A home-rule petition to grant a long-awaited beer and wine license for Wegmans supermarket at Westwood Station passed the House of Representatives this afternoon after state Rep. William Galvin of Canton finally dropped his opposition.
The bill is expected to sail through the state Senate next week. It would then need the signature of Gov. Deval Patrick, who supports Westwood Station.
“It’s been a long time coming, but it’s very exciting. I’m very, very pleased,” said state Rep. Paul McMurtry, who has worked to get the Wegmans bill passed since July. McMurtry is a freshman Democrat from Dedham whose district includes Westwood.
Home-rule petitions normally pass the House without controversy, but Galvin had blocked the Westwood’s petition for the Wegmans license based on concerns that the $1.5 billion Westwood Station development will dramatically increase traffic in his own town.
McMurtry said Galvin made a statement before the bill was enacted at about 4 p.m. today. Galvin said he would not continue to hold up the bill due in part to the economic climate, adding that he still has concerns about the size of Westwood Station, according to McMurtry.
“He had a job to do and so did I,” McMurtry said. “I respect him for representing his district to the best of his ability.”
“After he allowed the passage of this, he was the first person I thanked,” McMurtry said, explaining how he walked across the House chamber to shake Galvin’s hand. “We all realize how significant this project is…in this economy.”
For more on this story, see Friday’s Daily News Transcript and dailynewstranscript.com.
Daily News staff writer Edward B. Colby can be reached at 781-433-8336 or ecolby@cnc.com.
