Weston ZBA continues 40B hearing as driveway sight lines, fire code questions remain unresolved

WESTON — July 20, 2021 — Weston ZBA presses South Avenue 40B applicant on sight lines and fire-code compliance. The Zoning Board of Appeals continued its hearing July 20 on a 200-unit, 50-affordable Chapter 40B project from 518 South Avenue LLC (The Hanover Company) on 9.54 acres along Route 30. Peer reviewer Robert Michaud of MDM said eastbound stopping sight distance remains the most critical unresolved issue and recommended embankment regrading to elevation 227 feet; applicant engineer Sean Kelly of Vanasse displayed a new grading plan he said hits that target with 347 feet of stopping sight distance. Abutters' counsel Luke Legere argued the 14-foot gated emergency drive is six feet short of the state fire code's 20-foot minimum, calling the proposal a "maximum build project … shoehorned into a constricted site." Town Counsel John Witten flagged a separate question about whether the ZBA can authorize regrading within the Route 30 right-of-way. Architecture review is set for August 3; revised MODFLOW mounding for August 24. Applicant representative David Hall agreed to at least a 30-day deadline extension.