Weymouth council OKs zoning change. Mayor warns of 'exploitation.' Will it stick?

WEYMOUTH − The town council unanimously supported a zoning change Monday that could bring three commercial spaces and as many as 50 apartments to a 1-acre lot just south of Broad Street, despite pushback from the mayor and town’s planning department.

Mayor Robert Hedlund might veto the decision, saying the proposal hasn't had enough public outreach to determine how it could affect the area as a whole.

"It's taking an established process that we've operated by and throwing it out the window," he said Tuesday.

Developers Christopher Bruce and Jason Kennedy offered a general idea, not an official blueprint, for the space on the northeast corner of the intersection of Vine and Washington streets as they awaited a green light for their property to join the Village Center Overlay District. But their request also included rezoning two neighboring properties – Union Towers and The Bicycle Link – also under the overlay district.

The developers’ site was previously part of the town’s commercial corridor overlay district, created through a lengthy public process with Braintree and the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission in 2018 to encourage mixed-use redevelopment of “blighted properties.”

The creation of the district was so successful that the town council removed some properties from the overlay district, including the one at the center of the zoning request at 238 Washington St.

That was done “based on resident and council concerns related to overdevelopment, water conservation, and the need to prioritize future development,” Hedlund wrote in a letter to the town council Nov. 30 in which he laid out his objections to the rezoning request.

Tour of Lights: Add your house and holiday photos to get on the interactive map

Development in Weymouth: Who decides what constitutes family? Proposed legislation hot debate in this local town

Those development priorities became Jackson Square, Columbian Square, the Route 3A corridor and a 13-acre parcel off Washington Street that the town took by tax title in June for $200,900 with the intent to create an affordable housing project.

The developer’s property and The Bicycle Link are zoned under the business district and Union Towers is zoned for high-rise multifamily projects.

Hedlund said rezoning this lot with the addition of the other lots to the Village Center Overlay District “is only necessary to avoid the obvious perception of spot and/or contract zoning.” That district allows a number of different uses, doesn't mandate commercial space and can allow buildings up to four stories with a special permit.

He was also concerned that the request “sets a precedent that can and will be exploited in the future” by circumventing a longer public process that was followed when the overlay districts were created and changed.

The proposal in question was brought before the town council, the planning board and the ordinance review committee six times.

Still, town councilors decided to give the developers a chance to come up with a more detailed proposal that could benefit the area.

Councilor Maureen Kiely, who lives off Vine Street, said during the meeting that she understands the concerns of the mayor and planning department, but “would respectfully disagree” with those who have the same opinion.

She said the property "was really in shambles,” noting a "great level of frustration" in getting the previous owner to maintain the property. She said she was “delighted” when the new owners took over and took steps to improve the property.

Kiely noted that this approval is just the start of the process, and that the proposal would have to work its way through the zoning board of appeals.

“If we have any way of moving it forward, I think it would be appropriate,” she said.

Be a good elf: Can you Lend a Hand to your South Shore neighbors in need? Every dollar helps

Hannah Morse covers growth and development for The Patriot Ledger. Contact her at hmorse@patriotledger.com.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Weymouth Town Council approves Landing zoning change. Mayor opposed