Design Westwood is the Planning Board’s establishment of a Design Guidelines Task Force. On March 18, 2025, the Planning Board established the Task Force to create, refine, and recommend Design Guidelines that align with Westwood’s character and history and guide future development to be visually compatible. The Guidelines shall be written with the intent of being flexible to not be burdensome to applicants while also promoting a cohesive appearance in the Town villages. The Task Force will focus on preserving the historic, village-like character of the High Street and Washington Street areas, as well as the character of the University Avenue area (excluding University Station), while also supporting economic growth and vitality. Stay tuned for more developments!

Task Force Members

Philip Giordano, Chair, Planning Board Liaison
Jason Carrasco
Sandra Castaldini
John Dullea
Renana Kehoe
Gregory Kelly

Goals

1. Create Cohesive Design Guidelines: Develop a specific set of Design Guidelines that are complimentary to the Zoning Bylaws, General Bylaws, guidelines and standards, and any plan adopted by the Planning Board.
2. Support Policy Integration: Align the Guidelines with existing Zoning Bylaws and long-term development goals as outlined in the Comprehensive Plan and Section 7.3 of the Zoning Bylaw [EIDR] – and propose changes to zoning bylaws as necessary to integrate the new Guidelines.
3. Enable Flexibility: Ensure the Guidelines allow flexibility in application for specific projects to not create undue burden while remaining useful toward their purpose as a facilitation tool.
4. Prioritize Usability: Craft the Guidelines to prioritize the ability of the Planning Board, Town staff, applicants, third-party reviewers, and other users to usefully reference and apply the Guidelines.

Meetings

See Town calendar for full meeting information. 

• Wednesday, October 8, 2025 @ 7 p.m. (in-person)

Documents

Proposal for Design Guidelines Task Force

Contact Us

Elijah Romulus, Town Planner
eromulus@westwoodma.gov