Weymouth Council Opens Union Point Zoning Hearing, Advances to Ordinance Committee

WEYMOUTH -- July 31, 2023, Weymouth Town Council hears push to rezone a 3.4-acre Union Point parcel for hotel or residential use, but sends it to committee amid sharp pushback. At a special meeting July 31, a development team led by Endeavor Capital attorney Brent McDonald and principal Anthony Borghi asked the council to consolidate the former Naval Air Station South Weymouth gymnasium site, currently split across three underlying zoning districts, into a single Shea Village Commercial District classification, citing interest from Marriott and plans for either a branded hotel or multifamily housing. Planning Director Bob Luongo urged a no vote, warning the application arrived too soon after the council's late-June approval of new mixed-use zoning for master developer Brookfield New England Development, which still requires ratification by Rockland and Abington. Written opposition from the South Shore Chamber of Commerce, signed by President and CEO Cecelia Peter, and a public statement by Weymouth Chamber of Commerce Chair George Berg also called for delay. The council voted 10-0 to close the hearing and referred the measure to the Ordinance Committee for an August 7 meeting; councilors separately voted 10-0 to establish a new Southfield-Union Point standing committee and approved a $4,500 CPA historic preservation appropriation to restore an 1853 Henry Walling map of Weymouth for display at Town Hall.