Westwood Planning Board Approves Xaverian Brothers Expansion, Debates Short-Term Rental Rules

WESTWOOD — January 20, 2026 — Westwood Planning Board unanimously approves Xaverian Brothers High School expansion and reshapes solar canopy fix in marathon session. The board voted 5-0 on January 20 to grant limited environmental impact and design review approval for a three-part building addition at 800 Clapboard Tree Street, increasing interior space by approximately 57,660 square feet with no enrollment increase, after peer reviewer Steve Lee of Beta Engineering found all outstanding issues resolved. Chair Ellen Rawlings and members Mike Dardarian, Maureen Collins-White, Tim Halladina, and Phil Giordano also voted unanimously to substitute a continuous wooden guardrail — not to exceed 36 inches in height or 30 inches in depth — for concrete bases protecting the electrical and drainage infrastructure of the Westwood High School solar canopy, after Ameresco representative Rob Heaver warned that a full concrete wall would "at the very least" quadruple the roughly $40,000 base-installation cost; the guardrail is expected to allow the solar array to go online in mid-February. In a third major action, the board directed staff to revise warrant article language for six proposed May 2026 town meeting articles, including a short-term rental registration framework modeled on Brookline's bylaw featuring a $250 annual fee, a 90-day annual rental cap, and a maximum occupancy of eight persons, after resident Jennifer Kelly of 25 Juniper Ridge Road urged the town to regulate "transient strangers" near her young children before the region's World Cup events bring increased rental demand.