Arlington Redevelopment Board - Jun 1st, 2026

SteveR — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 00:58:04 GMT

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Meeting held at 27 Maple Street. Materials were available from
https://arlingtonma.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=4641.

=Review Meeting Minutes=

The board approved minutes from their May 4th meeting.

=Docket 3899 - 856 Mass Ave=

This is an application to replace signage for Beacon Bank (formerly
Brookline Bank).

(Claire Ricker, Planning Director) Ms. Ricker says this is an
application for a sign change, from Brookline Bank to Beacon Bank.
The Zoning Board of Appeals approved the existing signage in 2011 via
special permit. The applicants are would like to replace the existing
signs with new branding.

(Kin Lau, ARB Chair) Mr. Lau asks why the signs were initially
permitted by the ZBA.

(Sarah Suarez, Assistant Planning Director) Ms. Suarez says the
ZBA was the sign permitting authority in 2011, and the property had a
different freestanding sign. The ZBA allowed the parapet sign and the
relocation of the standing sign.

(Pete Hadger, Representing the applicant) Mr. Hadger says he's seeking
a double-faced standing sign, 20 square feet in size. There will be a
face change to the drive-in teller sign, which is 5.1 square feet.
The proposed wall sign is 28 square feet and the old one was over 40
square feet. The total sign area is 48 square feet, down from 63
square feet.

Mr. Hadger says the bank is proposing to continue the use of the sign
permitted in 2011, which means continuing the nonconformity. The
free-standing sign will not be relocated. Brand consistency is
important to the bank. A monument sign would block visibility, and
there's no place to located one outside the sight triangle without
removing parking spaces.

(Rachel Zsembery, ARB) Ms. Zsembery has no questions at this time.

(Shaina Korman-Houston, ARB) Ms. Korman-Houston asks about the width
of the wall sign.

(Pete Hadger) Mr. Hadger says it's 18 feet, two inches wide.

(Shaina Korman-Houston) Ms. Korman-Houston asks if the backing
material from the old Brookline Bank sign will be removed.

(Pete Hadger) Mr. Hadger says the wrap structure will remain.

(Steve Revilak, ARB) Mr. Revilak asks if what the applicants plan to
do with the drive-thru teller sign, other than refacing and
repainting.

(Pete Hadger) Mr. Hadger says that's all they're planning to do with
that sign.

(Kin Lau, ARB Chair) Mr. Lau asks if there will be any changes to the
color scheme of the building.

(Pete Hadger) Mr. Hadger isn't aware of any. He believes the bank is
only interested in changing out the signs.

The chair opens the hearing to public comment. There is none.

(Rachel Zsembery) Ms. Zsembery says the board has been trying to
determine when applicants have to meet the requirements of the current
sign bylaw, and when pre-existing signs can continue to be used. She
doesn't like the pylon sign, and would like the board to discuss
whether to eliminate the non-conformity. She notes that nearby
businesses are findable without freestanding signs.

(Shaina Korman-Houston) Ms. Korman-Houston says the pylon sign would
not be permitted if this were a new application. It was allowed by
special permit and the applicants aren't requesting substantial
changes.

(Vince Baudoin, ARB) Mr. Baudoin says he doesn't mind the unique sign
here, but he might feel differently if they were all up and down mass
ave.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak says that some of the non-conforming signs
the board has seen have had questionable permitting provenance, but
this one was allowed via a special permit. The changes aren't
substantial, and he's willing to allow the applicants to keep the
pre-existing nonconformity.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau is okay with the pre-existing nonconformity as well.

(Rachel Zsembery) Ms. Zsembery wants to note that sign was originally
permitted by the ZBA, and she feels that's significant.

Sign permit approved, 5--0.

=Docket 3879 - 26 Dudley St=

This docket involves an addition to an industrial building on Dudley
St.

(Claire Ricker, Planning Director) Ms. Ricker says the applicant
proposes to demo a garage and a storage shed in order to add a
warehouse addition. The ZBA has already granted a variance for the
setbacks, due to the irregular shape of the lot. The project is also
in front of the conservation commission, due to its proximity to Mill
Brook. Ms. Ricker says the applicants recently met with the
conservation commission and their hearing was continued to June.

(Fred Gilgun (?), Attorney) Mr. Gilgun says the expanded building will
substantially be occupied by the Santini company. It will revitalize
an industrial property and the ZBA has already granted variances for
the setbacks. This is a 12,150 square foot property that's
irregularly shaped and next to Mill Brook. It has a building on
Dudley St. and a dilapidated garage to be removed. It's always been
used as a mixed use building. Mr. Gilgun says the owners propose to
build a new warehouse, improve stormwater management, and improve
accessibility.

(Bryan Poisson, Architect) Mr. Poisson says there are currently three
curb cuts on the property and they're proposing to reduce this to one
curb cut. Some parking will be located in the new warehouse addition.
The new building will have two egress stairs, an elevator, and a fire
suppression system. Bike storage will be in the interior. A new
lobby on Dudley St will provide more transparency. The warehouse
addition will be double height. They're proposing solar on the upper
roof only, since the lower roof is often shaded, and they may want to
add another story in the future.

(Fred Gilgun) Mr. Gilgun says he's seeking relief from several zoning
requirements as part of the special permit. They're looking for
relief from the solar energy systems requirement and for parking
minimums. They're proposing 13 parking spaces, where there are
currently 10 on site. Removing two of the curb cuts will add two or
three on-street parking spaces. Mr. Gilgun thinks that nearby trees
provide sufficient shading to mitigate heat island effects, and he's
asking for relief from the industrial district parking standards
pertaining to heat island mitigation. They plan to install
underground conduit to support future EV charing stations. He thinks
the new building will be beneficial and code compliant. It will allow
a long-standing business to upgrade an aging property.

(Rachel Zsembery, ARB) Ms. Zsembery asks if the applicants have done a
solar study. Section 6.4.2 has exemptions to the solar energy system
requirements, and she says the applicants will need to state which
exemption they are requsting. She asks if lighting fixtures are shown
on the elevation plan.

(?) One of the applicants says "no".

(Rachel Zsembery) Ms. Zsembery says that section 6.1.11.F(2) lists
several reflective strategies for parking lots, and she suggests the
applicants consider one of them.

Ms. Zsembery notes that there is also a ground floor transparency
requirement, and the board would need to make a finding if the ground
floor facade isn't changing.

(Shaina Korman-Houston, ARB) Ms. Korman-Houston asks if the applicants
submitted a transportation demand management (TDM) plan.

(?) (They did not)

(Shania Korman-Houston) Ms. Korman-Houston asks for information about
the bike racks they plan to install.

(Bryan Poisson) Mr. Poisson says the bike parking would be in the
basement, and accessible via ramp. They'd be single-level racks.

(Shaina Korman-Houston) Ms. Korman-Houston asks if all of the parking
spaces will be EV ready.

(Bryan Poisson) Mr. Poisson says they will.

(Shaina Korman-Houston) Ms. Korman-Houston says there are a few places
along the property line where the photometric study shows higher
illumination. She thinks it would be helpful to understand light
spillage onto nearby residential properties. She asks about the
dimensions of the snow storage area.

(Bryan Poisson) Mr. Poisson says he doesn't have the dimensions handy,
but this is something they're discussing with the Conservation
Commission.

(Vince Baudoin, ARB) Mr. Baudoin thinks the board can apply the
mixed-use exemption for parking, so the applicants would need to
provide 12 spaces rather than 18. He has some concerns about the
geometry of the parking area and the width of the drive aisle. He
wonders if angled spaces might work better, and if it would be
possible to put solar panels over the parking area.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak notes the plans show planting locations
for several street trees. The sidewalk is very narrow, and
Mr. Revilak wonders if a contribution to the tree fund might make more
sense.

(Kin Lau, ARB Chair) Mr. Lau agrees with Mr. Revilak regarding the
street trees and narrow sidewalk. He would like the applicants to
have a solar study done. A study would provide documentation, if
solar isn't viable for the site. He asks the applicants to think
about how doubling the size of the building will affect neighbors. He
notes that the board paid attention to the rear of the neighboring
self-storage facility when that was being permitted. He asks if they
plan to remove any trees at the rear of the site.

(Bryan Poisson) Mr. Poisson says they haven't touched any of the trees
along the brook, and that area is outside of their property. The
existing shed is close to the property line, and they plan to replace
it with a warehouse addition.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau asks the applicants to consider what the view from
Wellington Park will look like. He has some issues with the parking
configuration, and says the board can provide some relief for the
number of spaces. He questions whether an 18' drive aisle will work.

(Bryan Poisson) Mr. Poisson thinks the new parking arrangement will
improve the driveway.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau asks about the status of their variance for the
setback requirements.

(Fred Gilgun) Mr. Gilgun says the variance was granted by the zoning
board of appeals.

The chair opens the hearing for public comment. There is none.

(Rachel Zsembery) Ms. Zsembery says the applicant's narrative
mentioned another source of parking. She asks for more information
about hat.

(Fred Gilgun) Mr. Gilgun says the Santini family owns other properties
on Dudley St. They could juggle parking if necessary, but didn't want
to have the permit conditioned on it.

The board discusses what they'd like the applicant to provide at the
next hearing. Items included:
* Addressing the parking lot configuration
* Providing a solar study
* Providing information on light spillage onto adjacent properties.
* Considering other measures for cooling impervious surfaces
* Considering paying into the tree fund, rather than planting street trees on the narrow sidewalk
* Providing a rendering of the rear of the property

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak suggests a few TDM measures, should the
applicants need to provide a TDM plan. He suggests adding a shower to
one of the hallway bathrooms, and providing outlets in the bike room,
so that e-bikes can be charged. Mr. Revilak says the site is 1,712
feet -- about a third of a mile -- from the 77 bus stop at Mt. Vernon
St and Mass Ave. The bylaw allows proximity to a bus stop as a TDM
measure for residential uses, but he thinks that proximity should
qualify as a TDM measure here.

(Shaina Korman-Houston) Ms. Korman-Houston understands the applicants
are still meeting with the Conservation Commission. She'd like the
applicants to come back to the ARB if the Conservation Commission
makes any material changes.

The board is okay with granting relief from the 50% transparency
requirement, as the applicants aren't redoing the facade.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau suggests doing something with the lower 8--10' of
the EIFS finish, to provide something more durable.

The board votes to continue the hearing to July 20th, 5--0.

=Macaluso substitute motions - Articles 53 and 55=

Mr. Baudoin explains the changes that town meeting adopted with
Article 53, with slides for illustration. Article 53 affects the
requirements for the MBTA district mixed-use bonus and Article 55
applies to the affordable housing bonus.

(Vince Baudoin) Mr. Baudoin explains that "60% of the ground floor"
was clarified to mean "60% of the ground floor's gross floor area",
which is the interior space. Parking spaces would not be included in
the denominator. Article 53 also added a backstop to disallow
minimally-sized commercial spaces; the commercial space must be 50%
of the building footprint, which is the structural outline of the
building.

=Joint Board/AHOD Committee Working Session=

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau would like to have a joint meeting with the
Affordable Housing Overlay District Committee. He'd prefer an
interactive setting where we can go back and forth about site
selection.

Board members are in favor of having a working session with the
committee. Staff will work with the AHOD Committee to find potential dates.

=Summer Board Schedule=

(Claire Ricker) Ms. Ricker summarizes the board's hearing schedule for
the summer.
* 6/15/2026. Two hearings, and Farina Roofing will appear to provide the board with an update
* 7/6/2026. Nothing scheduled so far.
* 7/20/2026. 1--2 hearings (potentially)
* 8/10/2026. No hearings schedule

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak suggests setting aside time for the board
to discuss TDM standards. For example, the amount of additional
long-term bicycle parking that an applicant would have to provide in
order to have the additional parking counted as a TDM measure.

(Shaina Korman-Houston) Ms. Korman-Houston asks about returning to the
usual 7:30 pm meeting time.

The board agrees to hold future meetings at 7:30pm, rather than 7:00.

=Open Forum=

There are no speakers for tonight's open forum.

=New Business=

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak noticed that the town had issued an RFP
for design guidelines. He asks if staff can elaborate on what that
will entail.

(Claire Ricker) Ms. Ricker confirms that an RFP has been issued. We
have commercial design guidlines from 2015, and these are due for an
update. The RFP work will focus on guidelines for mixed-use and
commercial, including mixed-use in the multi-family overlay district.

(Vince Baudoin) Now that we've adopted the new comprehensive plan,
Mr. Baudoin would like to see the board discuss priorities and
near-term action items.

(Rachel Zsembery) Ms. Zsembery suggests scheduling a joint meeting
with the Select Board. She thinks the Select Board should be part of
the short-term strategy discussion.

(Claire Ricker) Ms. Ricker says she'll try to schedule a joint meeting
with the Select Board for sometime in September. She's received
several applications for the upcoming ARB vacancy and hopes to have
someone seated in June.

Meeting adjourned.

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SteveR — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 00:57:36 GMT

2026: Arlington Redevelopment Board - Jun 1st, 2026

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Arlington Redevelopment Board - Jun 1st, 2026

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