Arlington Redevelopment Board - Jan 12th, 2026

Meeting held at 27 Maple Street. Materials were available from https://arlington.novusagenda.com/agendapublic/MeetingView.aspx?MeetingID=2406&MinutesMeetingID=-1&doctype=Agenda.

Shaina Korman-Houston was unable to attend tonight's meeting.

Organizational Meeting

Kin Lau is elected chair, 4--0.

Stephen Revilak is elected vice chair, 4--0.

Review Meeting Minutes

The board approved minutes from their December 15, 2025 meeting.

Discussion of 1306--1308 Mass Ave

This item involves Farina Roofing's renovations at 1306--1308 Mass Ave. They stopped work, leaving the windows boarded up with plywood.

(Claire Ricker, Planning Director) Ms. Ricker notes that the board had previously recommended painting the plywood, and asked for a representative of Farina Roofing to attend tonight's meeting.

(?, Farina Roofing) The representative from Farina Roofing asks for clarification about what the board is looking for.

(Rachel Zsembery, ARB Chair) Ms. Zsembery says the plywood covering the windows violates the town's vacant storefront bylaw. She'd like to know when they plan to move forward with the window installation.

(?) Farina's representative says this will happen soon. The company is facing a difficult financial situation right now.

(Rachel Zsembery) Ms. Zsembery says she was hoping to get a more concrete timeline.

(?) Farina's representative says it will be a couple of months.

(Kin Lau, ARB) Mr. Lau asks if roofing is the only kind of work the company does.

(?) Farina's representative says they do other kinds of work.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau asks them to remove the plumbing company sign that's affixed to the plywood.

(?) Farina's representative says they'll remove that.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau asks if they can install a temporary light in the door vestibule. Something on a timer.

(?) Farina's representative says he's okay with that.

There's discussion about lead time for the store windows to be manufactured.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau asks them to renew their building permit within the next two weeks, and have the windows installed in 90 days.

(Ricardo Bachista (?), Owner, Farina Roofing) Mr. Bachista agrees to this. He offers to install a light in the vestibule.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson asks if the owner can guarantee the windows will be installed in 90 days.

(Ricardo Bachista) Mr. Bachista says this will depend on the manufacturer. He'll have to check with them.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak thanks the owner for having the plywood painted so promptly.

There's discussion about whether a temporary light is needed.

(Rachel Zsembery) Ms. Zsembery thinks the window installation is the most important consideration, and she'd like Farina's owner to focus on that.

Docket 3862 - 126 Broadway

(Claire Ricker, Planning Director) Ms. Ricker says her office received a written request from the applicant, asking for their application to be withdrawn without prejudice. They plan to submit a new proposal in the future.

The board votes to grant their request for a withdrawal without prejudice, and closes the hearing, 4--0.

New Business

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak asks how the search for a new transportation planner is going.

(Claire Ricker) Ms. Ricker says they had a candidate but the offer fell thorough. She's working with the Town Manager to have the position re-posted.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak relays a piece of news that he read in Streetsblog earlier today. The MBTA has canceled their procurement process around the redevelopment of the Alewife T station.

We take a short recess, in order to wait for representatives for the next hearing to arrive.

Docket 3867 - 9--11 Robbins Road

This docket involves an application to replace a two-family home in the Neighborhood Multifamily District with two duplexes.

(Claire Ricker, Planning Director) Ms. Ricker says the applicant proposes to replace a two family home with two three-story buildings, having two units each. The applicant previously met with the board and staff's memo outlines the items the board asked them to address.

(Charles Cochran, Architect) Ms. Cochran says he's submitted updated plans and elevations. They've widened the entryways to the building and reduced the height in order to adjust the roof pitch.

A member of the applicant's team presents a materials board.

(Rachel Zsembery, ARB Chair) Ms. Zsembery asks if the buildings will have gutters.

(Charles Cochran) Mr. Cochran says they will. They're shown on the architectural elevations but the details weren't finalized in time for the rendering. They'll be a gray color.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau thinks the second entrance on building B doesn't seem equal to the first. He asks if the second can be made to match the first.

(Charles Cochran) Mr. Cochran answers in the affirmative.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau notes that one of the dormers in building A would be in the middle of a closet. He asks if that was intentional.

(Charles Cochran) Mr. Cochran says the dormers are purely for aesthetics on the outside.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau suggests not having dormer windows in a closet.

(Rachel Zsembery) Ms. Zsembery appreciates how the applicant took the board's suggestion for fitting into the context of the surrounding buildings.

(Charles Cochran) Mr. Cochran says they plan to have an ornate cap over each window.

(Eugene Benson, ARB) Mr. Benson asks about the height of the bike shed.

(Charles Cochran) Mr. Cochran says it's a little over seven feet.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson asks about the setbacks.

(Charles Cochran) Ms. Cochran says they have 20' on the rear, 7' on the side, and at least 15' in the front.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson asks if they've consulted with the Tree Warden regarding the species of street trees.

(?, Property owner) The property owner says the Tree Warden has provided recommendations for tree species.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak has a question about the front porch on building B. The porch is 28 square feet but the setback line runs partially through it. He asks if the portion in the setback is more or less that 25 square feet.

(Charles Cochran) Mr. Cochran doesn't have the precise area, but he's willing to adjust the porch so that no more than 25 square feet projects into the front yard setback.

(Mary Winstanley O'Connor, Attorney) Ms. Winstanley O'Connor provided the board with a memo, to explain the justification for the second driveway. They decided to go with a second driveway because the neighbors didn't want a large parking area. They didn't want all of the parking in one place.

The chair opens the hearing for public comment.

(Surub Rayamajhi (?), 9 Higgins) Mr. Rayamajhi owns the property next door on Higgins St and his parents live there. Their property has no driveway and they have permits to park two cars on the street. He's concerned about what will happen with parking when it snows.

(Larry, Higgins St) Larry thanks the applicants for putting in as much parking as possible. He doesn't want a parking problem. He says people will end up parking on the street. Most homes on Higgins Street have two parking spaces per unit, but this property will have six spaces rather than eight.

There are no more comments from the public.

(Rachel Zsembery) Ms. Zsembery would like to discuss the driveway.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau thinks the applicants have done all they can to mitigate the parking. He's okay with the width of the second parking area, but suggests the driveway could be narrowed.

(Rachel Zsembery) Ms. Zsembery asks if all of the improvements will be on the applicant's parcel.

(Mary Winstanley O'Connor) Ms. Winstanley O'Connor answers in the affirmative.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak concurs with Ms. Winstanley O'Connor's memo and feels this project meets the bylaw's criteria for a second driveway.

(Rachel Zsembery) Ms. Zsembery summarizes requests from the board:

• Improving the entrance to unit 4, so that it matches unit 3.
• Adding a condition that the bike shed be no more than 7' tall.
• Confirming that the porch for unit 3 projects no more than 25 square feet into the front yard setback.

Application approved, 4--0.

Docket 3881 - 259 Broadway

This docket involves a proposal to replace a four-unit building with a mixed use building, having 14 apartments and two commercial spaces.

(Claire Ricker, Planning Director) Ms. Ricker says the applicant plans to demolish a four family building and build a mixed-use building in its place. The mixed-use building is proposed with 14 residential units and two commercial spaces. Two of the apartments will be affordable units and the applicants have submitted a transportation demand management plan for a parking reduction. The TDM elements proposed are: charging for parking separately, providing e-bike charging facilities, and being located within 1/4 mile of a frequent bus route.

(Chris Mulhern, Architect) Mr. Mulhern gives a slide presentation to the board. He starts with the purpose statement of the town's MBTA multi-family district, and shows floor plans. For the purpose of zoning, he's treating the side opposite Broadway as the rear yard. There will be a 15' step back starting at the fourth floor. The building will be five stories tall with two retail spaces. 92% of the first floor frontage will be devoted to the commercial spaces, and both spaces will have access to an ADA-compliant bathroom. They will provide 24 long-term bike parking spaces. The building will have five parking spaces, two of which will be compact. A transformer and backup generator will be located alongside the building, next to a privacy fence. The small size of the apartments will put rents at the low range. There will be a shared outdoor deck on the fourth floor with a pergola and a 42" high parapet. They're proposing a 35-panel solar array. Mechanical systems will be located on the roof and shielded with a parapet. There will be one storage unit for each dwelling in the basement.

(Rachel Zsembery, ARB Chair) Ms. Zsembery notes that this had previously been a different project. She asks about the reason for the change.

(Chris Mulhern) Mr. Mulhern says the applicant felt that the complications around renovations to the building, along with resistance to changes in the rear were enough to warrant a change in direction.

(Rachel Zsembery) Ms. Zsembery asks Mr. Mulhern to elaborate on "resistance".

(Robert ?, Attorney) Robert says that mixed use was more financially viable.

(Kin Lau, ARB) Mr. Lau notes that this is a site plan review hearing, and not a special permit. The proposal has five parking spaces and a 12.7' drive isle. Mr. Lau doesn't see how people will be able to turn around. He believes the applicants will need to provide an accessible parking space as well.

(Chris Mulhern) Mr. Mulhern says that ADA requirements are for one accessible space after fifteen spaces. If needed, one of the parking spaces could be converted to an accessible one. He acknowledges that turning is tight, but these are intended to be overnight parking spaces for people that live in the building.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau says that handicapped spaces have to be the ones closest to the entrance.

(Chris Mulhern) Mr. Mulhern says there's a door right next to that area.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau asks if the commercial space makes up 60% of the ground floor.

(Chris Mulhern) Mr. Mulhern says the commercial space is 60% of the usable space on the first floor. He deducted space for the stairs and elevators when making that calculation.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau suggests moving the residential entrance to the Palmer Street side of the building. He doesn't think there's enough commercial space. He asks about the height of the building.

(Chris Mulhern) Mr. Mulhern says the ground floor is 14' height. The fourth floor has a higher elevation in order to accommodate insulation under the step back. The step back will be built on 20" trusses, in order to get the required amount of insulation.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau suggests lowering the floor-to-floor heights and replacing the parapet with screen walls. He thinks the building is too tall and the large parapet walls make it appear very chunky.

(Chris Mulhern) Mr. Mulhern says he's up to significant energy constraints with respect to the amount of glass.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau says the building feels like a conglomeration.

(Eugene Benson, ARB) Mr. Benson asks about an object on the wall -- what is it?

(Chris Mulhern) Mr. Mulhern says it's a vent.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson says the vents will need to go through the roof. He asks about the status of their demolition permit.

(?, Attorney) The applicant's attorney says the demolition delay will run through July of 2026.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson asks how the architect calculated that the commercial space was 60% of the ground floor.

(Chris Mulhern) Mr. Mulhern says he deducted the area of the stairs and the elevator.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson says he interprets "60% of the ground floor" to mean "60% of the building footprint". He asks if they've done any market research for the commercial spaces.

(Chris Mulhern) Mr. Mulhern thinks the spaces will be leaseable.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson would like to see some market research, to show that the spaces will be leaseable.

(Rachel Zsembery) Ms. Zsembery notes that offices aren't one of the allowed uses for the mixed use bonus.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson asks if they applicants manage similar buildings, with a similar number of parking spaces.

(?, Owner) The property owner says they have a sixteen-unit building in Allston with six parking spaces.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson notes that the applicant's TDM plan cites census data, stating that 51% of Arlington residents commute to work by car. He asks why they're not looking at seven spaces.

(Chris Mulhern) Mr. Mulhern believes that the idea of TDM is to change people's behavior.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson says the 87 and 350 buses don't meet the TDM requirement for frequency of 30 minutes or less. He says the plans need to show the location of bike charging stations. He asks how people will find the short term bike parking spaces, and suggests they need signage.

(Chris Mulhern) Mr. Mulhern says that signage is not a problem.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson says the tree warden needs to approve the species of the street trees. He'd also like to see details on the two-tier bike racks.

(Steve Revilak, ARB) Mr. Revilak notes that different members of the board have different interpretations of "60% of the ground floor". His position is that 60% refers to the interior area. With 1220 square feet of commercial space, Mr. Revilak feels they'd meet the requirement if the interior of the ground floor is 2034 square feet or less.

He believes the applicants have provided a sufficient TDM plan. Although the 87 and 350 buses don't meet the required frequency, the 77 does, and it's a very short distance away. He says that long-term bike parking can't be counted as a TDM measure unless the applicant provides more than the minimum required, and they are doing so in this case.

As for the appearance of the building, Mr. Revilak says he's having some trouble with the fifth floor on the Broadway side -- it's very flat looking, and didn't seem to get as much attention to detail as the other sides. He suggests using the same type of window that's shown on the Palmer Street side, and perhaps adding a color band below the cornice line.

(Rachel Zsembery) Ms. Zsembery says the top floor needs to be tied in with the rest of the architecture. She'd like the architect to deal with the flat slab that's there now, and add more articulation on the upper stories. She says the color pallet is very stark, and doesn't fit in with the rest of the neighborhood. She's having trouble discerning an architectural style. She suggests reducing the number of materials, and having some kind of band between the commercial and residential levels.

The chair opens the hearing to public comment.

(Gerry Leonard, 44 Palmer St) Mr Leonard says he submitted a memo to the board. He supports increasing the amount of housing but has questions about this building fitting in context. He says that parking is also concern and the lack of parking might lead tenants to park out in the street. He says the height of the building will reduce sunlight.

(Carl Wagner, 30 Edgehill Road) Mr. Wagner says this is the first project that will have a bonus, and if we make a mistake it will be hard to unwind. He think the building looks like a detention center. He thinks the TDM stuff is fake and will be punishing to people who live in the building. He says that everyone has cars and this will hurt people who live there.

(Jeff Yee, 261 Broadway) Mr. Yee says this building will be taller than any other one on Broadway. He has questions about the bonus, and thinks that the parking spaces should be counted as part of the ground floor. He says the building is at a dangerous intersection.

(Rebecca Peterson, 31 Florence Ave) Ms. Peterson thinks the builder and architect are failing us as a town. The building doesn't blend in with the neighborhood. He doesn't understand why the bylaw can't have a single interpretation. He doesn't think the commercial spaces will draw foot traffic.

(Michelle Nathan, 3 Robin Hood Road) Ms. Nathan says that most people don't understand the role of pollinators. When light isn't shielded, pollinators get disoriented which leads to their death. She thinks that lighting on buildings should be shielded and pointed down.

(Aram Hollman, 10 Whittemore St) Mr. Hollman objects to there being five parking spaces for 15 units. Since the turn of the century, 90% of people own cars. Some things are not appropriate in TDM. He thinks we have enough dinky store fronts.

(Note: the applicant is proposing 14 apartments, not 15.)

(Steve McKenna, 4 Upload Road) Mr. McKenna thinks the turning radius will be an issue, and he thinks the applicants need to locate a space for trash.

(Mellita Marx) Ms. Marx thinks the project is extremely out of character for the neighborhood. It can be more appropriate for the neighborhood without having monstrous proportions. She says this is a dangerous corner and parking is ridiculous.

(Joanne Cullinane, 69 Newland Road) Ms. Cullinane feels the bonus requirements should be respected, and the commercial bonus misses the letter of the law. She says the spirit of the law is to promote commercial use, not undersized spaces.

There are no more comments from the public.

(Rachel Zsembery) Ms. Zsembery summarizes what she'd like the applicant to address in the next hearing. This list includes:

• Addressing the width of the drive isle and perimeter fence.
• Providing the board with calculations showing how the commercial spaces takes up 60% of the ground floor. As of now, that requirement has not been met.
• Turning the two commercial spaces into a single, larger commercial space.
• Providing the board with a market survey for the commercial spaces. She notes that offices are not an allowed use under the mixed-use bonus.
• Reducing the parapet height
• Looking at the height of the egress stairs
• Looking at the size of the windows on the fifth floor.
• Simplifying the number and types of cornices.
• Addressing points mentioned in the department memo

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau says the building will need a fire control room, and he'd like to see that shown in the plans.

(Chris Mulhern) Mr. Mulhern says the control room is in the basement.

(Attorney) The applicant's attorney thinks one of the goals of the MBTA Communities act is to try to change the line of thinking about parking, and TDM goes a long way towards doing that.

The board votes to continue the hearing to Feb 23rd, 4--0.

Warrant Article Discussion

For this agenda item, the board will discuss which warrant articles to bring before town meeting.

(Rachel Zsembery) Ms. Zsembery notes that this will be a discussion among board members. We will not be voting or taking public comments this evening.

Accessory Dwelling Units

(Claire Ricker) Ms. Ricker says she received extensive comments from the Attorney General's office about our ADU bylaw. The AG's office says we can continue to use the bylaw, but we cannot require a special permit for ADU's within 6' of a property line.

The board will bring an ADU article forward. It will likely involve changing the requirement for a special permit to a requirement for a finding regarding pre-existing non-conforming structures.

Removal of Certified Mail Requirement for Map Changes

(Claire Ricker) Mr. Ricker says the board discussed this at their last retreat. The certified mail requirement is cost prohibitive for petitioners, and town counsel says it's not a requirement of state law.

The board will move this one forward.

Environmental Articles

The board discusses three articles with David Morgan, the town's environmental planner: updates to the flood plain district, hazard mitigation, and light pollution.

The board will move forward with changes to the flood plain district, as these are FEMA requirements, and necessary to remain in good standing with the National Flood Insurance Program.

Signage

Economic Development Coordinator discusses potential amendments to the sign bylaw, based on the 65 sign applications she's reviewed.

We'll move forward with changes to Marquee signage, and a restriction on the number of A-frame signs.

Compliance Officer

(Claire Ricker) Ms. Ricker says she's requested a compliance officer position every year, but that request hasn't been supported in the budgeting process.

This will not require a warrant article.

Consultant funding for the Arlington Heights Business District

Ms. Ricker says she's pursued grant funding for the Arlington Heights Business District work, but to no avail. We'll keep moving forward with the effort, but without the assistance of a consultant.

Affordable Housing Overlay District

Board members make a number of suggestions to the Affordable Housing Overlay District Committee.

The board will not bring the article forward this year.

Bicycle Parking

Mr. Lau suggests revisiting the requirement that long-term bike parking be on the first floor. He thinks it would be okay to have it on other floors, if they can be reached by elevator.

MBTA Communities District

The board will more forward an article to amend the affordable housing section, removing language about conditional approval of our request for 15% inclusionary units at 60% of the area median income.

Mr. Revilak suggests filing an article to clarify the bonus provisions, so that the entire board can agree on what they mean. Ms. Zsembery doesn't feel the board will be able to agree on what they should mean.

Parking

The board will file an article to amend drive isle width requirements.

ZBA Articles

Zoning Board of Appeals chair Christian Klein discusses several proposals with the board. We'll proceed with articles about building heights in the flood plain district,

Traffic Visibility

There is a citizen petitioner who plans to file an article regarding the bylaw provisions for traffic visibility around corners.

Norcross St

There is a citizen petition to change the zoning of several parcels around Norcross St. from R1 to R2. Mr. Benson suggests the petitioner consider R3, which has smaller lot size requirements.

St. Camilus

Attorney Winstanley O'Connor has provided the board with two draft articles for rezoning the undeveloped St. Camilus property. The church would like to construct an assisted living facility. This will involve a bylaw change and a map change. R6 permits assisted living facilities, but the dimensional regulations are too restrictive. The dimension regulations in R7 are adequate but assisted living facilities are not allowed. Mr. Revilak suggests taking the R6 approach.

Summary

In summary, the board will move forward with the following articles:

• Accessory Dwelling Units
• Removing the certified mail requirement for map changes
• Changes to drive isle width
• Clarification to parking requirements in the Neighborhood multifamily district
• Updates to the Flood Plain Overlay District
• Changes to Marquee signs
• Limiting A-frame signs to one per business.
• Building height in flood plains, and
• Allowing animal daycare in the B4 district.

Open Forum

(Carl Wagner, Edgehill Road) Mr. Wagner is disappointed that the public wasn't able to speak about the affordable housing overlay. He thinks the board should reject it, because there hasn't been enough outreach. He says the committee needs more stakeholders.

(Joanne Cullinane, Newland Road) Ms. Cullinane says the board isn't going to clarify the bonus provisions for the multifamily district, so they'll remain undefined.

(Didn't understand the rest of what she said).

There are no more speakers for tonight's open forum.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak says that different people have different backgrounds and perspectives, and it's not unusual for two people to have two different interpretations of a legal text. We have an entire judicial system for the purpose of resolving such disagreements. Mr. Revilak says this is why there are five members of the board, with voting thresholds for approval. He notes that any permitting decision the board makes is subject to appeal.

Meeting adjourned around 23:00.