Weymouth zoning board continues Elks Lodge senior housing hearing to August

WEYMOUTH -- July 13, 2022, Weymouth's Board of Zoning Appeals continued a proposal to redevelop the Elks Lodge on Washington Street into a 147-unit independent senior living building, with the hearing set to resume August 10. LC Development LLC, represented by attorney Jeff Tocchio, is seeking a special permit under the commercial corridor overlay district to build a three-story mixed-use facility at 1197 and 1215 Washington Street on a 4.8-acre site, with projected monthly rents of $4,000 to $6,000 inclusive of meals and utilities. Civil engineer Gabe Crocker of Crocker Design Group presented a plan for 133 parking spaces, supported by a traffic and parking study from consultant Ron Mueller, with senior living specialist Brendan Mallon of Buildable Sites noting that roughly 30 percent of residents at comparable facilities own cars. Washington Street abutter Richard Lamb told the board that traffic on Route 53 already backs up past both site entrances daily and called for a deed restriction capping residents at one vehicle per unit. Town staff flagged two unresolved issues before the next hearing: a condition restricting occupancy to 55-and-over to prevent future conversion to market-rate apartments, and uncertainty about the height and materials of proposed retaining walls along Washington and Pleasant streets.