Weymouth Council Approves $150,000 for Beals Park, Debates In-Law Apartment Rules

WEYMOUTH -- October 2, 2023, Weymouth Town Council unanimously approved $150,000 for a Beals Park change order and opened debate on the town's first-ever in-law apartment zoning rules. The 9-0 vote on Measure 23-113 draws from the Community Preservation Fund's $360,140 unreserved balance to cover unexpected unsuitable soil found at the skate park footprint and a C Street parking lot expansion, part of a $3.4 million park overhaul targeting a May 2024 completion. On the same night, Planning Director Bob Luongo and Principal Planner Eric Schneider presented Measure 23-120, a proposed ordinance that would cap new in-law additions in R1 districts at 800 square feet, require a Zoning Board of Appeals special permit, mandate shared utility meters, and require a covenant recorded at the Norfolk County Registry of Deeds, the first formal regulation of such structures in Weymouth's history. Luongo told the council that some additions have grown so large they have attracted inquiries from daycare and sober-home developers, warning the trend is "destroying the character of our R1 districts." Mayor Robert Hedlund has directed the building department to halt new in-law building permits while the ordinance is finalized; a Planning Board public hearing is set for October 10 at 6 p.m.