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Woburn council moves Tesla site at 425 Washington to committee; 300 Mishawam permit withdrawn
Summary
Tesla told the Woburn City Council it moved planned chargers at 425 Washington away from residences and beyond front-yard setbacks; the council made the updated site plan part of the record and continued the hearing to committee. Separately, Tesla’s permit for 300 Mishawam Road was withdrawn without prejudice after debate over zoning and parking.
Tesla representatives and Woburn City Councilors debated two separate special-permit requests for electric-vehicle chargers during the council meeting and took different procedural actions on each.
At 425 Washington Street, Ed Noseworthy, design engineer for Tesla in the Northeast, told the council the company revised its plan after meeting with Councilor Marissa Bruen and others. "We've moved our 12 charging stations and support equipment to basically the opposite side of the parking lot," Noseworthy said, adding the new location avoids front-yard setback problems and requires "no stall loss for the equipment." The council voted to accept the updated stamped site plans as the site plan of record and continued the public hearing, referring the matter to committee for further review at the council's May 20 meeting.
Why it matters: Councilors raised site-specific concerns — proximity to residences, setbacks and loss of parking stalls — that can affect whether a charging installation is compatible with local zoning and the parking needs of nearby property owners. The committee review will allow the council to consider conditions before any final vote.
In related business, Tesla’s request for 300 Mishawam Road was resolved when the applicant asked to withdraw the petition "without prejudice." Council discussion was lively: some councilors, including Councilor Bowen, said the current zoning would not allow the use at the mall and expressed concerns about parking; others favored allowing the petitioner to withdraw and return with revised plans or pursue an ordinance change. The council ultimately recorded the petitioner’s request and granted leave to withdraw without prejudice.
Details and next steps: For 425 Washington, Noseworthy said the revised submission includes landlord approval, plans stamped by a licensed surveyor and a relocation of cabinets and transformer equipment into a landscaped area so no parking stalls would be removed. Councilors directed staff to treat the set of revised plans filed this evening as the official record and sent the item to the appropriate committee, with a public hearing continuation set for the council meeting on May 20. For 300 Mishawam, the withdrawal leaves open the option for Tesla to refile or seek a change to the zoning ordinance; several councilors noted parking constraints and ordinance limits that influenced their positions.
Quotes in context come only from speakers recorded at the meeting; technical details and zoning implications will be reviewed by the council committee and relevant departments before any final decision.
The council accepted hard-copy plans for the 425 Washington site as the stamped site plan of record and scheduled further committee consideration; the withdrawal for 300 Mishawam was recorded as granted without prejudice.
