2011 Town Election Profile: Westwood Planning Board

After serving a single-year term as a replacement last year, Westwood Planning Board member Carol Chafetz is running for re-election this April. She'll be seeking a three year term, and, like all candidates in this year's Town Election, will be running unopposed.

Chafetz admitted that since she is relatively new to the Planning Board, she is still learning various aspects. However, she said that her 20 years of experience as a town/city planner, and her Master’s Degree in Urban and Environmental Planning from Tufts University, has been a tremendous help.

Chafetz has also held the positions of planner for the town of Framingham, Economic Director for The City of Newton, where she also worked as Associate Director of Planning and Development.

Being a relatively new resident of Westwood, Chafetz finds it to be an asset. She moved to town in 2006 and lives at 120 Birch Tree Dr. with her husband Steve. They have five grown children, including a set of twins. In fact, she recently celebrated the wedding of her daughter. Chafetz also has four grandchildren.

Aside from being on the Planning Board, Chafetz is the Director of Operations and Environmental Affairs for the . In her spare time, she practices yoga, photography, and enjoys spending time with her family.

Moreover, Chafetz said living in Westwood has helped her in her position on the Board, in that it has allowed her to have no preconceived notions of what planning means to Westwood, as well as bringing a fresh perspective. However, she recognizes the hard work put in by those who have been in town for years.

“I have a lot of respect for those who have labored hard over the years to make Westwood the great town that it is,” Chafetz said. “There was an incredible amount of work by the Planning Board in its consideration of the Westwood Station project. While I am a relative newcomer, I chose Westwood as a great place to live at a time in my life when I had other options. So many people asked me why I moved to Westwood if I don't have kids in the schools–my answer is that Westwood has a small town quality of life, great services and lots of conservation land.”

Chafetz said that a clear drawback of running unopposed is that people may not get to know her unless they come to Planning Board meetings or watch them on television. However, she did admit that she was a bit relieved knowing that she wouldn’t have to spend vast amounts of resources for campaigning this year.

As far as the direction Chafetz would like to see the Planning Board head, she said that she has been very pleased about the Board’s initiatives over the past year. She noted that eight articles have been proposed for Town Meeting for “forward-looking zone changes.”

“I’m particularly excited about the addition of Open Space Residential Development, a type of development which will enable environmentally-sensitive single family residential development,” Chafetz explained. “It will encourage the protection of environmentally-sensitive areas on large residential parcels in a way that's different from the sprawl of typical subdivisions.”

Another article the Board is proposing introduces the Flexible Mixed Use Overlay Districts. The districts would apply to commercial areas in the vicinity of Providence Highway/Route 1 and University Avenue.

Essentially, Chafetz explained, the overlay district would enable businesses to apply for uses or building densities that are different from those permitted as-of-right in the underlying zoning.

“It would give the Town the ability to encourage better building and land use design while protecting abutters and adjacent neighborhoods,” said Chafetz.

The Planning Board is also coordinating an update of Westwood's Comprehensive Master Plan, which was last revised in 2000.

As far as changes that need to be made, Chafetz said that she wouldn’t change much. She explained that the Board has a very strong, thoughtful and open-minded group. And while she said she appreciates the Board’s willingness to meet as often as it needs to, in order to be fully responsive to applicants and to give issues a sufficient hearing process, she did a few ideas in terms of direction.

“As our Master Plan update process moves forward, I would like to see more outreach to the average resident,” Chafetz suggested. “I know that our staff has looked at options to incorporate online, town-wide surveys to gather resident feedback. I think we have to be creative, because it's increasingly difficult to get residents with children and busy work schedules into one meeting on a particular topic.”

Chafetz said that she will continue to learn and she sees how important it is to be clear about any legislation that is proposed.

An example is the current discussion about what was or wasn’t intended in the current zoning-bylaw for . The Board will be reviewing zoning by-law’s regulation of cell towers, which is something she is particularly interested in.

Chafetz is also hopeful that proposals for Westwood Station will be forthcoming.

Town elections will take place on Tuesday, April 26. Town Meeting will take place on Monday, May 2.