Weymouth Council Votes 11-0 to Extend Village Overlay District Over Mayor's Objection

WEYMOUTH -- December 4, 2023, Weymouth Town Council unanimously approved a controversial zoning extension over the mayor's written objection Monday. The council voted 11-0 on Measure 23-125, extending the Village Center Overlay District to three parcels at 95 Broad Street and 230 and 238 Washington Street, despite a 5-0 unfavorable recommendation from the Planning Board and a formal letter from Mayor Robert Hedlund urging rejection. Planning Director Robert Luongo had argued the change amounted to spot zoning and contradicted a 2021 decision to scale back the Commercial Corridor Overlay District. The Ordinance Committee countered that the property, long described as an eyesore, represented "exactly the kind of responsible redevelopment project that the Town should consider a priority." The new VCOD designation allows development up to four stories with no floor-area ratio cap and no required setbacks, and carries no commercial-component requirement, meaning a future developer could build a 100 percent residential project on the site.