Arlington Redevelopment Board - Apr 6th, 2026

Meeting held at 27 Maple Street. Materials were available from https://arlingtonma.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=2071.

Review Meeting Minutes

The board approved minutes from their March 23rd meeting.

Envision Arlington Standing Committee

(Claire Ricker, Planning Director) Ms. Ricker says the board has two nominee positions on the Envision Arlington Standing Committee. She's received a letter of intent from Ammarah Rehman who would like to fill one of the vacant seats.

(Ammarah Rehman) Ms. Rehman says she grew up in public housing in East Arlington. She attended Arlington High School and taught English programs for Housing Authority residents. She currently works for the state's Executive Office of Workforce and Labor.

(Steve Revilak, ARB) Mr. Revilak appreciates Ms. Rehman's work teaching English to AHA residents, and her desire to bring their perspectives to Envision Arlington.

(Vince Baudoin, ARB) Mr. Baudoin appreciates Ms. Rehman's application.

(Kin Lau, ARB Chair) Mr. Lau says he'd welcome fresh new energy on the Envision Arlington standing committee.

The board approves Ms. Rehman's application, 4--0 (Ms. Zsembery was not present for the vote).

Arlington Heights Neighborhood Action Plan Implementation Committee

(Claire Ricker, Planning Director) Ms. Ricker requests that the board nominate Steve McKenna to fill a vacancy on the Arlington Heights Neighborhood Action Plan Implementation Committee. Mr. McKenna has worked in the real estate field for 35 years and has been very dedicated to the town. He'd like to work on the Arlington Heights Business District subcommittee.

(Steve Revilak, ARB) Mr. Revilak feels the applicant's real estate experience could be beneficial in shaping the Arlington Heights Business District. Particularly his knowledge about what kinds of small businesses are interested in coming to Arlington and what kind of spaces they're looking for.

Other board members are supportive of the nomination.

The board approves Mr. McKenna's application, 4--0.

Docket 3879 - 26 Dudley St

(Claire Ricker, Planning Director) Ms. Ricker says the applicant has asked for their hearing to be continued to June 1st. They're currently seeing other approvals from the Conservation Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals. She says this is an interesting project with a number of issues, and the applicant wishes to get permission from the other boards before coming before the ARB.

(Kin Lau, ARB Chair) Mr. Lau notes that several boards have jurisdiction over this project, and the ARB will be the last one to hear it.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak requests that the copies of any Conservation Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals decisions be made available to the board.

The board votes to continue the hearing to June 1, 4--0.

Docket 3891 - 126--128 Broadway

(Claire Ricker, Planning Director) Ms. Ricker says the applicant provided updated materials since their last hearing with the board. The board had identified trees, the drive aisle, expanding the commercial space, solar coverage, and a trash management plan as items which needed to be addressed.

(Tim Johnson, Architect) Mr. Johnson says their proposal is for a five-story mixed-use building with 28 apartments, one commercial space, 12 parking spaces, 42 long-term bicycle parking spaces, and 4 short-term bicycle spaces. They're providing e-bike and scooter charging stations, and have submitted a trash management plan for the board.

The board asked the applicants to look at traffic circulation on the site, and the approach previously presented seems to be the most effective. They would utilize two curb cuts with traffic entering on Everett St and exiting on Broadway. There would be a 22' drive isle for parking in the rear of the building and a 13' drive isle on the side for parallel parking.

The applicant's landscape architect met with a member of the tree committee, who provided useful suggestions. All existing trees will remain. The applicants will provide four new trees, but there isn't enough room for a fifth.

Mr. Johnson says they're planning to use a subsurface transformer vault, which will be located near the Broadway curb. They've increased the parapet on the fourth floor, increased the size of the entrance to the commercial space, and added glazed brick for accents.

(Steve Revilak, ARB) Mr. Revilak is happy to see that the applicants will be able to preserve the street tree in front of 128 Broadway. Arlington's bylaw contains a provision where applicants can make a contribution to the tree fund in cases where planting a new tree on site isn't feasible. He says that may be an option for the fifth tree.

Mr. Revilak thanks the applicants for their analysis of traffic circulation. He thinks what they've proposed makes sense, and would allow the most parking.

He notes that the applicants are only seeking a mixed-use bonus, and not an affordable housing bonus. He notes they're providing six affordable units rather than the four required, and thanks them for doing so.

Mr. Revilak wants to review the transportation management plan. There were three strategies proposed at a previous hearing: charging separately for parking, transit pass subsidies, and providing charging stations for e-bikes and scooters. Mr. Revilak asks how much they'll charge for parking and how the transit pass subsidy will work.

(?, Applicant) One of the applicants says they'll charge $175/month for parking spaces. Each unit that does not rent parking will be subsidized with an MBTA link pass per month.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak asks if the applicants would be okay with having those details included in the permit conditions.

(?, Applicant) The applicants would agree to that.

(Vince Baudoin, ARB) Mr. Baudoin appreciates the effort put into preserving the trees and the changes to the building. He feels the trash management plan may be too optimistic. A two cubic yard dumpster might allow three bags per household per week. He expects them to need more 96 gallon recycling containers. He asks if the applicants have a back-up plan, if what they've proposed turns out to be insufficient.

(Michael Cabral, Attorney) Mr. Cabral says they'd move to more frequent pickups. Monday and Thursday, for example.

(Vince Baudoin) Mr. Baudoin notes the parallel parking spaces a little short, 20' long instead of 22'. He tried pacing some parked cars, and they were generally taking up 18' when parked in parallel.

(Shaina Korman-Houston, ARB) Ms. Korman-Houston asks about the transportation demand management plan, and whether MBTA pass subsidies will given for the first year or ongoing.

(Michael Cabral) Mr. Cabral says they'd be ongoing.

(Shaina Korman-Houston) Ms. Korman-Houston also had concerns about trash removal, but thinks the applicants will be able to adjust. She asks about the transformer location.

(Tim Johnson) Mr. Johnson says the transformer would be in an underground vault, near the Broadway curb.

(Shaina Korman-Houston) Ms. Korman-Houston asks if they've talked to the utility company about this.

(Tim Johnson) Mr. Johnson says no, but he's aware of a new apartment building in town that has an underground transformer.

(Shaina Korman-Houston) Ms. Korman-Houston things the board should discuss what happens if the utility denies their request for an underground transformer.

Ms. Korman-Houston thinks the shadow study lacks context; it only shows lot lines and not buildings. It also doesn't depict existing conditions, which makes it more difficult for neighbors to understand the difference. When context is lacking, imagination tends to take over. If the applicants come before the board with future projects, she hopes they'll provide better shadow studies.

(Tim Johnson) Mr. Johnson says the shadow studies have context in the sense that each property is shown with a different color, but he understands Ms. Korman-Houston's point.

(Rachel Zsembery, ARB) Ms. Zsembery says she watched a recording of the March 2nd hearing, so she'll be able to participate in the discussion. She asks how the blue and green glazed brick relate to the rest of the building's color palette.

(Tim Johnson) Mr. Johnson says he can provide samples of the glazed brick, if the board approves it. The upper floors of the building are green and blue, and the brick on the first floor is red. The glazed brick was chosen with the intuition that the colors would be appropriate and lit by the skylight above the entrance. He wanted colors that would play with the light.

(Rachel Zsembery) Ms. Zsembery is interested in bringing attention to the rendering of the vestibule. She asks how it will be lit, aside from the skylight.

(Tim Johnson) Mr. Johnson says the entrance will be downlit with cool shielded LED bulbs. There will be recessed lights in the ceiling.

(Rachel Zsembery) Ms. Zsembery asks if the lights will be placed around the perimeter.

(Tim Johnson) Mr. Johnson says yes.

(Rachel Zsembery) Ms. Zsembery asks how the applicants plan to resolve the area where the siding planks meet the brick. She says the rendering makes it look like the brick is inset, which feels counter-intuitive.

(Tim Johnson) Mr. Johnson says it's a full depth brick. Older buildings with brick and siding typically have the brick inset, and the siding sits on top. The intent is to prevent making the brick look like a veneer. He can provide a detail of that transition to the board.

(Rachel Zsembery) Ms. Zsembery is concerned about the inset nature of the brick.

There's discussion about area calculations for the ground floor.

(Rachel Zsembery) Ms. Zsembery asks if all exhaust vents will go through the roof.

(Tim Johnson) Mr. Johnson says there will be one main ERV per floor, which will vent directly to the roof. They're planning to use ventless washers and dryers. There will be no venting through the sidewalls.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau says he understands what the applicants are trying to do with the brick. He asks if the cornice will take care of the transition.

(Tim Johnson) Mr. Johnson says yes, though he hasn't worked out the fine details. He can provide a detailed drawing, but the goal is to have the siding overhang the brick.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau asks if the exercise room was included in the floor area of the commercial space.

(Tim Johnson) Mr. Johnson says yes, because the exercise room was intended to be a shared amenity.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau doesn't agree with that. He notes that page C-01 shows the commercial space as "+/- 60%"; he'd like the applicants to remove the plus-or-minus and give the exact percentage. Mr. Lau doesn't think the utility company will agree to an underground transformer, but he's willing to make that a condition of the permit. The applicants will have to come back to the board if the utility company doesn't approve.

Mr. Lau notes the parallel parking spaces are 20' long and the bylaw requires 22'. He asks if the applicants are asking for relief on that requirement.

(Tim Johnson) Mr. Johnson says yes.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau doesn't think the board can grant that relief. He says the accessible space will have to be moved, because the plans show it as a compact space, and compact spaces can't be used as accessible spaces. He says that compact spaces have to be 8' wide, rather than the 7.5' shown on the plans. Mr. Lau asks if there will be any protection around the concrete columns.

(Tim Johnson) Mr. Johnson says each column will have a 3' bumper with a 12" diameter bumper.

(kin Lau) Mr. Lau says he'd like the non-compact spaces to be a full 8' in width. He suggests adding an alcove around the side door next to the driveway.

(Tim Johnson) Mr. Johnson says he can add an alcove.

(Vince Baudoin) Mr. Baudoin suggests using the parallel spaces as compact spaces.

(Shaina Korman-Houston's) Ms. Korman-Houston would be open to that proposal. This would mean only one of the non-parallel spaces could be compact.

There's discussion about compact parking. Compact parking spaces are 2' shorter than full sized spaces, and the board is willing to accept 20' parallel parking spaces as compact spaces. The board discusses the number of parking spaces. Mr. Revilak and Ms. Korman-Houston would be okay with 11 parking spaces, but other board members prefer 12. The board agrees that six of the 12 spaces can be compact.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau says he doesn't see a sprinkler room or an elevator control room.

(Tim Johnson) Mr. Johnson says any additional space for utilities can be added in the basement.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau asks if the area of the existing utility room was counted in the area of the commercial space.

(Tim Johnson) Mr. Johnson says yes.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau says it can't be counted that way.

The chair opens the hearing to public comment.

(Laurel Kane, 79 Westmoreland Ave) Ms. Kane says she hears debate and discussion and the lack of clarity in our bylaws is concerning. She thinks the board should remand the MBTA communities zoning back to town meeting. She would appreciate having the exercise room removed from the commercial space.

(Asia Kepka, 17 Silk St) Ms. Kepka lives nearby. She thinks there will be issues, particularly with trash. She doesn't think trash management was adequately addressed. She's concerned there's not enough room for recycling. They'll need way more room for recycling and trash. Snow removal is also a big issue. There are new apartment buildings where the owners don't clear snow from the sidewalks in front of their buildings. Snow will create a safety hazard. Ms. Kepka says she was recently unable to get into her driveway following a doctor's appointment after a snowstorm.

(Melleta Marx, 13 Pine Ridge Rd) Ms. Marx has concerns about the project. It seems similar to recent ones. The size is inappropriate for the neighborhood. She thinks the applicants are trying to make the building as big and tight as they could squeeze in. She thinks the applicants should consider the whole neighborhood. She asks if it's an appropriate structure. There's not enough parking and not everyone will ride bicycles. The new building will cause a myriad of problems. She doesn't think the applicants are meeting the 60% commercial space requirement of the mixed-use bonus.

(Alexandra Lee) Ms. Lee says the new building will put her garden into shadow every morning. She asks what the full height of the building is. She asks if the exterior lights will ever go off, and if they'll go on every time a squirrel runs by. She doesn't understand why the sidewalks aren't being extended to the curb. She says it's a very busy intersection, but is glad the applicants will be able to retain all of the trees.

(Larry Slotnick) Mr. Slotnick would like to see more context. It would be great if all elevations showed the neighboring structures. It's hard to understand the impact. Mr. Slotnick supposes we'll deal with the transformer after the applicants speak with Eversource.

(David Bean, 50 Jason St) Mr. Bean thinks that everything on this project is too close to the limits. The building is too big for the site and may be a harbinger of things to come. He thinks Broadway will turn into another canyon like Mass Ave in North Cambridge. He thinks the building is too big, and problems would go away if there were fewer projects.

There are no more comments from the public.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau says that the purpose of site plan review is for the board to evaluate whether the proposed building meets zoning requirements. Town meeting has approved buildings of this size, and the board has discussed and voted on how to interpret the ground floor requirement.

The applicant has already stated that lights will be dark-sky compliant, and that trash and recycling will be picked up as often as needed. Arlington's town bylaws already cover snow removal, and that's not part of permitting. He asks the applicants about the height of the building.

(Tim Johnson) Mr. Johnson says the roof is at 48'. Solar panels and the elevator headhouse might add three feet to that.

(Shaina Korman-Houston) By her back-of-the-envelope calculations, Ms. Korman-Houston thinks the applicants will end up with around 80% of the ground floor by converting the exercise room to commercial space. She'd comfortable with having that administratively approved.

(Vince Baudoin) Mr. Baudoin would like to find a way to move forward tonight.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak is okay with having changes approved administratively. He would like the applicants to come back if they can't make the parking changes work, or if the commercial space ends up being less than 60% of the ground floor.

(Shaina Korman-Houston) Ms. Korman-Houston would like the applicants to come back if the underground transformer is not approved.

(Rachel Zsembery) Ms. Zsembery says she's not comfortable with voting tonight. She says the board typically requires applicants to provide calculations, and she thinks there's significant confusion on behalf of the applicant.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau lists conditions he's heard for the site plan review permit. These include:

• The applicants must return to the board if the location of the transformer has to change.
• No parking spaces can be removed
• Administratively submitting material samples of the blue tile.
• Providing a detail of the cornice transition. A hand-sketch would be okay.
• Revising the floor plan, so that the utility and exercise rooms are not counted as part of the commercial space.
• Revising the parking plan so there are 12 spaces, with up to six compact spaces.
• No venting through side walls
• Contributing to the tree fund for the required street tree that they're unable to plant.
• Moving the accessible parking space.
• The applicants will charge for parking spaces separately from rent
• The applicants shall provide one MBTA link pass to each apartment where the tenants do not rent a parking space.

There's discussion about the number of bike charging stations. Mr. Cabral says they'll include four.

(Rachel Zsembery) Ms. Zsembery lists several findings that the board will make. These include:

• A contribution to the tree fund is acceptable, in lieu of planting one street tree.
• A second driveway is permissible under 6.1.10.A(2).
• 50% compact spaces are approved
• The TDM plan is acceptable.

The board votes to approve the project, 4--1 (Ms. Zsembery voted in the negative).

(Rachel Zsembery) Ms. Zsembery says she voted no because she feels the project doesn't meet the requirements in the bylaw, and because the board is over-using administrative approval.

Review Report to town Meeting

The board reviews their report to town meeting, and makes a number of edits and wording changes.

Report to town meeting approved, 5--0.

Open Forum

There are no speakers for tonight's open forum.

New Business

(Claire Ricker) Ms. Ricker says the comment period for the draft comprehensive plan is still ongoing. The comment period will close on April 12th.

(Vince Baudoin) Mr. Baudoin asks about the status of roadway improvements on Broadway.

(Claire Ricker) Ms. Ricker says the town has hired VHB as a consultation. We're going through MassDOT's contracting process, and VHB is submitting the documentation required for that. She hopes to see a project kickoff in June or July.

Meeting adjourned at 22:04.