barrett Group to rewrite four key passages: replacing "responsive" in the opening sentence with "welcoming," cutting "lack of economic diversity" in favor of language specifying that Weston's budget rests almost entirely on residential property taxes, softening "high tax burdens" to "tax burdens," and dropping "operational excellence" in favor of language describing exceptional or student-centered schools. Planning Board Chair Leslie Glenn, attending as a guest, called the four paragraphs "disjointed" and urged the addition of cultural-diversity language, saying "especially in these times, we need to make sure that that voice is heard." The revised draft is due by end of day February 10, with the full committee reconvening February 12 from 4 to 5 p.m.