"Ample, existing, underutilized." That is how a land use attorney described the curb spaces along Boston Post Road and around the Weston Town Green. The phrase comes from an August 26, 2026 letter to the Zoning Board of Appeals filed for Boston Urban Hospitality by Luke H. Legere Law. Those three words now matter more to the opening of The Woods at the Josiah Smith Tavern than anything happening inside the building.
Brian Piccini is the Weston resident and restaurateur behind the project. He has cleared historic review, licensing, site plan approval and septic recertification. He has also finished his construction documents. What remains is a disagreement over whether a parked car on a public street counts as a "parking area." The answer will do more than any contractor to decide whether the restaurant opens on its current timeline.
From Fall 2026 to March 2027
In late May, the Weston Observer was still reporting that the restaurant group expected to open in fall 2026. The Woods' own website now says "Opening Spring 2027!" and lists the project as under construction. The Observer's September 4 project update gives a more specific target of March 2027.
The June events behind that shift explain the new date. The Select Board issued an ultimatum with a July 6 deadline. It asked The Woods and the Friends of the Josiah Smith Tavern for these documents:
- Completed construction documents
- Proof of financial security
- Cost estimates
- A business plan
- A memo listing every permit the project needs
- A timeline for amending the historic deed restriction
Piccini's team submitted everything before the deadline. On July 14, board members called his update satisfactory.
The July 14 Select Board minutes also show that the business terms had to change along with the date. Jay Valenta of the Friends explained that the lease amendment would reset the original terms, including free rent after opening. Those terms first assumed nine months of free rent following a six-month construction period. Select Board member Sachdev suggested that any agreement include incentives for hitting the March 2027 deadline.
What Is Already Done
The concept is a 175-seat farm-and-sea-to-table restaurant. Plans call for a main dining room, a space called the "BARn," private dining rooms and patios. At the July 14 meeting, Piccini listed the approvals and milestones already behind him:
- Liquor license issued
- Historic New England approval
- Historic Commission approval
- Planning Board site plan approval
- Board of Health septic recertification for 175 seats
- Construction documents 100% complete, submitted to all boards on June 8
- A finding by the Permanent Building Committee that the documents were sufficient for a building permit application
The construction side is modest compared with the paperwork. Piccini told the board that Historic New England had approved every plan submitted and that the work involves minor changes like light fixtures and paint, "not touching structure or plaster." Valenta confirmed that Historic New England had given written approval by email, listing the specific drawings.
He put the total projected cost at $4.3 million. That includes $2.3 million for construction build-out, priced by Knox Construction. He also reported $721,000 in added costs from multiple town board meetings, historic reviews, liquor license legislation and legal fees. He said those costs were running three to four times higher than typical restaurant development. In its September 1 update, the Friends of Josiah Smith Tavern said Boston Urban Hospitality had spent more than $455,000 pursuing approvals and permits.
That cost structure matters for a historic building. With the structure and plaster staying as they are and the build-out priced, the cost uncertainty now sits mostly in approvals, not construction.
The Parking Math
Piccini told the Select Board that three items still stood on the critical path:
- Select Board approval of the lease amendments and construction escrow agreements
- An amendment to the Historic New England deed restriction
- A parking variance from the ZBA, which his team learned was required in early June
The variance traces back to a legal memo from Town counsel dated May 13, 2026. The memo found that existing on-street spaces do not technically count as "parking areas" under the strict definition in the Zoning Bylaw. If the applicant could not provide the required parking on site or in an off-site parking area, a variance would be needed. According to the Friends, Boston Urban Hospitality had understood from correspondence with Town officials and earlier permits that the Tavern's parking capacity was already approved.
The numbers, as the Friends lay them out:
- Required by the bylaw: 77 spaces
- On site at the Tavern: 43 spaces
- On-street spaces counted in the 2019 approved plans: 12, for a total of 55
- Additional on-street spaces needed: 22
The application asks the board to let the restaurant use existing curb spaces on Boston Post Road and around the Town Green, all within 200 feet, to meet the requirement. The Friends argue that those spaces "largely sit unused," especially on weekend and evening hours when a restaurant is busiest. Their proposal adds no new pavement on a historic property.
Two local congregations have written in support. Rev. Jeffrey Barz-Snell of First Parish Church and Rev. Scott A. Euvrard of St. Julia's Parish both sent letters, and the Friends say the Select Board and Town Manager also support the request. Our research did not turn up any published objection to using the Town Green spaces.
In July, Sachdev called the parking variance the only showstopper and asked whether the Select Board could do anything to speed up the ZBA process. Piccini replied that his attorney might suggest the town co-apply for the variance.
Where It Stands This Week
The Zoning Board of Appeals held an online public hearing on September 30 at 6 p.m. The request came from BUWest LLC for 358 Boston Post Road and covered two items, a special permit for the proposed use and a variance for parking. Stephen J. Larocque chairs the board. The other listed members are Jane Fisher Carlson, Wendy Kaplan Armour, Laura Mintz and Tristan Colangelo.
When we last checked, the town's ZBA agenda page for that date had no minutes or recording linked. That means no decision, conditions or continuance had been posted. The application materials are in the town's document center. Anyone who wants to read the full filing can start with the September 30 ZBA agenda. The Historic New England deed restriction amendment was also still open the last time it appeared in the public record.
The Same Frontage, a Full October
The curb spaces at the center of the variance sit along Boston Post Road and around the Town Green, and the busiest part of the town's October calendar is in the same part of town:
- Wednesday, October 7, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The Weston Observer marks its first anniversary with Boston Globe editor Brian McGrory at First Parish Church. The event is free and open to the public.
- Saturday, October 17, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Weston Fire Department holds an open house at headquarters, 394 Boston Post Road. Jaws of Life demonstrations run at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., with a fire extinguisher demonstration at noon.
- Saturday, October 24, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pumpkin Fest fills the Town Green with food, games and music. The rain date is Sunday, October 25, and all proceeds go to Camp Sunshine. In 2025, Weston High School described the festival as organized by student volunteers, with Eunice Feller as club advisor.
The open house also gives a look at a building with its own future. The town is designing a new fire station on Field 13, next to Wellesley Street at Weston Middle School, and plans to renovate the current headquarters on Boston Post Road. Tecton Architects and owner's project manager Vertex are carrying the design forward.
The next town-wide date is the Special Town Meeting on Monday, November 23, at 7 p.m. in the Weston High School Auditorium. According to the Observer, several large projects are expected on that warrant, including funding for a school feasibility study and the HYM housing proposal at Regis College. For The Woods, the next public milestone is a written ZBA decision for 358 Boston Post Road.
Historic properties near Weston's town center often go through the same layers of approval described here, from deed restrictions to bylaw definitions that shape what a building can become. Before you buy, sell or renovate one, it helps to understand those approvals in detail. Jennifer Fish brings a construction-informed view to how approvals, build-out costs and timelines affect value. Book an Appointment to talk through a specific property.
