Developer rezoning approved; Weston farmers market to move next season while site is redeveloped

The Village of Weston Board of Trustees approved an amendment to a planned development district that rezones parcels at the Westin Marketplace area, a decision that citizen speakers said will displace the village farmers market next season.

Trustees voted to amend the general development plan and rezone parcels including 3802 Schofield Avenue and 5510 Camp Phillips Road to allow new retail development on the corner; the motion carried after planning commission review. Planning staff told trustees the developer assembled adjacent parcels and wants to sell the corner site, and that a specific site plan for a new building will return to the planning commission for review.

"We do not own the site," a planning staff member said during the discussion, explaining why the village cannot prevent the landowner from selling and redeveloping the property. The staff member said the developer "still wants to have the farmers market there" and has offered the property's rear as a potential public space, but the site would not be ready in time for the 2026 market season.

Several residents urged the board to preserve the market's visibility and pedestrian access. Mara Mergendahl, a resident who identified her address for the record, said moving the market across the street "feels like trading away what makes Weston unique" and urged the board to seek options that sustain small, local vendors. Katrina Clark, who said she sits on the parks and recreation committee, said a poorly worded social media post had inflamed concerns and urged clearer public communication.

Village staff said their chosen contingency for 2026 is a grassy area along Alderson and that village-owned amenities currently at the market site — including a gazebo and other village-installed furnishings — will be preserved and moved (one item is being refurbished by a local scout troop and will go to Kennedy Park). The village also said it will explore grant funding to prepare a long-term public space if the developer proceeds with retail on the corner.

Trustees approved the rezoning ordinance after staff and the developer described the plan and said any future tenant for the corner lot would be contracted by the property owner and would require a separate site-plan review. The board did not endorse or approve any specific business for the corner; trustees removed edits to the general development plan that will allow the developer to return later with a specific implementation plan.

The board also discussed related logistics: the market manager and vendors need a confirmed 2026 location promptly to maintain vendor commitments, and the village will store and preserve village-owned market infrastructure while the developer completes plans. A village official said vendors are "pretty excited" about the Kennedy Park option as an interim site, while others in public comment urged preserving market visibility and pedestrian access. Trustees asked staff to return with additional site-location options and clearer public messaging.