Weston ZBA approves Pine Street shed variance, hears senior housing pitch

WESTON — August 8, 2023 — Weston developer seeks ZBA input on converting historic Drabbington Lodge into 20 senior apartments. Bob Parsegian, who purchased the 1899 former Sunrise assisted living facility at North Avenue and Drabbington Road in June 2022, presented a preliminary concept to the Zoning Board of Appeals on August 8 calling for five studios, 13 one-bedroom units, and two two-bedroom units averaging under 700 square feet, with at least five units — 25 percent — targeted at the 80 percent AMI affordable level. Parsegian outlined four possible regulatory routes, including a 40B, an MBTA Communities Act town meeting vote, a new historic adaptive reuse overlay district, and a ZBA special permit, saying he intends to pursue all in parallel. Tom Timko, chair of the Brooks School board, said the town faces a shortage of roughly 100 senior housing units over the next decade and described a possible long-term lease model under which the Brooks School would manage the building's units. The board took no formal action on the proposal; the only vote of the evening was a 2-0 approval of a shed variance at 126 Pine Street.