Former Belmont Town Moderator Opposes Zoning Overlays Before March Special Town Meeting

BELMONT — January 16, 2026 — Former Belmont Town Moderator Mike Widmer publicly opposed two zoning overlay districts headed for a special town meeting vote on March 4, warning the Belmont Center proposal would cost the town an estimated $250,000 a year rather than strengthening its finances. Widmer, who served 17 years as moderator and 15 years on the Warrant Committee, appeared on the community access TV program News Now on January 16 and outlined findings from an independent fiscal analysis he conducted with four other Belmont residents who are professional economists and financial analysts. Their model projects that roughly 116 school-age children would accompany residents in the estimated 400 new rental units created under the overlay, and that resulting school costs would outpace new commercial tax revenues by approximately $250,000 annually in a town budget of $160 million. Widmer said the entire Belmont Center business community opposes the proposal and cited the Bradford development in Cushing Square as a direct precedent for construction-driven business closures, adding that no actionable traffic, parking, or infrastructure plan exists. He predicted a lengthy and divisive town meeting session and called on town leaders to scale back the proposal and seek broader consensus before any vote.