Weymouth Zoning Board Approves Pond Street Retail Site Over Chair's Traffic Objections

WEYMOUTH — January 22, 2025 — Weymouth zoning board clears Pond Street retail project in 4-1 vote despite chair's traffic safety dissent. The Board of Zoning Appeals approved special permits for a proposed Starbucks drive-through, Chipotle, and retail space at 505 Pond Street and 1537 Main Street at its January 22 meeting, with Board Chair Jonathan Lynch the lone dissenting vote. Lynch argued the site's narrow 24-foot exit corridor onto Pond Street — which 70 percent of the projected 1,008 daily vehicles would use — creates a serious hazard to pedestrians at an on-site crosswalk, saying "there is going to be a nuisance and serious hazard to both vehicles and pedestrians." The remaining four members deferred to expert traffic studies and said the applicant's mitigations, including a raised median on Pond Street and post-occupancy monitoring, were sufficient. The board amended the approval's conditions to require monitoring of vehicle queuing at the Pond Street exit stop line, comparison of pre- and post-project crash data in a required road safety audit, and a $60,000 applicant-funded mitigation reserve. The board also unanimously approved a special permit and a story-count variance for a proposed 16-unit owner-occupied condominium building at 268-272 Washington Street, conditioned on two affordable rental units to be provided off-site at the applicants' Greentree Condominiums property.