Philip Giordano, Candidate for One-Year Term on Westwood's Planning Board

Mr. Philip ("Phil") Giordano, a twenty-four year Westwood resident, husband and father of four, and candidate for the one-year position on Westwood’s Planning Board, is an attorney who says he will treat Westwood as a client, looking to ensure that the best interests of the town are served.

Mr. Giordano's legal background shows as he discusses Planning Board’s efforts to comply with the state mandate to establish a multi-family housing district by-right in Westwood. He has read the statute, and notes that its intention is to provide an opportunity for housing that is getting increasingly more expensive in the community. He also notes that the state guidelines under which Planning Board is currently operating are “draft” guidelines, meaning there are still many issues that the state has not yet decided. He observes that the requirement, that the town designate reasonably sized parcels to comprise the new multi-family district, is “flexible.” 

“Flexible is important because that is essentially saying that we don’t have a mathematical or quantitative formula . . . . I want to make sure we are staying within the curve as compared to trying to get ahead of the curve.”

What works in Franklin may not work in Westwood, Mr. Giordano notes. “I’m not sure that it’s time yet to go beyond the one reasonably sized parcel,” he comments, referring to the issue of how much property in Westwood should be offered to fulfill the state mandate of a multi-family housing district by-right.

If this is helpful, get local news delivered to your inbox each day. Subscribe!

While noting no aversion to change and generally stating that, “Change is around us and change is good,” he also comments that towns have their own distinctive characters. Westwood does not need to emulate other towns or Boston, says Mr. Giordano.

Mr. Giordano hopes to bring to the table a perspective that balances development and green space. He wants to ensure that Westwood residents are enjoying their town as a thriving community in the portions of Westwood where they reside.

Another balance he would strive to achieve is the one between traffic and development issues. Traffic congestion on Route 109 is an issue, he notes. Mr. Giordano proposes that in instances where the town relies on a traffic study to inform its decision on whether to allow new development, he would use an escrow as a tool to hold a developer’s feet to the fire. He would like the town to hold some developer funds in escrow, to be returned to the developer at which point the developer’s traffic projections hold true.

When asked to pick three words that describe himself, Mr. Giordano picks “high energy,” “thoughtful,” and “caring.”

High energy goes with his profession, he says, as an attorney representing business clients in a high-stress and challenging environment.

He describes his thoughtful side as an ability to “read various sides of different positions,” giving the games of chess and Stratego as an analogy. In the first, you know the where the pieces lie and can plan ahead. In the second, you don’t know all the pieces and you may need to make choices without knowing all of the positions.

To describe his caring side, Mr. Giordano reflects on his past role as a coach. With four children, he spent several years coaching  soccer, baseball, basketball, lacrosse, and has participated on the board for softball.

Thanks to Mr. Philip Giordano for speaking with Westwood Minute. Westwood Minute has reached out to Mr. Thomas McCusker, the other candidate for the one-year Planning Board position, to schedule an interview, but a time and date has not yet been able to be set.

Editor's note: Westwood Minute takes no position on candidates running for election. Articles featuring candidates are provided for the purpose of community information and interest.

Publication timing and presentation of articles are a function of the capabilities of the publishing platform and what resources are available for an article to publish at a given time. Differences should not be interpreted as any endorsement of one candidate over another.

Support hyperlocal news. Become a supporter, subscriber, or advertiser with Westwood Minute!

You may also be interested in:

- Little Resistance from Residents to Westwood Planning Board's Proposed Zoning Changes

- Westwood Follows Dover in Recommending Preservation of Open Space at Hale

- Planning Board Tables Smart Growth Zoning, Moves Forward with Multi-Family Housing