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Arlington Redevelopment Board - Jun 1st, 2026

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

initial revision

New page

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.

[[Category:Public Meetings]]

Public Meetings

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

2026: Arlington Redevelopment Board - Jun 1st, 2026

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:57, 4 June 2026
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			* [[Arlington Redevelopment Board - Jun 1st, 2026]]
	* [[Town Meeting - May 20th, 2026]]		* [[Town Meeting - May 20th, 2026]]
	* [[Town Meeting - May 18th, 2026]]		* [[Town Meeting - May 18th, 2026]]

Town Meeting - May 20th, 2026

SteveR — Fri, 22 May 2026 00:13:17 GMT

initial revision

New page

Night eight of Arlington's annual town meeting. Materials were
available from
https://www.arlingtonma.gov/town-governance/town-meeting.

Voting results:
https://www.arlingtonma.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/77638.

=Announcements=

(Kristin Anderson, Precinct 11) Ms. Anderson says that Robin Bergman
can't be here tonight. She was hit by a car in Davis Square and is
recovering at Mass General Hospital.

(Guillermo Hamlin, Precinct 14) Mr. Hamlin says he'll be purchasing
his first home in West Medford, and tonight will likely be his last
town meeting. Leaving Arlington is emotional for him. He was born
below the equator but came to the United States and became a citizen.
Many of his major life events happened in Arlington: getting a degree,
getting married, and having a child. Mr. Hamlin returns to an issue
that's central to him: housing affordability. It's a question that
determines whether young people can live here. He thinks we're
rationalizing for laws that only allow people who were born here or
have enough wealth to afford to live here.

(Valerie Geary and Jennifer Cutraro, Precinct 11) Ms. Geary works with
an organization called Grassroots for Gun Violence Prevention. They
have 600 members in Massachusetts. The organization's current focus
is on a ballot question that seeks to repeal the state's gun safety
laws. They're holding an event on May 27th at 7pm.

=Article 3 - Reports of Committees=

(Keith Schnebly, Tree Committee) Mr. Schnebly says the Tree Committee
envisions a town where everyone can enjoy trees in their neighborhood.
They've tried to get these values included in the comprehensive plan.
They're had a tree planting plan since 2018. The town manages 11,000
trees and plantings are focused on heat island areas. The committee
is trying to get more trees planted on private property. This is
contributing to the future of our tree canopy.

=Article 61 - Positions Reclassification=

(Christine Deshler, Finance Committee Chair) Ms. Deshler says that
reclassification is a change in job title and compensation to more
accurately reflect the job that a town employee does. She lists some
of the positions being reclassified. Vacant positions are always
reviewed for reclassification. These changes come to town meeting for
approval, and for an appropriation to cover salary changes.

(Amy Slutzky, Precinct 17) Ms. Slutzky asks why positions 3F, 3G, 3H,
and 3I are being removed. She thinks these positions could be
important resources for the town.

(Caryn Molloy, Director of Human Resources) Ms. Molloy says that 3F
was a DEI assistant. That position was vacant for several years. 3G
was a community outreach and engagement position. The position was
funded with ARPA funds, which have gone away. 3H is a Domestic
Violence and Community Resource Specialist. That work is being done
by clinicians at the Arlington Youth Counseling Center. 3I was a
grants administrator. That was also ARPA-funded, and not filled on a
full-time basis.

(Amy Slutzky) Ms. Slutzky asks if 3I was the only position that
applied for grants.

(Caryn Molloy) Ms. Molloy says that many departments apply for grants.

(Sam Polk, Precinct 12) Mr. Polk moves the question.

Motion to end debate passes, 129--58.

Article passes, 191--2--2.

=Article 62 - Collective Bargaining=

(Christine Deshler, Finance Committee Chair) Ms. Deshler says the town
has reached collective bargaining agreements with the Ranking
Officers, Patrol Officers, and Firefighters unions. Town meeting is
being asked to appropriate money from the salary reserve fund for back
pay. The article involves $1.8M from the general fund and $1.6M
from the salary reserve fund.

(Paul Bayer, Precinct 13) Mr. Bayer held the article because it
involved so much money, and because the negotiations took five years
to finish. He wanted to bring attention to that.

(Jim Feeney, Town Manager) Mr. Feeney says it has been a long time.
He's pleased to have all town employees under collective bargaining
agreements for the first time in a long time.

(Steve Moore, Precinct 18) Mr. Moore says the agreement covers years
that are fiscally closed. He asks what's being done to avoid this
retroactive approach in the future.

(Jim Feeney) Mr. Feeney says this agreement lasts through FY2027,
which is the fiscal year we're about to enter. We will have one year
to bargain for the next contract.

(Elizabeth Dray, Precinct 10) Ms. Dray sees that part of the
agreement involved the right to wear body-worn cameras. She asks how
much compensation was given in exchange for that.

(Jim Feeney) Mr. Feeney says there wasn't a specific amount for that.

Article passes, 191--5--4.

=Article 63 - Amendments to FY26 Budgets=

(Greg Christiana, Town Moderator) The Article was on the consent
agenda with a recommendation of no action. Mr. Christiana notes the
Article was held by Andrew Fischer, and if Mr. Fischer would like to
speak to it.

(Andrew Fischer, Precinct 6) Mr. Fischer passes.

Recommended vote of no action passes by voice vote.

=Article 69 - Transportation Infrastructure Fund=

(Christine Deshler, Finance Committee Chair) Ms. Deshler says the
state charges a per-ride tax on transportation companies like Uber and
Lyft, and the money is given back to towns where these trips
originate. This article requests this $36k be used to support the
BlueBikes program in Arlington.

No one wishes to speak.

Article passes, 196--2--2.

=Article 76 - Water Bodies Fund=

(Christine Deshler, Finance Committee Chair) Ms. Deshler says the
water bodies fund was established in 2008, and covers all of the water
bodies in town. The money is used for testing and treatment and for
water quality projects. This year's appropriation is $76k.

(Ed Trembly, Precinct 19) Mr. Trembly asks if this money will be used
to do something about the weeds in the reservoir.

(Christine Deshler) Ms. Deshler says yes. That's an ongoing project
that has to be addressed every year.

(Gary Goldsmith, Precinct 11) Mr. Goldsmith says there are lots of
water chestnut seeds in the reservoir, and these are carried into the
Mystic River. The Mystic River Watershed Association organizes water
chestnut removal events. He asks if there are plans to address water
chestnuts.

(David White, Conservation Commission) Mr. White says that water
chestnuts are harvested by machine, or by volunteers in canoes.

(Beth Melofchik, Precinct 9) Ms. Melofchik asks why the ninja seeds
aren't collected off-season. They could be scooped out of the water
before they bloom.

(David White) Mr. White says there are volunteer events to remove
them. Sometimes they come together and sometimes they don't.

(Adam Lane, Precinct 3) Mr. Lane moves the question.

Motion to end debate passes by voice vote.

Article passes, 200--1--0.

=Article 77 - Community Preservation Fund=

(Sue Doctrow, Community Preservation Act Committee) Ms. Doctrow says
this is the 10th year of the Community Preservation Act in Arlington,
and we've awarded a total of $23M over that time. Funds have to be
spent on community housing, open space and recreation, and historic
preservation. The law requires at least 10% of funds be allocated to
each of these three categories. The committee received over $8M in
funding requests, which well-exceeded the funding available.

The projects recommended for this year are:
* $300k for fire safety improvements at Cusack Terrace
* $20k for the Housing Corporation of Arlington's homelessness prevention program.
* $500k for the Housing Corporation of Arlington's development at Emma's court.
* $750k for renovation and rehabilitation of the Crosby tennis and basketball courts
* $300k for a renovation of Veterans Memorial Park
* $140k for a Cooke's Hollow preservation project
* $900k for phase III of the town hall building envelope restoration
* $47.5k for digitization of Arlington Historical Society documents

This totals $3.05M, including administrative costs.

(Gordon Jamieson, Precinct 12) Mr. Jamieson asks if the item for town
hall is a feasibility study or a full planning study.

(Sue Doctrow) Ms. Doctrow says it's a full design study.

(Gordon Jamieson) Mr. Jamieson says the town's athletic fields are
heavily used but have never been top-dressed. He thinks that would be
a good project for a future year.

(Michael Ruderman, Precinct 9) Mr. Ruderman asks what the $93k
administrative expense is for.

(Jim Feeney, Town Manager) Mr. Feeney says that money is used to
offset salaries of town employees for the work they do to support the
committee and administer the act.

(Michael Ruderman) Mr. Ruderman asks why the committee is keeping
$400k in reserve, when they got $8M in requests.

(Doe Doctrow) Ms. Doctrow says the committee wanted to leave a reserve
for future years. Some groups made multiple requests and the
committee asked them to prioritize.

(Michael Ruderman) Mr. Ruderman doesn't see why the committee needs to
have a reserve.

(Beth Melofchik, Precinct 9) Ms. Melofchik is dismayed that we have to
vote on these items as a block. She's dismayed that the Veterans Park
project will remove two trees. She's disappointed that the Daughters
of the American Revolution monument will be moved. She says that
trees help us with climate breakdown and asks if someone can speak to
this.

(Jim Feeney) Mr. Feeney says the Veterans Park project will involve
substantial tree replacement, and the monument is being moved to a
more prominent place.

(Beth Melofchik) Ms. Melofchik says that replanting will not
compensate for mature tree removal.

(Paul Schlichtman, Precinct 9) Mr. Schlichtman moves the question.

Motion to end debate passes by voice vote.

Article passes, 178--16--5.

=Article 79 - Private Way Repairs Revolving Funds=

(Christine Deshler, Finance Committee Chair) Ms. Deshler says this
article asks for a $1.569M appropriation into the private ways
revolving fund, which will be used to improve private ways.

(Jim Feeney, Town Manager) Mr. Feeney says this money will be used to
repair the private way network in Kelwyn Manor, which is one of the
largest private way networks in town. We can't spend public money on
private ways, except as the legislature explicitly allows: for snow
removal, and fronting the cost for betterments.

(Note: the money used for repairs will be repaid by abutters to the
private ways).

Article passes, 190--5--5.

=Article 80 - 51A Grove Street Building Repairs=

(Christine Deshler, Finance Committee Chair) Ms. Deshler says the town
building at 51A Grove Street suffered a fire. This article asks for a
$100k appropriation to cover the insurance deductible.

Article passes, 202--0--1.

=Article 84 - Cemetery Funds=

(Christine Deshler, Finance Committee Chair) Ms. Deshler says that
town meeting appropriates money each year in order to maintain town
cemeteries. The total amount is $770k.

Article passes, 198--1--0.

=Article 87 - Use of Free Cash=

(Christine Deshler, Finance Committee Chair) Ms. Deshler says this
article involves budget surplus. At the end of each year, the
Department of Revenue certifies the amount and the extra money can be
spent in following fiscal years. The town has a long-standing policy
of applying 50% of free cash to the operating budget.

(Beth Benedikt, Precinct 21) Ms. Benedikt says $11M is a lot of
money. She asks what that will be spent on.

(Christine Deshler) Ms. Deshler says it will be used for the operating
budget, which town meeting voted on earlier.

(Steve Revilak, Precinct 1) Mr. Revilak understand that half of free
cash is put towards the next year's operating budget. He asks what
happens to the other half.

(Jim Feeney) Mr. Feeney says it goes to the undesignated fund balance.

(Christopher Moore, Precinct 14) Mr. Moore asks how putting money into
the general fund reduces the tax rate.

(Al Tosti) Mr. Tosti says it's treated like income and reduces the
tax levy.

(Andrew Fischer, Precinct 6) Mr. Fischer asks if the tax rate will go
up 2.5% next year.

(Jim Feeney) Mr. Feeney says the tax rate will not be set until
December. He expects it to go up by 2.5% plus the amount that voters
approved in the override.

Article passes, 198--3--1.

It's around 9:30 and we take a ten-minute break.

=Resolutions=

(Greg Christiana, Town Moderator) Mr. Moderator says the remaining
article are resolutions, which are not binding. He'll use the same
procedure as in past town meetings. Each petitioner will have to move
their main motion. There will be up to two speakers for each
resolution: one for, and one in opposition. Mr. Christiana had asked
people who wanted to speak in opposition to contact him, and only a
few people had expressed an interest in speaking against. Most
resolutions will only have one speaker.

=Article 89 - Hybrid Town Meeting=

(Alex Bagnall, Petitioner) Mr. Bagnall was part of the Hybrid Town
Meeting Study Committee. Town meeting formed this committee in 2023,
and the committee provided a report last year. He asks if further
exploration is something that town meeting wants. Lexington has a
hybrid town meeting. Most people participate from town hall, but some
participate remotely. We accommodate participation from the town hall
annex, which is sort of like remote participation. Mr. Bagnall says
that town meeting has changed over the years. Arlington's earliest
town meetings were restricted to church-going freemen who owned a
sufficient amount of land, and attendance was mandatory. It took
until the 1920s until women could vote. The next year, Arlington
adopted a representative town meeting and 35 women were elected to
serve. He thinks we should actively seek ways to reduce barriers to
participation and asks if further exploration is something we want.

Resolution adopted, 146--34--7.

=Article 90 - Comprehensive Plan Endorsement=

(Steve Revilak, Precinct 1) Mr. Revilak moves his motion that town
meeting endorse the Comprehensive Plan. He introduces Director of
Planning and Community Development to make the presentation.

(Claire Ricker, Planning Director) Ms. Ricker says that a
comprehensive plan is a document to guide local government decisions.
State law governs what's covered by a comprehensive plan, and this
plan addresses the required topic areas. The plan was developed in an
18-month process. The AmpUp Advisory Committee worked with Stantec as
consultants to the project. The ARB adopted the plan on May 4th and
the Select Board endorsed it on May 7th. Article 90 asks for town
meeting's endorsement.

There was a lot of outreach and public engagement, which was led by
the AmpUp committee. A draft plan was published in March. There were
areas with strong consensus, like economic development and open space.
There were a lot of diverse opinions on housing and land use, often
involving the balance between development and open space. This
reflects real challenges that communities face.

The implementation of the plan will evolve over time. All of the
topic areas are interconnected and none of them exist in a vacuum.
The vision statement builds on the one from the 2015 master plan. The
land use section note that the Minuteman Bikeway is a defining asset
for the town. The plan recommends having a strategic economic
development plan, and for additional placemaking in the business
districts. The housing chapter recommends allowing a broader range of
housing types and connecting housing to climate goals. The
transportation chapter recommends vision zero and reconsidering the
overnight parking policy in light of housing and economic development
goals. There's an item to update the arts and culture plan. There
are recommendations to reduce heat island effects, improve water
quality, and make progress towards net-zero goals. The implementation
section identifies departments, boards, and groups to work on the
goals. Ms. Ricker says the comprehensive plan is an expression of the
community's goals.

(Carl Wagner, Precinct 15, Point of order) Mr. Wagner asks if there's
no way town meeting members can oppose a resolution from the floor.

(Greg Christiana, Town Moderator) Mr. Christiana says that's correct.

(Carl Wagner) Mr. Wagner says he wanted to hear that for the record,
and for ACMi.

Resolution passes, 145--25--17.

=Article 91 - Medicare For All=

(Greg Dennis, Petitioner) Mr. Dennis says this is a resolution to
endorse single-payer healthcare and house bill H.1405. Single-payer
would save Arlington millions of dollars. Our health care system is
known for high costs and poor outcomes. 98% of Massachusetts
residents have health insurance but many have trouble affording it.
The town's insurance costs are up 12% which is nearly one-fifth of
the override we just passed. Insurance costs are creating a nightmare
for local governments. The high costs come from the multi-payer
system. Single payer would save people money, which would either be
returned to the economy or used to fill gaps. Having single-payer
would save the town $16M in FY 2027 alone.

Resolution passes, 160--13--14.

=Article 92 - Transitioning to Clean Heat in Massachusetts=

(Pat Hanlon, Petitioner) Mr. Hanlon is the co-chair of Sustainable
Arlington and he worked on this petition in conjunction with town
staff. There are several elements. First, planning for the
decarbonization of buildings, and the conversion from natural gas to
electricity. Second, it encourages utility companies and the
Department of Public Utilities to discuss how decarbonization will
happen and let municipalities be part of the solution. Third, it
helps us decide how to allocate the costs of electrification.

Gas companies prefer to replace aging pipes with new ones, which will
last 40--50 years. We need the ability to repair gas lines and to
explore alternatives to replacement. The legislature requires this,
but cooperation from the utility companies hasn't been there. The
resolution advocates for neighborhood scale electrification, so
sections of the natural gas distribution network can be retired.

(Beth Melofchik, Opponent) Ms. Melofchik says there are things missing
from Mr. Hanlon's resolution, and that utilities don't operate in the
public interest. Solar arrays can be blocked. Combined sewer
overflows discharge into the Alewife brook. Article 92 needs more
plans, like tree protection and solar panel protection. Right now,
homeowners have to choose between EVs and electric stoves. She thinks
a townwide referendum would better represent the town's wishes.

(Carl Wagner, Precinct 15, Point of order) Mr. Wagner asks if other
town meeting members can speak in opposition.

(Greg Christiana, Town Moderator) Mr. Christiana says that town
meeting members who wished to speak in opposition to the resolutions
needed to arrange that in advance. He notes that this has been the
practice for several years.

(Carl Wagner) Mr. Wagner says he wanted to get that for the record,
and for ACMi.

(Note: we went through this this a few minutes ago.)

Resolution passes, 136--29--17.

=Article 93 - Designating Arlington a 4th Amendment Workplace Community=

(Linda Hanson, Petitioner) Ms. Hanson says Town Meeting has a history
of supporting Arlington's most vulnerable residents, and we need to
support our neighbors. The fourth amendment offers valuable
protections, and federal agents need judicial warrants to inspect
private areas. There are things business owners can do to protect
their rights and their workers. Passing this resolution would
designate Arlington as a fourth amendment community. Knowing your
rights and having a plan is crucial. Her group has spoken with 70
business owners so far. We need to know where we stand and protect
our constitutional rights.

Resolution passes, 170--6--7.

=Article 94 - Automatic License Plate Recognition Safeguards and Driver Privacy=

(Sam Polk, Petitioner) Mr. Polk says this resolution calls for a
transparent process before automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) are
put into service. These devices capture and store plate numbers and
vehicle characteristics, and they do this to all vehicles that pass
by. ALPRs can be used in beneficial ways, such as for automatic
tolling. Automatic tolling has data protections and limits the use of
data collected. Without limits, collected data could be used for any
purpose. Cambridge, Watertown, and Natick have all paused or
canceled ALPR projects over concerns about data protection, access,
and sharing. Arlington did a Flock pilot in 2016 and the system
didn't perform as advertised. The use of these systems should involve
a transparent public process with rules for data protection. The
school bus camera law has good data governance standards. The public
should participate in the policy framing process. Mr. Polk says this
resolution was developed in conjunction with Police Chief Flaherty,
who supports it.

(Michael Ruderman, Opponent) Mr. Ruderman had asked to speak against
Article 94 but withdraws his objections.

Resolution passed, 170--4--8.

=Article 95 - Concerning ICE Facility=

(Guillermo Hamlin, Petitioner) Mr. Hamlin says the purpose of this
resolution is to join Burlington's town meeting in condemning the ICE
facility there. The building is zoned for office use and it's not
suitable as a detention facility. He wants town meeting to lend their
voice to our legislators, the governor, and to the Department of
Homeland Security. He thinks we should stand for our civil liberties.

Resolution passes, 161--5--10.

=Article 96 - Prohibit First Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides and Bromethalin=

(Suzanne Chiarito, Petitioner) Ms. Chiarito moves here motion and
introduces Laura Kiesel to make the presentation.

(Laura Kiesel) Ms. Kiesel says the resolution requests that the town
manager prohibit the use of first- and second-generation
anti-coagulant rodenticides on town land and buildings. The town
manager has already added first-generation rodenticides to the
prohibited list. The resolution also asks for a prohibition on
Bromethalin, which is a neuro-toxin and a PFAS. It bio-accumulates in
birds of prey from eating poisoned rodents and the neurological damage
is irreversible. It's causing a rise in pet injuries and deaths.
There are over 2000 cases/year of children being exposed to
bromethalin and practically no cases of disease transmission from
rats. You're much more likely to be poisoned by rodenticides.
Sanitation and exclusion are the most effective ways to deter rodents.

Resolution passes, 167--2--8.

This is the last of the articles and there are no motions to
reconsider. With that, the 2026 annual town meeting is dissolved at
22:45.

[[Category:Public Meetings]]

Public Meetings

SteveR — Fri, 22 May 2026 00:12:43 GMT

2026: Town Meeting - May 20th, 2026

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:12, 21 May 2026
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			* [[Town Meeting - May 20th, 2026]]
	* [[Town Meeting - May 18th, 2026]]		* [[Town Meeting - May 18th, 2026]]
	* [[Town Meeting - May 13th, 2026]]		* [[Town Meeting - May 13th, 2026]]

Town Meeting - May 18th, 2026

SteveR — Thu, 21 May 2026 19:12:23 GMT

initial revision

New page

Night seven of Arlington's annual town meeting. Materials were
available from
https://www.arlingtonma.gov/town-governance/town-meeting.

Voting results:
https://www.arlingtonma.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/77614.

=Announcements=

(Greg Christiana, Town Moderator) Mr. Christiana says that town
meeting will not meet on the Memorial Day holiday. Motions to that
effect will be made on Wednesday.

Mr. Christiana has heard complaints about the use of private messaging
channels by town meeting members. Mr. Christiana says he cannot
police the use of these channels and town meeting is not subject to
Open Meeting laws. He asks people to consider the consequences of
their actions.

(Nora Mann, Symmes Hospital Fund) Ms. Mann says the fund gives grants
each year to non-profits that do work in healthcare.

(Marina Popova, Precinct 13) Ms. Popova is looking for help placing a
large sycamore tree.

(Christine Deshler, Finance Committee Chair) Ms. Deshler says the
finance committee is expecting several vacancies this year, and she'll
be looking for people to fill these positions.

(Paul Schlichtman, Precinct 9) Mr. Schlichtman thanks town meeting for
their love and support.

=Article 53 - Administrative Clarification to Bonus Provisions for Multi-Family Development=

We began discussing this article on May 13 and deliberations continue
tonight.

(Andrew Fischer, Precinct 6) Mr. Fischer says he thought about this
article for the better part of the week and was concerned that someone
was going to terminate debate. He's trying to say things that haven't
been said so far. The ARB's consultant said that 10,000 square feet
gives you 6,000 square feet, and he used to the word "footprint".

(Larry Slotnick, Precinct 7) Mr. Slotnick says he needs to allude to a
private communications channel. The intent of past town meetings is
irrelevant and we are just left with legal words. The current town
meeting is not bound by votes of past town meetings. He reads the
mixed-use bonus provision in the zoning bylaw. Select Board member
Diane Mahon sent an email over the weekend, asking for a positive vote
on the Cullinane amendment. She said that Arlington voters felt we
needed more business development, even if it happens in small
incremental steps. The Chamber of Commerce emphasized the need for
larger commercial spaces. Article 53 preserves the intent of the
bylaw. Businesses need more usable space and residents want a
welcoming environment for businesses. What's happening on Broadway is
the most drastic change in town. Broadway is mostly two-family homes
and for the ARB to encourage a mixed use bonus without meeting the
words of the bylaw just isn't right. He asks if we need to make
Broadway into a commercial district.

(Gordon Jamieson, Precinct 12, Point of order) Mr. Jamieson asks
people to say what their speaking in support of -- which of the
substitute motions, or the ARB's vote of no action.

(Beth Melofchik, Precinct 9, Precinct 9) Ms. Melofchik asks what
Mr. Slotnick supports.

(Greg Christiana, Town Moderator) Mr. Christiana says that's not a
point of order.

(Grant Cook, Precinct 16) Mr. Cook says we passed the MBTA Communities
zoning 2.5 years ago, and the goal then was to create housing.
Commercial space was a tradeoff. The ARB made an appropriate call on
an aspect that was not discussed during the hearings. The Cullinane
amendment will erode the building of housing, and the building of
commercial spaces that are viable. The Cullinane motion will result
in fewer commercial spaces and fewer homes. He'll vote against the
Cullinane motion. Mr. Cook prefers the current state of things.
Let's not break what's just starting to work.

(Xavid Pretzer, Precinct 17) Mx. Pretzer says the Cullinane motion
would take some of the buildings proposed off the table. There's
simply not more room for commercial space on these lots. If town
meeting adopts the Cullinane motion, we'll get apartment buildings
with no commercial space, or single- and two-family homes. He asks
people to vote against the Cullinane motion.

(James Fleming, Precinct 4) Mr. Fleming asks how the ARB has been
interpreting "60% of the ground floor".

(Steve Revilak, Redevelopment Board) Mr. Revilak says the board has
been interpreting the denominator as the interior of the first floor.
The denominator would include everything in the interior area,
including elevators, stairwells, bike rooms, trash, mail rooms,
hallways and the like.

(Eugene Benson, Precinct 10) Mr. Benson urges a vote in favor of the
Cullinane motion. He was a member of the Redevelopment Board and one
of the goals was not to put the MBTA Multifamily district on business
parcels. Buildings are limited to three stories on side streets and
four stories on Mass Ave and Broadway. The bylaw allows extra stories
for ground floor commercial if it takes up 60% of the ground floor at
street level. "Ground floor at street level" is not defined in the
zoning bylaw. Three members of the ARB felt that "ground floor at
street level" meant the interior of the building and the other two
felt that parking should be included in the ground floor area. As
developers devote more space to parking, the amount of commercial
space will be reduced. The distinction is important because it
depends on the definition. Mr. Benson thinks we'll get more platform
parking. During the ARB's hearing, the Chamber of Commerce wanted the
requirement to be 80% of the ground floor. This doesn't mean new
commercial spaces. Without the Cullinane amendment we'll get fewer
smaller commercial spaces. This is about right sizing commercial
spaces, and our goal is to make this part of the bylaw not undefined.

(Ben Rudick, Precinct 5) Mr. Rudick works in real estate finance, but
most of the work he does is in Asia. Construction costs have gone up
and retail commercial spaces cost more to build than they can bring
in. So, residential parts of the building are priced higher to
accommodate. Developers are not making money had over fist.
Requiring too much commercial is a good way to kill it.

(Al Tosti, Precinct 17) Mr. Tosti moves the question.

Motion to end debate passes by voice vote.

Benson amendment to the Macaluso substitute motion passes, 186--34--0.

Macaluso substitute motion (as amended) passes, 167--45--2.

Cullinane substitute motion fails, 101--118--1.

Article passes, 160--61--1 (with the amended Macaluso motion as the
main motion).

=Article 30 - Repeal MBTA Prohibition=

(Steve DeCourcey, Select Board) Mr. DeCourcey says that Article 30
seeks to repeal a 1980 state law that prohibits the MBTA from planning
any subway extension in the northwest corridor, unless authorized to
do so by state law. The Select Board voted to recommend no action,
4--0--1. Mr. DeCourcey says the Select Board can't file legislation
that's specific to Arlington, and Lexington and Bedford might be
affected by such planning. The Board feels the law expired when the
red line extension was complete. The legislature appropriated
money for the MBTA to study a red line extension Mr. DeCourcey thinks
that satisfies the prohibition. At the end of town meeting,
Arlington will have nine home rule petitions pending in the
legislature and Mr. DeCourcey feels this is less important.

(Paul Schlichtman, Petitioner) Mr. Schlichtman would like to strike
"file home role" and replace those words with "request".

(?) Someone remarks that home rule legislation is the only kind of
legislation that towns can request of the legislature.

(Paul Schlichtman) Mr. Schlichtman says the MBTA needed a set of
easements to finish the red line extension, which Chapter 504 granted.
Those easements are still in effect so Mr. Schlichtman doesn't feel
that the law has expired. Arlington is one of a list of communities
that have been trying to encourage transit-oriented growth. The MBTA
shelved plans for transit-oriented development at the Alewife Garage.
Mr. Schlichtman is concerned that the MBTA will demolish the garage
and not extend the red line. We repealed the state law blocking the
MBTA in the center. This vote will tell our legislature that
Arlington wants a seat at the transit planning table. He wants the
vote to express our views.

(Michael Cunningham, Town Counsel) Mr. Cunningham says a home rule
petition on this subject would be inadmissible because it would affect
Lexington and Bedford.

(Guillermo Hamlin, Precinct 14) Mr. Hamlin thinks we should let the
Attorney General's Municipal Law unit review the petition and decide
if it's a valid home rule petition. He thinks town meeting should
pass this and let the legislature know what we want.

(Pi Fisher, Precinct 6) Mr. Fisher recommends a yes vote.

(Gordon Jamieson, Precinct 12) Mr. Jamieson says he'll be voting in
favor of the article.

(Steve Revilak, Precinct 1) In Mr. Revilak's copious free time --
which he doesn't always have a lot of -- he has a tendency to hang
around with a lot of mobility and transit nerds.

On a number of occasions he's had conversations where someone will
ask "where do you live". Mr. Revilak will respond "I live in
Arlington". The other person will pause for a second, think, and say
"hey, aren't y'all the ones who messed up the red line?".
Mr. Revilak tries to take this with a dose of humility and answers
"yeah mate, that was us".

Nearly fifty years after the fact, and people still talk about this.

Recalling Mr. Hurd's remarks about the override in his state of the
town address, Arlington's finances are a bit stretched right now, and
will likely remain that way for the foreseeable future. A red line
station in Arlington center could have provided opportunities for a
lot of good transit-oriented development. If that had happened, our
town's fiscal picture might look a lot better that it does today. But
it didn't happen and we'll never know for sure.

A number of events in the last century prevented recent generations of
Arlingtonians from having access to mass rail transit. Mr. Revilak
hopes that we'll do everything we can to make that option a
possibility for future generations. He asks town meeting to join him
in voting for Article 30.

(Steve Moore, Precinct 18) Mr. Moore says he often respects and agrees
with Mr. Schlichtman and Mr. Revilak, but not in this case. He asks
who owns the Minuteman Bikeway.

(Jim Feeney, Town Manager) Mr. Feeney says the MBTA still owns the
bikeway.

(Steve Moore) Mr. Moore says there was a plan to bring the red line to
Arlington and the voters didn't want it. The Minuteman is still owned
by the MBTA. The T could theoretically close down the minuteman and
use it to extend the red line. Mr. Moore says the minuteman is a huge
asset for the town and he wouldn't want to jeopardize it. Nothing
should be allowed to threaten the Minuteman.

(Al Tosti, Precinct 17) Mr. Tosti moves the question.

Vote on the Schlichtman substitute motion passes, 136--61--10.

Article passes, 145--54--11.

It's 21:30 and we take a ten-minute break.

=Article 54 - Traffic Visibility=

(Steve Revilak, Arlington Redevelopment Board) Mr. Revilak says
Article 54 is a citizen petition to amend Section 5.3.12.A, which
deals with traffic visibility on corner lots. The Redevelopment Board
voted to recommend no action on Article 54, 3--2. The majority of
board members opposed the article due to lack of support from the
Director of Inspectional services, and aesthetic concerns about the
kinds of fences that would be allowed.

The board discussed the petitioner's substitute motion during their
meeting on April 27th. While they did not take a formal vote, the
general sentiment was as outlined in the ARB's report to town meeting
for Article 54.

(Caitlin Monaghan, Petitioner) Ms. Monaghan says that any sort of
fencing taller than 3' is prohibited on corner lots. This includes
non-opaque fences that don't inhibit visibility. Safety depends on
fence height. The town's children's center is on a corner lot and has
a non-conforming 4' fence. 5.3.12.B allows taller fences in front
yards, as long as they're not inhibiting visibility, but 5.3.12.A
doesn't have this provision.

Ms. Monaghan's substitute motion would do two things. First it
clarifies the position of the sight triangle. Second, it allows
fences over 3' as long as they don't impede visibility and are less
than 35% opaque. It would reduce the risk of children and dogs
getting into the street. This would legalize existing safe fences
and avoid the need to chose between non-compliance and usability of
the yard.

(Gabe Knoll, Precinct 8) Mr. Knoll says this article has been put to
the ARB twice and the votes have changed between the two hearings. He
asks why inspectional services is opposed.

(Mike Ciampa, Director of Inspectional Services) Mr. Ciampa says the
guidance for traffic visibility has been developed over the last
70--80 years. It considers things like elevation, parked cars, glare,
weather, and other factors. You have to consider the line of sight
and varying vehicle heights. He thinks taller fences will impair
driver visibility.

(Gabe Knoll) Mr. Knoll thinks safety is a good goal, but the bylaw
doesn't do that. The bylaw is not easy to interpret, it's not
uniformly enforced, and there are lots of corner lots that don't meet
the requirements. Regarding aesthetics, Mr. Knoll thinks it's
undemocratic to prohibit less expensive types of fences that people
can afford. He's not sure whether the non-conforming fences have
variances.

(Christopher Moore, Precinct 14) Mr. Moore is concerned about fences
because there are two sides on a corner lot. He thinks the
distraction of the fence will be a factor.

(JP Lewicke, Precinct 2) Mr. Lewicke moves to amend the substitute
motion by replacing the 35% opacity requirement with 25%.

(Christian Klein, Precinct 10) Mr. Klein asks what the maximum height
of a fence is.

(Mike Ciampa) Mr. Ciampa says it's whatever's determined to be safe.

(Christian Klein) Mr. Klein asks if that determination would be made
by the building inspectors or by a structural engineer.

(Mike Ciampa) Mr. Ciampa says it would be the building inspectors.

(Christian Klein) Mr. Klein thinks that vegetation growing the fence
could be a maintenance problem.

(Elizabeth Dray, Precinct 10) Ms. Dray asks of other towns have
similar restrictive rules.

(Mike Ciampa) Mr. Ciampa gives examples of rules in other towns.
They're similar to Arlington.

(Adam Auster, Precinct 16) Mr. Auster asks where opacity is defined.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak says the zoning bylaw falls back to
Webster's unabridged dictionary for terms that are not defined in the
bylaw itself.

(Adam Auster) Mr. Auster believes there's a difference between
functional vs perceptive opacity. He doesn't think it's clear how
homeowners would know what the opacity of their fence is.

(Carl Wagner, Precinct 15) Mr. Wagner moves the question.

Lewicke amendment passes, 105--74--15.

Monaghan substitute motion fails, 62--129--7.

The Redevelopment Board's recommended vote of no action passes by
voice vote.

=Article 55 - Administrative Clarification to Bonus Provisions for Multi-Family Development=

(Steve Revilak, Arlington Redevelopment Board) Mr. Revilak says
Article 53 proposes marginally stricter requirements for the use of
the affordable housing bonus in the Mass Ave Broadway multifamily
district, by changing the way that fractional units are converted to
whole units. The Redevelopment Board voted to recommend no action on
Article 55, 5-0. Board members preferred to have a single standard for
fractional to whole-unit conversions, rather than having different
standards in different parts of the bylaw.

The Redevelopment Board did not have the opportunity to discuss the
substitute motions for this article.

(Aram Hollman, Petitioner) Mr. Hollman moves his substitute motion.
He says it's about counting, and whether the ARB will follow the bylaw
as written. Townwide, Arlington requires that 15% of units in
multi-family housing be affordable. In the multi-family district,
developers can receive a one-story bonus by providing 22.5%
affordable units, and a two-story bonus by providing 25%. The zoning
bylaw uses the words "at least" -- those are two critical words.
"At least" means "greater than or equal to" and Mr. Hollman thinks
the board should always round up. He wants to explicitly require
rounding up.

(Sanjay Newton, Precinct 10) Mr. Newton moves Remy Macaluso's
substitute motion; Ms. Macaluso was unable to attend this evening.
Ms. Macaluso's motion makes it explicit that the bonus provisions use
the same rounding as the rest of the bylaw. Her amendment also
addresses a corner case where 15% and 22.5% might round to the same
number. The bonus provision would require at least one more
affordable unit than 15% would require.

(Xavid Pretzer, Precinct 17) Mx. Pretzer says that one of our biggest
challenges is the complexity of the zoning bylaw. Having two ways of
rounding was needlessly confusing. He asks town meeting to vote in
favor of the Macaluso motion.

(Melita Marx, Precinct 12) Ms. Marx supports the article. She says
many new developments are tall multi-unit buildings, and they're being
allowed because of lose interpretations of the bylaw. This wouldn't
reduce the number of affordable units because that's the point. She
thinks the bylaw should require fractional units to get a bonus. It's
a clarification rather than a rewrite.

(Daniel Jalkut, Precinct 6) Mr. Jalkut moves the question.

Motion to end debate fails, 105--78--10 (two-thirds vote required)

(Vince Baudoin, Precinct 1) Mr. Baudoin was a member of the MBTA
Communities working group. He'd like to ask how these bonus
requirements were arrived at. There are people in the room who worked
on these provisions.

(Laura Wiener, Precinct 8) Ms. Wiener says she worked on the
provisions, but more on the zoning side than the feasibility side.

(Shaina Korman-Houston, Redevelopment Board) Ms. Korman-Houston was
also a member of the MBTA Communities working group. She says the
intention was not to have two rounding standards. The words "at
least" were intended to suggest it was okay to provide a higher
percentage of affordable units. Affordable units operate at a
financial loss and the market rate units have to offset that loss.
There is a tipping point where too high of a requirement can't work
financially. 22.5--25% is a reach, but it's achievable. We have to
be careful about where we set standards.

(Vince Baudoin) Mr. Baudoin thinks it's too early in the process to
change standards, and the Macaluso motion is reasonable.

(Aram Hollman, Precinct 6) Mr. Hollman asks how the Redevelopment
Board interprets the affordability provisions.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak reads the requirement: "one additional
story may be added if the total percentage of affordable units exceeds
the requirements in Section 8.2.3 Requirements of this Bylaw for a
total of at least 22.5% of all units." This says two things: the
requirements in 8.2.3 apply, and they have to be exceeded.

The provisions in 8.2.3.A are probably most relevant to this
discussion. Mr. Revilak reads two portions of that section. First,
"In any development subject to this Section 8.2, 15% of the dwelling
units shall be affordable units as defined in Section 2 of this
Bylaw." That is the basic inclusionary zoning requirement. Second,
"In determining the total number of affordable units required,
calculation of a fractional unit of 0.5 or more shall be rounded up to
the next whole number."

Mr. Revilak notes that both of these sentences use the word "shall".
"Shall" is given special attention in section 2 of the bylaw, which
says "the word 'shall' is always mandatory and not merely
directory". He believes the rounding of fractional units is
mandatory and notes that the bylaw doesn't give special consideration
to the phrase "at least".

(Aram Hollman) Mr. Hollman says that 22.5% of units in a 15 unit
building would be 3.375, and the board would round that down to 3,
when the bylaw says "at least". He asks if Mr. Revilak sees
anything wrong with that.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak says "no".

(Carl Wagner, Precinct 15) Mr. Wagner thinks developers can absolutely
provide 25% affordable units. He was at the hearing for 126 Broadway
and thinks the developers were trying to mix and match parts of the
bylaw. He applauds Mr. Hollman for bringing this article and thinks
the ARB should follow the law.

(Eugene Benson, Precinct 10) Mr. Benson says there's something that
everyone has forgotten to mention. Section G of the multi-family
overlay says that Section 8.2 applies. He reads the bylaw the
opposite way that Mr. Hollman does. The Macaluso motion is a belt and
suspenders approach. He plans to vote against the Hollman motion and
for the Macaluso motion.

(Sanjay Newton) Mr. Newton moves the question.

Motion to end debate passes by voice vote.

Macaluso motion is adopted, 154--36--5.

Hollman motion fail, 54--135--5.

Macaluso motion as the main motion passes, 170--25--2.

=Article 59 - PEG Access Budget=

Note: "PEG" stands for "public, educational, and/or governmental
access cable television services".

(Christine Deshler, Finance Committee Chair) Ms. Deshler says we
collect money from cable companies and pass this on to ACMi, but town
meeting has to authorize the transfer.

There's no discussion on Article 59.

Article passes, 179--1--2.

=Article 60 - Endorsement of Parking Benefit District Expenditures=

(Christine Deshler, Finance Committee Chair) Ms. Deshler says that
town meeting created the parking benefits district. We collect money
from parking meters, which goes towards making improvements in the
district.

(Julie Wayman, Deputy Town Manager) Ms. Wayman says we've budgeted for
$514k of parking revenue, which is 90% of what we received in the
prior year. We're adding the amount charged for parking enforcement,
and some money for improvements to the Russell Common Lot, seasonal
planting at watering, and replacing lights along Mass Ave.

(Gordon Jamieson, Precinct 12) Mr. Jamieson asks if two items involve
personnel.

(Julie Wayman) Ms. Wayman says the enforcement line is for staff.

Article passes, 176--3--2.

It's nearly 23:00 and town meeting adjourns until Wednesday.

[[Category:Public Meetings]]

Public Meetings

SteveR — Thu, 21 May 2026 19:12:00 GMT

2026: Town Meeting - May 18th, 2026

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:12, 21 May 2026
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	= 2026 =		= 2026 =

			* [[Town Meeting - May 18th, 2026]]
	* [[Town Meeting - May 13th, 2026]]		* [[Town Meeting - May 13th, 2026]]
	* [[Town Meeting - May 11th, 2026]]		* [[Town Meeting - May 11th, 2026]]

Town Meeting - May 13th, 2026

SteveR — Sat, 16 May 2026 20:07:27 GMT

initial revision

New page

Night six of Arlington town meeting. Materials were available from
https://www.arlingtonma.gov/town-governance/town-meeting.

Voting results:
https://www.arlingtonma.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/77602/639143502351030000.

=Announcements=

(?, Friends of Arlington Town Garden) The Friends of Arlington Town
Garden will hold a fundraiser on June 5, from 6--9pm. They'll be
honoring Jim Feeney. The friends group needs money for operating
costs to maintain town gardens.

(Sue Doctorow, Community Preservation Act Committee) Ms. Doctorow
invites people for cake, to celebrate ten years of the community
preservation Act.

=Article 3 - Reports of Committees=

(Rebecca Gruber, Town Meeting Procedures Committee) Ms. Gruber
presents the report of the Town Meeting Procedures Committee. The
committee submitted two articles to amend town bylaws this year. They
undertook two efforts to make Town Meeting more accessible. The first
was three pages of background information in the warrant booklet. The
second was a table of links to hearing materials.

=Article 10 - Wetlands Protections=

This article was postponed from April 29th, due to issues with scope.

(David Morgan, Conservation Planner) Mr. Morgan says a substitute
motion has been submitted to Town Meeting, which avoids the scope
issues of the original motion. Definitions have been moved to section
2. Section 5 refers to Conservation Commission regulations with
respect to applicability. Section 12 specifies fines, and allows
staff to enforce the Wetlands Protection bylaw. Fees were removed
from Section 16, and there was a section added regarding consultant fees.

(David White, Precinct 21) Mr. White moves the substitute motion.

(Ben Rudick, Precinct 5) Mr. Rudick moves the question.

Motion to end debate fails by voice vote.

(Al Tosti, Precinct 17) Mr. Tosti asks how the Select Board feels
about the amendments.

(David Morgan) Mr. Morgan feels they're okay.

(Greg Christiana) Mr. Christiana notes that Eugene Benson (Precinct
10) had an amendment posted to the annotated warrant for Article 10's
original motion. This amendment was never moved, but it was
incorporated into the substitute motion.

(David Morgan) Mr. Morgan says the substitute motion is in scope of
the original warrant language, and he's happy with it.

(Wynelle Evans, Precinct 14) Ms. Evans says the substitute motion
doesn't list police officers as enforcing officers. She asks why that
is.

(David Morgan) Mr. Morgan says that omission was intentional. The
police department is authorized to do enforcement under a separate
provision in the town bylaws.

(Matt Miller, Precinct 11, Point of Order) Mr. Miller says the text of
the speaking queue is very small.

White substitute motion adopted, 192--3--12.

Article passes, 204--4--7.

=Article 21 - Home Equity Theft Ban=

(John Hurd, Select Board Chair) Mr. Hurd says the Select Board voted
to recommend no action on Article 21, 5--0. Town Counsel advised the
board that the original main motion would have been pre-empted by state
law.

(Guillermo Hamlin) Mr. Hamlin moves his substitute motion. He says
it's intentionally narrower to stay within the limits of state law.
It doesn't attempt to superseded state law. He wants to clarify and
codify a local preference for transparency. The motion doesn't
eliminate the town's collection power and it does not compel
expenditures. The goal is to let people know what their rights are.

(Sanjay Newton, Precinct 10) Mr. Newton asks what the substitute
motion would require, or not require of the town.

(Michael Cunningham, Town Counsel) Mr. Cunningham says it doesn't
require anything new, but codifies state law.

(Al Tosti, Precinct 17) Mr. Tosti says this is a solution looking for
a problem. The supreme court ruled that taking an entire property is
illegal. The state legislature did the same. Putting state laws into
our local bylaws puts us at risk of conflict if the state laws change
He urges a no vote.

(John Hurd, Precinct 18) Mr. Hurd says the substitute motion is
different that the original one. The motion would allow for payment
plans, but provides no parameters for what those plans should look
like. Mr. Hurd thinks payment plans sound like a good idea, but it
needs more thought.

(Jim Feeney, Town Manager) Mr. Feeney says that state laws allow
municipalities to set up payment plans, but those laws have a list of
parameters that local communities have to specify. He says the
substitute motion would create additional notice requirements for the
town.

(Andy Greenspon, Precinct 5) Mr. Greenspon moves the question.

Motion to substitute fails, 18--190--10.

Recommended vote of no action passes by voice vote.

=Articles 50, 51 - 0 Lot Concord Turnpike/Assisted Living=

(Steve Revilak, Arlington Redevelopment Board) Mr. Revilak says this
pair of articles involves a parcel at 0 Lot Concord Turnpike, which
is owned by St. Camillus church. Article 50 proposes to rezone a
portion of that lot from R1 to R6. Article 51 proposes to add
dimensional regulations for Assisted Living Facilities on lots of
20,000 square feet or more. These changes would allow an assisted
living facility to be built on the site in the future.

(Mary Winstanley O'Connor, Petitioner) Ms. Winstanley O'Connor says
that Article 50 proposes a zoning map change to allow for the
construction of an assisted living facility. Article 51 would allow
such facilities to be 50' and three stories tall, with a maximum floor
area ratio of 1.2. This has been in the works for while, and
St. Camillus chose HYM to develop the site. It's been approved by
both the Boston Archdiocese and the Vatican. She thinks will offer
benefits to the town. There's a need for this use and the land is
currently tax-exempt. The new use would add approximately
$600,000/year in property taxes and provide financial stability to
the church. Ms. Winstanley O'Connor says the church will enter into a
development agreement with the town, so that only an assisted living
facility can be built there; no apartments.

(Seamus Joyce, HYM Investments) Mr. Joyce says that HYM is a
Boston-based company. The facility would be managed by Experience
Senior Living, and CBI are the architects. They intent to build 145
assisted living units. The facility will be staffed 24/7. They
purposefully designed a 50' buffer around the property line. They'll
provide 0.7 spaces per living unit, which is far more than the 0.4
spaces required by the zoning bylaw. The parking spaces will mostly
be for workers, and a number of parking spaces would be maintained for
the church. They will not build on the former dump site across the
road, and they've tried to make the building residential-looking. The
facility would accommodate Arlington residents. It would be
low-impact with no school-aged children. It would also allow the
church to remain open.

(Barry Jaspan, Precinct 18) Mr. Jaspan is an abutter, and he's been
concerned about the development and the dump. There used to be a
fence around the dump but people would throw all kinds of stuff there
after hours. The church land next to Poet's corner is not for sale
and they plan to resurface the parking lot on the other side of the
street. This takes away the risk of digging up the dump. He is
concerned about the increased risk of traffic, but thinks this is the
best possible outcome. If it's not this developer, it will be some
other developer.

(James Fleming, Precinct 4) Mr. Fleming asks if the zoning change will
affect the property assessment.

(Mary Winstanley O'Connor) Ms. Winstanley O'Connor says it will.
Zoning will affect the assessed value.

(James Fleming) Mr. Fleming asks what justifies the change in value.

(Mary Winstanley O'Connor) Ms. Winstanley O'Connor says it's hard to
quantify. Changing from R1 to R6 increases the value of the land.

(James Fleming) Mr. Fleming understands there are two sources of
value, the land value from zoning, and the structure.

(Gordon Jamieson, Board of Assessors) Mr. Jamieson says the land is
currently owned by a non-profit, and will remain untaxed until it is
sold.

(David Bean, Precinct 8) Mr. Bean introduces Bill Finnerty.
Mr. Finnerty is an Arlington resident who'd like to address the
meeting.

(Bill Finnerty, Resident) Mr. Finnerty says he's a 60-year resident of
Arlington. The warrant article doesn't mention the church name, and
the developers want to whisk this through. They want to sell off the
church land and this will be a massive complex. Nobody can afford the
$15,000/month they'll charge. There are six nursing homes within a
mile. It's a high-density land grab. Everything will be gone,
including the 200-space parking lot. The beautiful open space will be
gone. The other side of Dow Ave was never remediated. It's not safe
to cross Dow Ave. St. Camillus is alive and thriving, and on solid
financial footing The tax would be a 0.2% rounding adjustment. It
will generate fire and ambulance calls and stress the infrastructure.
40B is an idle threat, not a plan. The developers want to get a foot
in the door. God's home is priceless. If it's gone, it can't be
replaced. Please vote no.

(Ed Trembly, Precinct 19) Mr. Trembly asks about parking.

(Seamus Joyce) Mr. Joyce says the facility will have 100 spaces. He
expects 30--50 to be used by staff.

(Ed Trembly) Mr. Trembly thinks there will be a need for visiting
therapists.

(Seamus Joyce) Mr. Joyce thinks there will be enough parking. The
plan to run a shuttle bus between the facility and the Alewife T
station. The project will have to go through a special permitting
process and parking will be scrutinized then.

(Ed Trembly) Mr. Trembly asks if the parishioners had a chance to vote
on this.

(Seamus Joyce) Mr. Joyce says he had several meetings with the
parishioners and Father Mark Bishop. Father Bishop stressed that the
transaction would allow the church to stay open.

(Al Tosti, Precinct 17) Mr. Tosti says this is a no-brainer. We've
been looking for businesses that would provide jobs nd tax revenue.
Sunshine Assisted Living has very little parking. Lots of baby
boomers will need this service and it will help people stay in the
community. He sees very few negatives.

(Sanjay Newton, Precinct 10) Mr. Newton moves the question.

Motion to end debate passes, 165--50--5.

Article 50 passes, 207--10--3, and we move on to Article 51.

(Jo Babiarz, Precinct 15) Ms. Babiarz asks if there will be a
financial review of the contracting group, and whether a bond will be
required.

(Greg Christiana, Town Moderator) Mr. Christiana thinks that out of
scope for a dimensional table change.

(Jo Babiarz) Ms. Babiarz assumes that both amendments will be
approved. She asks if there's been a feasibility study done for the
$15,000/month that they will charge.

(Greg Christiana) Mr. Christiana thinks that's out of scope as well.

(Charlie Foskett, Precinct 10, Point of order) Mr. Foskett objects to
the moderator excluding financial aspects of the project.

(Jo Babiarz) Ms. Babiarz says the developers expect people to be
living there. She asks if there is a benefit to the people of
Arlington. How is $15,000/month affordable? Is the $15,000/month
figure accurate?

(Seamus Joyce) Mr. Joyce says the price is a factor of size and need.
This facility is a bit on the smaller side but it would still be
economical. The number of units would be discussed as part of the
special permitting process.

(Jo Babiarz) Ms. Babiarz says that Mass Health and Medicare provide
therapy, and those people come in cars.

(Steve Moore, Precinct 18) Mr. Moore agrees with Mr. Foskett's
position. He questions this developer and this arrangement. We've
seen some plans and will expect something similar. He asks what would
keep the developers from doing something else.

(Mary Winstanley O'Connor) Ms. Winstanley O'Connor says they're in the
process of finalizing a development agreement with the town, to only
build an assisted living facility on the site.

(Steve Moore) Mr. Moore says the developer will expect a certain
profit. He asks what will guarantee that the property is maintained.

(Mary Winstanley O'Connor) Ms. Winstanley O'Connor expects that to be
addressed by the special permitting process.

(Steve Moore) Mr. Moore says he's supportive.

(Sue Doctrow, Precinct 21) Ms. Doctrow asks if inclusionary zoning
will be applicable to this facility.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak says the inclusionary zoning section of
the bylaw lists the uses to which it's applicable, and assisted living
is not one of them. So no, it would not be applicable.

(Christoper Moore, Precinct 14) Mr. Moore asks what thoughts have gone
into water and sewer infrastructure.

(Jim Feeney) Mr. Feeney says that things are in a very preliminary
stage. The building is close to one of the town's sewer lift
facilities, and it's in the response area for the Park Ave Fire
station. We will have to look at the impacts of that.

(Christopher Moore) Mr. Moore asks if there will be a way for the town
to recover extra costs.

(Jim Feeney) Mr. Feeney says that could be part of the special
permitting process -- to identify any possible needs for upgrades to
the water and sewer system, for example.

(Christopher Moore) Mr. Moore thinks that's a good thing, though there
are details to work out.

(Carmine Granucci, Precinct 21) Mr. Granucci moves the question.

Article passes, 207--4--3.

(Rod Holland, Precinct 7, Point of order) Mr. Holland says his voting
clicker was very slow to respond.

We review the results of the vote. Mr. Holland's vote was recorded
but one Town Meeting Member's vote was not. The moderator will let
the vote stand as-is.

=Article 52 - Rezoning of Certain Parcels From R1 to R2=

(Steve Revilak, Arlington Redevelopment Board) Mr. Revilak says
article 52 is a citizen petition that proposes to rezone a small
number of parcels in the vicinity of Norcross St from R1 to R2. The
Redevelopment Board voted to recommend favorable action on Article 52,
5--0.

(Steve McKenna, Petitioner) Mr. McKenna says he's met with the
planning department, the ARB, and town staff. He says this article is
about creating fairness. Some of the Norcross St. Parcels are zoned
R1 and some are R2. Several of the R1 parcels have two- and
three-family homes on them. The R1 zoning creates financial and
practical disadvantages for these property owners. A two-family lot
can be worth $100,00 more than a single-family one. Much of the area
is already zoned R2, so this is not about density or character. This
wouldn't change other aspects of zoning and it's not intended to favor
developers. It's meant to treat homeowners fairly. Mr. McKenna met
with these property owners, and some have lived here for 40--60 years.
Some have refinanced their homes, and the additional equity would help
them.

(JP Lewicke, Precinct 2) Mr. Lewicke says that if anyone is skeptical
of two-family zoning, this is a great opportunity to try the change
out on a small scale.

(Christopher Moore, Precinct 14) Mr. Moore asks if Mr. McKenna has a
financial interest in this transaction.

(Steve McKenna) Mr. McKenna says he does not own any of these
properties.

(Christopher Moore) Mr. Moore asks if the assessed value would
increase.

(Gordon Jamieson, Board of Assessors) Mr. Jamieson says assessments are
based on sales, not potential value.

(Christopher Moore) Mr. Moore thinks this isn't a bad thing. We
should think how this will affect the use. He says it's modest and
worth a try.

(Cale Pennington, Precinct 1) Mr. Pennington says he owns one of these
homes, and some of his neighbors have had concerns about green space.
He asks how this would change open space.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak says the dimensional regulations for R1
and R2 are very similar. A two-family dwelling would need two parking
spaces versus the one needed for a single-family home. R2 has a
twenty-foot front setback requirement while R1 has twenty-five. The
two districts have identical requirements for open space.

(Topher Heigham, Precinct 15) Mr. Heigham asks if the owners have been
notified.

(Steve McKenna) Mr. McKenna says they have.

(Topher Heigham) Mr. Heigham asks if they're supportive.

(Steve McKenna) Mr. McKenna says he set up two zoom meetings and one
in-person meeting to answer questions. The majority were in favor.

(Topher Heigham) Mr. Heigham is glad to see that this is a targeted
change. He'll support it.

(Adam Lane, Precinct 3) Mr. Lane lives in the area, and he's concerned
about the narrow street. He's concerned about parking on Norcross St.
He asks about parking and navigation.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak believes that Norcross Street is a public
way, so anyone who wants to park there can do so. He notes that the
redevelopment board does not have jurisdiction over public ways.

(Susan Stamps, Precinct 3) Ms. Stamps lives on Grafton St, and Norcross
St is on her regular jogging route. She thinks this is a great idea.
There's room to build two-family homes and this is a great area. More
two-family homes by right for young families would be positive.

(Pi Fisher, Precinct 6) Mr. Fisher moves the question.

Article passes, 173--39--3.

=Article 53 - Administrative Clarification to Bonus Provisions for Multi-Family Development=

(Steve Revilak, Arlington Redevelopment Board) Mr. Revilak says that
Article 53 proposes stricter requirements for the mixed-use bonus in
the Mass Ave/Broadway multifamily district. The redevelopment board
voted to recommend no action on Article 53, 4-1. The majority of the
board felt that the proposed requirements would make the mixed-use
provisions difficult to achieve, thereby reducing the opportunity for
new commercial space in the Mass Ave/Broadway district.

The Redevelopment Board discussed the Cullinane substitute motion at
their May 4th meeting, and the sentiments were essentially the same as
those expressed in the ARB's report on Article 53. The redevelopment
Board did not have an opportunity to discuss the Macaluso substitute
motion.

(Joanne Cullinane, Petitioner) Ms. Cullinane move her substitute
motion. Ms. Cullinane says that Arlington adopted MBTA Communities
zoning in 2023, and that included a mixed-use bonus. The bonus
required that 60% of the ground floor at street level be used for
commercial space. Members of the ARB have been split on what "ground
floor" means. There were thousands of stakeholders involved in the
process. The consultant used the word "footprint" at the ARB
hearing, and footprint is everything under the building. If the
commercial space isn't 60% of the ground floor then we'll get small
spaces. There will be congestion on Broadway and vacant shops. If
areas are exempt from the ground floor, we could end up with smaller
spaces. The MBTA Communities district allows people to build four
story residential buildings by right, and those buildings will have
setbacks. She thinks that public trust is damaged by abrupt changes.

(Remy Macaluso, Precinct 3) Ms. Macaluso more her substitute motion.
She shows a slide with a five-story mixed-use building at 80 Broadway.
The building pre-dates the MBTA Communities act. The left side of the
building has commercial space on the ground floor and the right side
has podium parking. Commercial spaces in the mixed use projects we've
seen so far are economically feasible. The 50% requirement in
Ms. Macaluso's motion would prevent token commercial spaces, like an
apartment building with a rental office on the ground floor.
Ms. Macaluso is okay with the Benson amendment.

(Eugene Benson, Precinct 10) Mr. Benson moves an amendment to the
Macaluso substitute motion. It's a wording change to clarify what
"50% of the building" area means. He plans to vote for the
Cullinane motion, and thinks the Macaluso motion is a compromise.

(Robin Bergman, Precinct 12) Ms. Bergman reads a letter from the
Chamber of Commerce, in support of the Cullinane motion. In 2023, the
Chamber expressed concern that commercial spaces on 60% of the ground
floor would be too small.

(Aram Hollman, Precinct 6) Mr. Hollman attended the hearings for some
of the mixed use buildings that were permitted and he's concerned that
the ARB spent time defining terms. He says the board resorted to
using terms that are not defined in the bonus section.

(Samia Hensa, Precinct 1) Ms. Hensa asks if someone can explain how
the ARB is interpreting the requirement.

(Vince Baudoin, ARB) Mr. Baudoin shows a series of slides to explain
the ARB's interpretation and the tradeoffs involved in the substitute
motions. He shows a mixed-use building with commercial and a lobby on
the ground floor, and some podium parking behind the building. The
ARB has interpreted the 60% as being relative to the enclosed portion
of the ground floor, which doesn't include the the podium parking
underneath the building. This interpretation is consistent with the
Macaluso motion, but wouldn't be permitted by the Cullinane motion.

With the Cullinane motion, the commercial space would have to be made
bigger. That may not leave enough room for the residential lobby,
trash storage, stairways, elevators, bike storage and the like.
Another way to meet Cullinane's requirements would be to reduce the
size of the upper stories by taking away the parking podium. This
doesn't make the commercial space larger. Residential space is worth
more than commercial space, and reducing the size of the residential
space might prevent the building from penciling out. Another option
would be to build a purely residential building, with no commercial
space.

(Christopher Moore, Precinct 14) Mr. Moore asks about the negative
vote from the ARB.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak says the negative vote came from
Ms. Zsembery, who isn't here this evening. As he recalls,
Ms. Zsembery felt there should be strict requirements for use of the
mixed-use bonus.

(Carl Wager, Precinct 15) Mr. Wagner says he went to the hearings for
126--128 Broadway. The MBTA density overlay is in a residential
district and the new building will be bigger than what's here. If we
allow extra floors and zero setbacks the new buildings may block
corners. Mr. Wagner says the ARB voted for a trash and recycling
bonus.

(Note: I have no idea what Mr. Wagner is referring to in the last
sentence).

(Pi Fisher) Mr. Fisher moves the question.

Motion to end debate fails, 119--80--3 (two-thirds required).

It's about 23:00, and there's a motion to adjourn. So we are done
until next Monday.

[[Category:Public Meetings]]

Public Meetings

SteveR — Sat, 16 May 2026 20:06:56 GMT

2026: Town Meeting - May 13th, 2026

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			* [[Town Meeting - May 13th, 2026]]
	* [[Town Meeting - May 11th, 2026]]		* [[Town Meeting - May 11th, 2026]]
	* [[Town Meeting - May 6th, 2026]]		* [[Town Meeting - May 6th, 2026]]

Town Meeting - May 11th, 2026

SteveR — Sat, 16 May 2026 00:34:54 GMT

Announcements: fixed markup

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:34, 15 May 2026
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	Preservation Act in Arlington.		Preservation Act in Arlington.

	~~subsubsection{~~Article 3 - Reports of Committees}		=Article 3 - Reports of Committees=

	(Jim Ballin, Zero Waste Arlington) Mr. Ballin recalls that Arlington		(Jim Ballin, Zero Waste Arlington) Mr. Ballin recalls that Arlington

Town Meeting - May 11th, 2026

SteveR — Sat, 16 May 2026 00:32:49 GMT

initial revision

New page

Night five of Arlington town meeting. Materials were available from
https://www.arlingtonma.gov/town-governance/town-meeting.

Voting results:
https://www.arlingtonma.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/77592.

=Announcements=

(Adam Lane, Precinct 3) Mr. Lane says that Paul Schlichtman (Precinct
9) can't be with us tonight, and it's important for us to show support
for one of our colleagues.

(Sue Doctorow, Community Preservation Act Committee Chair)
Ms. Doctorow invites people to a 10th anniversary of the Community
Preservation Act in Arlington.

subsubsection{Article 3 - Reports of Committees}

(Jim Ballin, Zero Waste Arlington) Mr. Ballin recalls that Arlington
passed a zero waste resolution last year. Since then, Zero Waste
Arlington has been building a roadmap for waste reduction. They've
been involved in a number of efforts to replace single-use items with
reusable ones. Arlington on Tap is growing, and now has seven
outdoor water bottle filling stations. The groups tracks state
legislation and does outreach via social media and in-person events.
We're seeing more waste reduction in town. There are three open
positions on the committee.

=Article 72 - Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical High School and Out of District Vocational Placements=

(Al Tosti, Precinct 17) Mr. Tosti says the Finance Committee voted
unanimously in support of the Minuteman appropriation.

(Nikki Andrade, Minuteman Business Manager) Ms. Andrade says the
school's budget prioritizes staff and students. They have a 2.9%
increase since last year. Operating expenses are up 3.84%, capital
expenses are down 3.97$, and 0.79% of the budget goes towards debt
service. Arlington's assessment is $8,268,757 which is a slight
decrease from last year. 18% of the school's other post-employment
benefits are funded and they're using facilities rentals to offset debt
service. Arlington currently has 189 students enrolled at the
Minuteman.

No one wishes to speak on Article 72.

Article passes, 200--0--2.

=Article 66 - Ottoson Middle School Feasibility Study=

We began discussion of Article 66 on May 6th. The article asks for a
$2.5M appropriation for a feasibility study to replace the Ottoson
Middle School.

(Elaine Crowder, Precinct 19) Ms. Crowder asks how the $2.5M cost was
arrived at.

(Jim Feeney, Town Manager) Mr. Feeney says we started with costs for
the high school rebuild feasibility study and revised them in
conjunction with our consultants.

(Elaine Crowder) Ms. Crowder asks what safeguards are in place to
prevent cost overruns.

(Jim Feeney) Mr. Feeney says the contract will be for a certain
amount, and that amount cannot be exceeded.

(Elaine Crowder) Ms. Crowder asks what would happen if the Ottoson
needed an urgent repair while the feasibility study was taking place.

(Jim Feeney) Mr. Feeney says the feasibility study would not impact
maintenance.

(Christopher Moore, Precinct 14) Mr. Moore is the chair of the capital
planning committee. He says that the amount of the appropriation is
the amount of the contract. We expect to receive a 44% reimbursement
from the Massachusetts School Building Association (MSBA), even if the
school isn't rebuilt.

(Fusun Yaman-Sirin, Precinct 11) Ms. Yaman-Sirin has two seventh
graders who've told her disaster stories about the Ottoson. She asks
if the feasibility study will assume grades 7--8 or grades 6--8.

(Liz Homan, School Superintendent) Ms. Homan says the feasibility
study will consider the largest scope, which is grades 6--8.

(Fusun Yaman-Sirin) Ms. Yaman-Sirin asks about the size of the school.

(Liz Homan) Ms. Homan says we'll provide enrollment data and work with
the MSBA to determine the building's size.

(Fusun Yaman-Sirin) Ms. Yaman-Sirin asks about committee work done so
far.

(Liz Homan) Ms. Homan says we've just put the feasibility study
committee together. That committee will guide the study process.

Article passes, 200--6--1.

=Article 67 - Hardy School Feasibility Study and Schematic Design=

(Julie Wayman, Deputy Town Manager) Ms. Wayman says we're requesting
$375,000 for a feasibility study for HVAC replacement at the Hardy
Elementary School. The system will need to be replaced in the next
3--5 years. We'd like to look at cleaner systems and have received
support from the MSBA. The MSBA would provide a 44% reimbursement
for the study and we'd be eligible for grants. An air source heat
pump system would cost as little as $4.52M after grants and rebates,
and a ground-source system could cost as little as $3.71M. The study
would begin in the next fiscal year. System replacement needs to
happen, regardless of the vote here.

(Eugene Benson, Precinct 8) Mr. Benson asks about the criteria used
for system selection.

(Jim Feeney) Mr. Feeney says that one of the things the feasibility
study would look at is the viability of the site for geothermal.
They'll also do a lifecycle cost analysis.

(Faton Limani, Precinct 15) Mr. Limani asks how certain the MSBA
funding is.

(Jim Feeney) Mr. Feeney says we'll get a 43% reimbursement for a
heat pump feasibility study.

(Cale Pennington, Precinct 1) Mr. Pennington asks if there are
conditions on grants for air-source and ground-source heat pumps.

(Jim Feeney) Mr. Feeney says that some of the grants are merit-based.
We've applied for a GreenWorks grant and should be eligible for
MassSave programs.

(Aram Hollman, Precinct 6) Mr. Hollman worries that the anticipated
grants and rebates are overly optimistic. While the projected final
cost of geothermal is $3.71M, the up-front cost is $13.2M. He asks
if there are more middle-of-the road estimates.

(Jim Feeney) Mr. Feeney says that each funding source is individual.
He lists the programs and their dollar amounts. The cost would be
$3.71M if all of these come through.

(Matt Miller, Precinct 11) Mr. Miller says his daughter attended
Bishop elementary and the schools in town are good. Bishop had a
leaky roof. Mr. Miller asks why the Hardy School is getting this
investment while the Bishop didn't.

(Greg Christiana, Town Moderator) Mr. Christiana says that question is
out of scope for the Hardy's feasibility study.

(Gordon Jamieson, Precinct 12) Mr. Jamieson asked why this school was
chosen for improvements.

(Jim Feeney) Mr. Feeney says several of our school buildings are
reaching their end of life. The Hardy school has the second-highest
energy use and qualifies for reimbursement due to recent envelope
repairs.

(Gordon Jamieson) Mr. Jamieson asks if the Hardy was the first school
we renovated.

(Jim Feeney) Mr. Feeney says the school was renovated in 2001. He's
not sure if it was the first.

(Eileen Cahill, Precinct 13) Ms. Cahill asks if the scope of the
feasibility study will be limited to comparing alternatives.

(Jim Feeney) Mr. Feeney says the MSBA grant is for the installation of
a heat pump system. There are two types, ground source and air
source.

(Eileen Cahill) Ms. Cahill asks if the study will get into operating
and maintenance costs.

(Jim Feeney) Mr. Feeney says the study would look at lifecycle costs,
including operations and maintenance.

(Eileen Cahill) Ms. Cahill is concerned with the high costs of heat
pumps. She hopes the study takes the temperatures of our winters into
account.

(Andy Greenspon, Precinct 5) Mr. Greenspon moves the question.

Article passes, 211--7--2.

=Article 44 - Floodplain District=

Town meeting began discussions of Article 44 on May 4th, and we resume
with that article tonight.

(David Morgan, Environmental Planner) Mr. Morgan says the changes to
the Floodplain District zoning are necessary for Arlington's continued
participation in the National Flood Insurance Program.

Lots of people were in the speaking queue from last week. A number of
them pass on speaking now.

(Al Tosti, Precinct 17) Mr. Tosti moves the question.

Benson amendment passes, 200--7--6.

Main motion passes, 210--1--2.

=Article 45 - Portable and Temporary Signs=

(Note: I'm presenting articles and answering questions. I captured
what I could from these discussions, but it's not everything.)

(Steve Revilak, Arlington Redevelopment Board) Arlington's zoning
bylaw allows the use of temporary signs, like A-frames and wall
banners, without limiting the number of these signs that a business
could have. Article 45 would limit businesses to one A-frame sign per
business. It would also reduce the length of time that temporary wall
signs could be displayed, from 60 to 30 days. The intention here is
to encourage businesses to replace temporary wall banners with
higher-quality permanent signs.

The first provision sets a limit on one A-frame and one temporary wall
banner sign per business. The second provision limits display of
temporary wall banners to 30 days. The Arlington Redevelopment Board
voted to recommend favorable action on Article 45, 5-0.

(Ed Trembly, Precinct 19) Mr. Trembly asks if this is a solution in
search of a problem.

(Katie Luczai, Economic Development Coordinator) Ms. Luczai says this
change would provide the town with more enforcement power. Some
businesses have multiple temporary signs, and some have multiple
A-frame signs that clutter the sidewalk.

(Ed Trembly) Mr. Trembly asks how many businesses in Arlington are
struggling.

(Katie Luczai) Ms. Luczai says that a number are facing challenges,
but she can't quantify it.

(Ed Trembly) Mr. Trembly asks how much a sign costs.

(Katie Luczai) Ms. Luczai says that A-frame signs cost around $100.
The cost for permanent signs depends on the sign and the contractor.

(Ed Trembly) Mr. Trembly says that simple permanent signs can cost
thousands of dollars, and even tens of thousands of dollars. He
doesn't want to inflict extra costs on businesses.

(Courtenay Wilson, Precinct 15) Ms. Wilson asks if the limit on
temporary wall banners would apply while a building was under
construction.

(Katie Luczai) Ms. Luczai says there's an exemption for businesses
that have temporary signs due to construction.

(Courtenay Wilson) Ms. Wilson asks what happens when a temporary sign
is left up for more than 30 days.

(Katie Luczai) Ms. Luczai says they start by talking to the business.
The goal isn't to punish them.

Article fails, 131--83--6 (two-thirds vote required).

=Article 46 - Animal Daycare uses=

(Steve Revilak, Arlington Redevelopment Board) Article 46 is comprised
of two elements. First, it would add a definition of Animal Daycare to
the zoning bylaw. Second, it would allow this use by special permit
in most business districts. The exception would be B4 the
vehicular-oriented business district, where the use would be allowed
by right.

Currently, animal daycare is only allowed (by right) in the Industrial
district. Arlington's industrial districts are small, which means
there's little opportunity to provide this service in town. But there
are people interested in providing these kinds of services and there
are people interested in using them. So, we are proposing to allow
animal daycare in more areas of town.

The left side shows the new definition. Note that animal daycare is a
daytime-only activity, and overnight boarding is not allowed. The
right side shows the changes to the use table. We're proposing that
animal daycare be allowed by right in the B4 district, and by special
permit in other business districts.

The Arlington Redevelopment Board voted to recommend favorable action
on Article 46, 5-0.

(Paul Selker, Precinct 9) Mr. Selker asks why the ARB isn't
recommending the use by right in all districts. He's tempted to make
an amendment to that effect.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak says the ARB is taking an incremental step
with Article 46, but he takes Mr. Selker's point.

(Austin Brown, Precinct 6) Mr. Brown asks about the number of noise
complaints generated by animal daycare services.

(Jim Feeney, Town Manager) Mr. Feeney checked with the director of
inspectional services, and there have been no noise complaints about
the animal daycare facilities in town.

(Austin Brown) Mr. Brown says he's worried about noise.

(Pi Fisher, Precinct 6) Mr. Fisher moves to amend the article, so that
animal daycare is allowed by right in the B2, B2A, B3, and B5
districts.

(Carl Wagner, Precinct 15, Point of order) Mr. Wagner questions
whether such a change can be allowed as a floor amendment.

(Greg Christiana, Town Moderator) Mr. Christiana thinks the change to
the use table is easy enough to understand, and in scope of the
warrant language. He'll allow the amendment.

(Jo Babiarz, Precinct 15) Ms. Babiarz says that even in the business
districts, animal daycare would be subject to animal control laws.
"Animal care" could include small animals. She's in favor of the
Fisher amendment, and says that daycare was good for her dog.

(Andy Greenspon, Precinct 5) Mr. Greenspon is in favor of the article,
but on the fence about the amendment. He's concerned that the amended
article won't receive a two-thirds vote.

(Larry Slotnick, Precinct 7) Mr. Slotnick asks there these businesses
are located.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak asks for a zoning map to be displayed. He
notes that the business districts are primarily located along Mass Ave
and Broadway, with a few pockets elsewhere. They're not contiguous
districts.

(Gordon Jamieson, Precinct 12) Mr. Jamieson asked two questions during
the break. First, does "by right" mean that one of these businesses
could just set up shop. Mr. Revilak said yes. He also asked if there
are state laws that animal daycare has to follow. The answer to that
question was "yes" as well. He's okay with the amendment.

(Liz Pyle, Precinct 8) Ms. Pyle favors the main motion but not the
amendment. She doesn't think it's fair to spring it at the last
minute. She's concerned about noise and would like local review of
these businesses with public hearings. By right means that animal
daycare could go anywhere. Special permit means review by a local
board. She urges town meeting to vote against the amendment and for
the main motion.

(Al Tosti, Precinct 17) Mr. Tosti moves the question.

Fisher amendment fails: 31--182--4.

Article passes, 194--24--1.

=Article 47 - Definition of Building Height=

(Steve Revilak, Arlington Redevelopment Board) Article 47 is a
resiliency measure for the floodplain district, that would allow
existing buildings to be elevated, or new buildings to be built, above
the base flood elevation.

Our zoning bylaw has limits on building height. In single and
two-family districts, it's 35' feet for a single- or two-family home,
and the height is measured from the average grade of the adjoining
curb. Article 47 would change this definition so that height is
measured from the higher of (a) the average grade of the adjoining
curb, or (b) the base flood elevation for a 100 year storm.

How would this look on the ground? A portion of our Floodplain
District is around the Alewife Brook, where the base flood elevation
is 6.8 ft. That's 6.8 feet as you'd see the elevation on a
topographical map; basically 6.8' above see level.

If you were to stand at the intersection of Thorndike St and Herbert
Road, the curb is about two feet below that base flood elevation. So,
a 100 year flood would cover the intersection with around two feet of
water.

By allowing building height to be measured from the base flood
elevation, Article 47 would make it possible for home in this area to
be raised two feet -- give or take -- so that it would be above flood
waters.

This article was suggested by the chair of the zoning board of
appeals. They had a case where someone was rebuilding a home in the
floodplain district. Building codes require the lowest level of
habitation to be above the base flood elevation, and they were running
into challenges with building height.

First, we add the sentence "In the Floodplain District, building
height is the vertical distance of the highest point of the roof
measured from the higher of (a) the average grade of the curb line
abutting the property, or (b) the base flood elevation established by
FEMA" to the definition of building height. Second, we strike a
reference to section 5.3.19.A, which is redundant with the reference
to 5.3.19. The Arlington Redevelopment Board voted to recommend
favorable action on Article 47, 5-0.

The board had an informal discussion about the Benson amendment during
our meeting on May 4th. While we did not take a formal vote, board
members were supportive of the amendment.

(Eugene Benson, Precinct 10) Mr. Benson has an amendment that would
add the text "provided that the lowest habitable floor is above the
base flood elevation". He says this would apply to existing
buildings, so they could only get the extra height if elevating.

(Christian Klein, ZBA Chair) Mr. Klein thanks the ARB for bringing
this forward. He says the ZBA works with the ARB when they find
issues in the bylaw. In a case the board heard someone wanted to
rebuild a home in the floodplain district and the base flood elevation
was four feet above grade. That level needs to be floodable.

(Steve Moore, Precinct 18) Mr. Moore asks if there are floodplains
along Mill Brook, and if the businesses are affected.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak says there are floodplains along Mill
Brook. Businesses could still build in the floodplain because the
ground stories of commercial buildings are not considered habitable.

(Sanjay Newton, Precinct 10) Mr. Newton asks if an unfinished basement
would be considered habitable.

(Mike Ciampa, Building Inspector) Mr. Ciampa says no.

Benson amendment passes, 208--6--3.

Article passes, 211--3--2.

=Article 48 - Residential Parking=

(Steve Revilak, Arlington Redevelopment Board) Article 48 was inspired
by some of the site plan review cases that have come before the ARB,
involving properties in the MBTA Communities multifamily districts. We
have residential parking standards in section 6.1 that apply to
single-, two-, and three-family homes, and we have residential parking
standards that apply to special permits. This leaves a gap where a
docket involves site plan review, but not a single-, two-, or
three-family dwelling. Article 48 seeks to address that.

First, the main motion amends section 6.1.10 to say that "Location of
parking spaces" applies to projects under site plan review.

Second, 6.1.10.A is changed to include projects in multi-family
overlay districts, under site plan review.

The Redevelopment Board voted 4-1 to recommend favorable action on
Article 48 (Mr. Baudoin dissenting).

(Faton Limani, Precinct 15) Mr. Limani asked why Mr. Baudoin voted no.

(Vince Baudoin, ARB) Mr. Baudoin says he didn't have particularly
strong feelings. He objected to the need for ARB review in order to
have a second driveway.

(Aram Hollman, Precinct 6) Mr. Hollman asks if the part about 300' is
compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak doesn't recall mentioning anything about
300' in his presentation.

Article passes, 191--12--9.

=Article 49 - Home Occupations=

(Steve Revilak, Arlington Redevelopment Board) Article 49 was a
citizen petition filed by James Fleming and Andy Greenspon, to update
the zoning bylaws rules for home occupations. The redevelopment Board
voted to recommend favorable action on Article 49, 5--0.

(James Fleming, Petitioner) Mr. Fleming says commercial spaces are
expensive, hard to find in Arlington, and often involve the
negotiation of a multi-year lease. Article 49 allows a home
occupation to take one additional step, while staying in the owner's
house. It would allow one employee and wares could be sold on site.
It sets expectations on hours of operation, deliveries, and traffic.
There are also some organizational changes to that section of the
bylaw. Someone designing knitware, for example, could hire an
assistant and put up a small sign. Display of goods couldn't be
visible from the street. It would also allow a maximum of three music
students, where the current bylaw limits you to one.

(Courtenay Wilson, Precinct 15) Ms. Wilson has questions. She feels
like there are a lot of unknowns. She plans to vote against the
article.

(Robin Bergman, Precinct 12) Ms. Bergman says she's going to support
the article. She is a knitware designer, and it's hard to find
commercial space to work. Her rent increased 4x over the last ten
years and she now leases her space in West Concord month-to-month.
She might lose her space. The last time she had to move, she had to
look at 75 spaces before finding one. There are lots of challenges,
especially for small creative businesses. She notes that lots of
people do contract work from home.

(Mike Ciampa, Inspectional Services Director) Mr. Ciampa says home
occupations are allowed, if there are no employees and no visitors.

(Robin Bergman) Ms. Bergman is in favor of having one employee. She
says her neighbor gets more amazon deliveries than her business does.

(Sanjay Newton) Mr. Newton moves the question.

Motion to end debate fails, 137--69--4.

(Beth Benedikt, Precinct 21) Ms. Benedikt asks about enforcement and
parking.

(Mike Ciampa) Mr. Ciampa says that home occupations are challenging to
enforce. They can't be seen from the street.

(Beth Benedikt) Ms. Benedikt asks about fines.

(Mike Ciampa) Mr. Ciampa says there would be fines for actual
violations.

(Jane Biondi, Precinct 7) Ms. Biondi asks how the hours of 7am to 9pm
compare with other types of businesses.

(Mike Ciampa) Mr. Ciampa says they are similar to other business
operating hours.

(Jane Biondi) Ms. Biondi says she'll vote yes.

(Matthew Miller, Precinct 11) Mr. Miller asks what escalation avenues
there are, if parking gets out of hand.

(John Hurd, Select Board Chair) Mr. Hurd says the Select Board sets
parking polices, and inquires about these policies go to the Select
Board.

(Carl Wagner, Precinct 15) Mr. Wagner says we voted on something
similar last year, and we need to weigh the needs of the neighborhood.
Single proprietors are already allowed. It would allow the use of
yards. Home occupations will cause employee problems because it's
not a good environment to work in. He says this isn't what we need in
the residential districts. We have low traffic now but this moves the
neighborhood too more of a business district. He says it will bring
major changes to where people live.

(Diane Fabiano, Precinct 17) Ms. Fabiano thinks this could damage our
neighborhoods. Businesses are different than neighborhoods. Her
apartment complex doesn't have restrictions on home businesses because
they're not something we used to have. There are problems with her
building's private parking lot. She asks how this would be monitored,
and how many visitors there could be.

(Mike Ciampa) Mr. Ciampa says that occupancy limits are the only
restriction on visitors.

(Pi Fisher, Precinct 6) Mr. Fisher asks how many people he could
invite to a house party.

(John Hurd) Mr. Hurd says there is no limit on the number of visitors
a person can have. And there are no restrictions on who can park on a
public street.

(Pi Fisher) Mr. Fisher says this seems like a way for people to make
money doing something they might have done as a hobby.

(Daniel Jalkut, Precinct 6) Mr. Jalkut moves the question.

Motion to end debate passes by voice vote.

Article passes, 159--47--5.

(Christine Deshler, Finance Committee Chair) Ms. Deshler moves
reconsideration on articles 66, 67, and 72.

Meeting adjourned.

[[Category:Public Meetings]]

Public Meetings

SteveR — Sat, 16 May 2026 00:32:27 GMT

2026: Town Meeting - May 11th, 2026

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	* [[Town Meeting - May 6th, 2026]]		* [[Town Meeting - May 6th, 2026]]
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Town Meeting - May 6th, 2026

SteveR — Sun, 10 May 2026 15:15:37 GMT

initial revision

New page

Night four of Arlington Town Meeting. Materials were available from
https://www.arlingtonma.gov/town-governance/town-meeting.

Voting results:
https://www.arlingtonma.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/77580.

=Announcements=

(Greg Christiana, Town Moderator) Mr. Christiana says there will be a
change to the way that material is posted to the annotated warrant.
It should go into effect sometime this week.

(Linda Hanson) Ms. Hanson would like to provide an update from
Arlington EATS. The Greater Boston Food Bank estimates that 20% of
Arlington households face food insecurity. Overall, the rate of food
insecurity has doubled since 2019 and the federal government is cutting
aid for these kinds of programs. Arlington EATS has over seven
food-related programs and serves around 550 families per week. The
average family they serve gets around $2000/year in food benefits.

=Article 3 - Reports of Committees=

Town meeting receives the supplemental report of the finance
committee.

(Nancy Bloom, Precinct 18, Point of Order) Ms. Bloom would like to see
the screens from the test vote.

=Article 64 - Town Budgets=

(Christine Deshler, Finance Committee Chair) Ms. Deshler requests ten
minutes for the budget presentation. Members of the finance committee
have been meeting twice per week since January, and also meeting with
department heads.

(Jim Feeney, Town Manager) Mr. Feeney says the long-range financial
plan is the most important fiscal document we have. The budget
remains balanced through FY29 and we will run a deficit in FY30. In
terms of budget changes this year, we've trued up receipts and worked
to make more accurate projections. We will lose some interest
earnings due to the completion of the Arlington High School. We've
consolidated general and special education and these will grow at
4%/year. We've removed the student growth factor due to declining
school enrollment. The budget assumes a 3.25%/year growth in
operating expenses. Curbside collection is broken out into a separate
line item and our waste tonnage is down. We'll make a deposit into
the override stabilization fund this year. 75% of Arlington's
revenue comes from property taxes and 40% of our expenses are for
education. We've introduced a few new offsets to the general fund.
Our share of the debt service for the Minuteman High School has gone
down, due to contributions from out-of-district communities.

(Greg Christiana, Town Moderator) Mr. Christiana reads through the
list of sub-budgets. Town meeting members can hold specific
sub-budgets for further discussion. The holds are
* Legal. (Andrew Fischer, Precinct 6)
* Town Clerk. (Frank Ciano, Precinct 15)
* Public Works. (Ed Trembly, Precinct 19)
* Police. (Ezra Fischer, Precinct 4)
* Fire. (Gordon Jamieson, Precinct 12)
* Inspectional Services. (Austin Brown, Precinct 6)
* Education. (Carl Wagner, Precinct 15)
* Libraries. (Gordon Jamieson, Precinct 12)
* Retirement. (Gordon Jamieson, Precinct 12)
* Insurance. (Gordon Jamieson, Precinct 12)

(Missed a bit here)

==Town Clerk==

(Frank Ciano, Precinct 15) Mr. Ciano asks why the clerk's budget went
up this year.

(Jim Feeney, Town Manager) Mr. Feeney says it was due to the increased
number of elections and election workers.

==Public Works==

(Ed Trembly, Precinct 19) Mr. Trembly asks how much salt we used last
year.

(Mike Rademacher, DPW Director) Mr. Rademacher says we used
approximately 8,100 tons of salt.

(Ed Trembly) Mr. Trembly asks if that's typical

(Michael Rademacher) Mr. Rademacher says it was a more extreme winter,
which meant more salt. He notes that DPW trucks are equipped with
spreaders that adjust the flow of salt based on vehicle speed.

(Ed Trembly) Mr. Trembly says there was a lot of salt in the air after
one storm in particular.

(Michael Rademacher) Mr. Rademacher says that's a function of how much
moisture is on the road when the salt is applied.

(Ed Trembly) Mr. Trembly asks if there are any efforts to improve the
timing of traffic lights.

(Michael Rademacher) Mr. Rademacher says there are a few intersections
where the timing equipment is not working as it's supposed to. These
are some of the signals on Mass Ave. DPW is working on it.

(Ed Trembly) Mr. Trembly asks if we're done digging up Pleasant St.

(Michael Rademacher) Mr. Rademacher says we're not done with Pleasant
St. Half the water mains were replaced last year and the other half
will be replaced this year. The gas company is 1/3 done with their
line replacement work.

(Ed Trembly) Mr. Trembly asks about Park Ave.

(Michael Rademacher) Mr. Rademacher says Park Avenue isn't on the
repaving plan.

(Ed Trembly) Mr. Trembly suggests looking at Park Ave between the
water tower and Route 2.

(Michael Rademacher) Mr. Rademacher says DPW does try to prioritize
roads that are in poor condition. He can look into that section of
roadway.

(Steve Moore, Precinct 18) Mr. Moore asks if DPW's new facility allows
them to clean trucks more efficiently.

(Michael Rademacher) Mr. Rademacher says it does. DPW plans to extend
the vehicle washing station to other kinds of vehicles.

(Steve Moore) Mr. Moore asks about DPW's process for adapting their
workload when new parks are added.

(Michael Rademacher) Mr. Rademacher says they work with the Parks
department. DPW wasn't asked to perform any maintenance on the new
pump track at Hill's Hill.

(Steve Moore) Mr. Moore asks if we get into maintenance costs when
parks are planned.

(Michael Rademacher) Mr. Rademacher says Arlington hasn't any
significant additions to its inventory of parks. Maintenance needs
are usually a function of age.

(Steve Moore) Mr. Moore thinks there's a need to budget more for
maintenance, due to the hole in Hill's Hill park.

(Gordon Jamieson, Precinct 12) Mr. Jamieson says that DPW plus water
and sewer are the town's second-largest budget item. He thinks
they're expertly managed. Mr. Jamieson asks if we could consider a
town-wide street sweep during the summer, in addition to spring and
fall sweeping.

(Michael Rademacher) Mr. Rademacher says that main streets in the town
are swept every Thursday during the summer.

(Gordon Jamieson) Mr. Jamieson asks if we went over our budget for
snow removal.

(Christine Deshler) Ms. Deshler says this budget reflects next year's
projected expenditures. There was an overage, and we'll need to
figure out how to handle it.

(Gordon Jamieson) Mr. Jamieson suggests focusing on main roads, but
adding Park Ave, Summer Street behind the DPW, and Scituate St.

(Michael Rademacher) Mr. Rademacher says several of those areas are on
the road maintenance plan.

(Carl Wagner, Precinct 15) One of Mr. Wagner's friends said that
Pleasant St should be called unpleasant Street. He thanks DPW for
quickly filling potholes. He asks what people without kids will see
from the override. Other towns have bad roads too. He asks if we can
do anything about private ways. He asks what we can do with DPW
funds.

(Michael Cunningham, Town Counsel) Mr. Cunningham says DPW can't use
their funds to repair private ways, absent an emergency.

(Jim Feeney, Town Manager) Mr. Feeney says the override didn't
increase spending, but it allows the town to provide level services.

(Faton Limani, Precinct 15) Mr. Limani asks what driving the increase
for the cost of waste handling.

(Michael Rademacher) Mr. Rademacher says we're in the first year of a
five-year contract and the jump comes from the cost of the previous
contract. We switched collection systems in order to save $10M/year.

(Faton Limani) Mr. Limani says his precinct has a lot of private
roads. We all pay taxes, but people who live on private roads don't
get the same level of service. He asks if we can include private ways
in road maintenance.

(Michael Cunningham) Mr. Cunningham says no, due to state and local
laws. Private ways reflect how the road was established.

(Jo Babiarz, Precinct 15) Ms. Babiarz says she heard a lot of
complaints about the quality of snow plowing. There were gouged
roads, open manholes, and big piles of snow. She asks if there's any
remedy the town can exert.

(Michael Rademacher) Mr. Rademacher says we do monitor the work of
plow operators, and we do post-storm cleanup around schools. But that
takes time. We would pursue contracts for negligent damages.

(Al Tosti, Precinct 17) Mr. Tosti moves the question.

Motion to end debate on the DPW budget passes by voice vote.

==Police Services==

(Ezra Fischer, Precinct 4) Mr. Fischer says the police budget has a
steady figure for overtime, which is about 8% of police salaries. He
asks if it's possible to reduce what the police department spends on
overtime.

(Julianna Flaherty, Police Chief) Ms. Flaherty says the department has
been short staffed. There are two open vacancies. Filling them will
reduce the amount spent on overtime.

(Ezra Fischer) Mr. Fischer says that 42% of police interactions
involve mental health issues. The department only has one social
worker. Is there a chance to shift more resources to mental health.

(Julianna Flaherty) Ms. Flaherty says the department has a full-time
and a part-time clinician, and a part-time recovery coach. There are
no plans to add more.

(Ezra Fischer) Mr. Fischer shifts to ICE activity in Massachusetts.
He asks if Arlington collaborates with ICE and shared information with
them. He asks if we fingerprint more often than necessary or more
often than state law requires. He asks if there are loopholes we can
close.

(Julianna Flaherty) Ms. Flaherty says that Arlington's police
department are law enforcement officers that do not collaborate with
ICE. But APD does fingerprint everyone.

(Ezra Fischer) Ms. Fischer says he'd like to see the police department
budget split out in future years.

(Judith Garber, Precinct 4) Ms. Garber says there's a new position for
police records and social media coordinator. She asks what that is.

(Caryn Molloy, Director of Human Resources) Ms. Molloy says it's a new
job title for an existing employee who does both social media and
police records work.

(Carl Wagner, Precinct 15) Mr. Wagner has a question about the new
"Thickly Settled" speed reductions. He asks how much time the
police spend enforcing speed reductions.

(Julianna Flaherty) Ms. Flaherty says that officers are assigned to
traffic as part of their regular duties.

(Carl Wagner) Mr. Wagner asks what people can do if they feel the
speed reductions are inappropriate.

(John Hurd, Select Board Chair) Mr. Hurd says roadway changes are
under the jurisdiction of the Select Board.

(Carol Band, Precinct 8) Ms. Band sees a decrease in patrols on the
Minuteman Bikeway. She asks if there should be more patrolling.

(Jim Feeney) Mr. Feeney says that amount was reduced based on
historical spending.

(Carol Band) Ms. Band asks what determines whether a bike is
classified as a motor vehicle.

(Jim Feeney) Mr. Feeney says that electric bikes have different
classes, based on speed.

(Pi Fisher, Precinct 6) Mr. Fisher asks about body cameras.

(Julianna Flaherty) Ms. Flaherty says the department has an agreement
with the police unions. They're working on contracts and plan to roll
out body cameras on our around July 1st.

(Pi Fisher) Mr. Fisher asks how much the body camera program will
cost.

(Julianna Flaherty) Ms. Flaherty says it will be around $100k/year.

(Peter Gast, Precinct 2) Mr. Gast moves the question.

Motion to end debate on the police budget passes by voice vote.

==Inspectional Services==

(Austin Brown, Precinct 6) Mr. Brown thinks there's major development
going on in town, with complex five-story buildings. He thinks
developers will try to cut costs, so inspections are important. He
asks if inspectional services has enough of a budget.

(Mike Ciampa, Director of Inspectional Services) Mr. Ciampa says a lot
of the bigger projects are construction-controlled with affidavits,
which is less work for his department. They still do their own
inspections and review the construction inspector's reports.

(Aram Hollman, Precinct 6) Mr. Hollman asks what the responsibility of
Inspectional Services is vs. the responsibility of the ARB.

(Mike Ciampa) Mr. Ciampa says that inspectional services does plan
review, issues building permits, and does inspections for compliance
with building codes.

(Aram Hollman) Mr. Hollman asks who enforces ADA and accessibility
issues.

(Mike Ciampa) Mr. Ciampa says that ADA is not under the jurisdiction
of Inspectional Services, but compliance with the Massachusetts
Architectural Access Board is.

(Aram Hollman) Mr. Hollman asks about fire access and egress.

(Mike Ciampa) Mr. Ciampa says that's under the jurisdiction of
inspectional services.

(Andrew Fischer, Precinct 6) Mr. Fischer asks what's doing on with the
construction site across from the Capitol Theater.

(Jim Feeney, Town Manager) Mr. Feeney says that lack of work was not
due to a stop work order. The owners needed to revise their plans due
to site conditions found during construction.

(Larry Slotnick, Precinct 7) Mr. Slotnick asks if the conditions in
ARB decisions are written into a document so that inspectional
services can verify them.

(Claire Ricker, Planning Director) Ms. Ricker says that conditions are
written into decision documents and filed with the Town Clerk. They
are enforceable.

(Mike Ciampa) Mr. Ciampa says that the town's OpenGov permitting
system allows for workflows with multiple reviews, and ARB conditions
are reviewed.

(James Fleming, Precinct 4) Mr. Fleming says that town meeting changes
the zoning bylaw every year. He asks if there are costs associated
with educating town staff about the changes.

(Jim Feeney) Mr. Feeney says that Inspectional Services is notified
when the Attorney General's office formally notifies the town of their
bylaw reviews. At that point, staff, legal, and the town manager work
on implementing changes to the bylaws.

(James Fleming) Mr. Fleming asks if there's a financial cost to
changing the bylaws.

(Jim Feeney) Mr. Feeney says we have not needed to increase spending
for that.

==Education==

(Liz Homan, School Superintendent) Ms. Homan says the school's budget
priorities were to ensure that difficult decisions would be based on
values. She expects a decrease in school enrollment, but some
expenses will continue to increase at more than 4%/year. Arlington
has good levels of achievement relative to comparable districts. We
offer good education and spend less per pupil than other communities.
Enrollments are starting to level off this year, and the district is
shifting resources from elementary to secondary levels. 94% of
Arlington parents with school-aged children send them to Arlington
public schools. The schools have more high-needs students, and
students with low incomes.

(Chris Schweitzer, School CFO) Mr. Schweitzer says the override
provided $4M to the schools in FY27. $2.19M of that went for
salaries and $1.95M for operations.

(Liz Homan) Ms. Homan says we had a reorganization of district-level
office roles and eliminated positions that were vacant. We also got
$500k from retiring staff.

(Carl Wagner, Precinct 15) Mr. Wagner says that a lot of people said
no to the override, but it still won. He asks if the school system
can avoid being part of the override again.

(Kirsi Allison-Ampe, School Committee) Ms. Allison-Ampe says we'll
continue to do what we can. The state's foundational budget increases
at 4%/year. The decreased enrollment will help but people continue
to move here.

(Gordon Jamieson, Precinct 12) Mr. Jamieson has a question about page
14. Does the grant money have offsets for benefits.

(Chris Schweitzer) Mr. Schweitzer says yes.

(Gordon Jamieson) Mr. Jamieson asks what "other" on page 18
includes.

(Chris Schweitzer) Mr. Schweitzer says that's non-special education
transport and facilities.

(Gordon Jamieson) Mr. Jamieson asks if there's an offset for
nutritional services on page 56.

(Chris Schweitzer) Mr. Schweitzer says yes.

(Gordon Jamieson) Mr. Jamieson asks about the zeros on page 74.

(Chris Schweitzer) Mr. Schweitzer says those adjustments come from
restructuring.

(Gordon Jamieson) Mr. Jamieson notes there are a lot of abbreviations
on page 85. He says a key would help. He asks what budget
considerations keep the Superintendent up at night.

(Liz Homan) Ms. Homan says the state has instituted regulations that
require more services but they have not provided funding for them.

(Elizabeth Dray, Precinct 10) Ms. Dray sees an increase in non-native
English-speaking students, but a cut in positions to serve them.

(Liz Homan) Ms. Homan says there were staffing increases after the
pandemic. The reduction was realized by current vacancies.

(Elizabeth Dray) Ms. Dray asks if school enrollment is leveling off.

(Liz Homan) Ms. Homan says enrollment is declining.

(Michelle Durocher, Precinct 19) Ms. Durocher asks if there are
regional services we can use in order to get cost reductions.

(Liz Homan) Ms. Homan says yes. We do this in special education by
being part of the LABBB collaborative. We've also been looking for
ways to partner with other communities on transport.

(Michelle Durocher) Ms. Durocher asks if remote learning is ever a
component.

(Liz Homan) Ms. Homan says no. We are required to provide learning in
person.

(Christian Klein, Precinct 10) Mr. Klein asks if we're losing Title I
funding.

(Liz Homan) Ms. Homan says it looks like we won't lose Title I
funding. But the funding was delayed last year.

(Pi Fisher, Precinct 6) Mr. Fisher moves the question.

Motion to end debate on the education budget passes by voice vote.

==Libraries==

(Gordon Jamieson, Precinct 12) Mr. Jamieson notes that all town
departments had their budgets cut by 10%. He asks if our library
accreditation will be maintained.

(Anna Litten, Director of Libraries) Ms. Litten says the library's
appropriation exceeded the amount required for accreditation by 1.7%.

==Retirement==

(Gordon Jamieson, Precinct 12) Mr. Jamieson would like to say a few
words about offsets. If enterprise funds are not fully paid, the
difference has to be made up from the general fund. B-14 only shows
one offset from enterprise funds. Other budgets, like insurance, have
additional offsets. He'd like to see more offsets in the future.

==Insurance==

(Gordon Jamieson) Mr. Jamieson says it's important to look at offsets.
He hopes to see categories for school non-professional health care.

(David Brecht, Precinct 10) Mr. Brecht says that Arlington is part of
the state's GIC program. He asks if anyone has priced other sources
of insurance.

(Caryn Molloy, Director of Human Resources) Ms. Molloy says the GIC
covers 500,000 people, so it's a large pool. We do shop around every
other year but have not found a provider that beats the price. The
town uses a broker to approach health insurance companies.

(David Brecht) Mr. Brecht understands that some communities don't
participate in the GIC program. He asks why those towns are
successful.

(Caryn Molloy) Ms. Molloy acknowledges that some towns get health
insurance from other providers. She says it's something to watch.

(Andrew Fischer, Precinct 6) Mr. Fischer asks if there are trends in
the cost of self-insured workers compensation.

(Michael Cunningham, Town Counsel) Mr. Cunningham says he's noticed an
increase in some areas and we do our best to provide benefits. The
money comes out of the insurance budget.

(Paul Schlichtman, Precinct 9) Mr. Schlichtman says the schools moved
from a contracted program to the GIC about 14 years ago. There was a
considerable cost savings from doing so.

Budget passes, 188--0--2.

=Article 65 - Capital Budget=

(Christopher Moore, Capital Planning Committee) Mr. Moore says the
capital budgeting process is about taking a bunch of good requests and
shoehorning them into the budget that we have. The Capital Planning
Committee's report covers acquisition and debt service. It's the
first year of our five-year capital plan. This year's budget has
$19.6M in acquisitions which will be paid for by cash, bonds, and a
category called "other" which includes money from grants. There
will be $6.9M in bonding which will incur future debt service. We
use bonding for expenses over $100,000. 59% of our debt repayments
are for exempt debt. The capital budget is set a 5% of the operating
budget, and we have to make tradeoffs since the size is capped. The
costs for the Ottoson and Hardy schools are not included in the
capital budget for FY28.

(Gordon Jamieson, Precinct 12) Mr. Jamieson suggests that other
departments might be able to use the DPW's wash shed to extend vehicle
lives. Getting six years out of a five-year entity is a 20% savings.

(Christopher Moore) Mr. Moore says we do look at what we can stretch.

(Gordon Jamieson) Mr. Jamieson asks about the antenna offset.

(Christopher Moore) Mr. Moore says he hasn't researched that item.

(Ed Trembly, Precinct 19) Mr. Trembly notes the budget has $250k for
envelope restoration of the police building. He asks if we just did
that a few years ago.

(Christopher Moore) Mr. Moore says the police station was renovated a
few years ago, but not everything was done. There are leaks which
need to be fixed.

(Jay McNeil, Director of Facilities) Mr. McNeil says the building's
roof is more than 20 years old and needs to be recoated before new
HVAC equipment is installed. There's also a deteriorating fiberglass
skylight and cracks in the concrete to repair.

(Jim Feeney, Town Manager) Mr. Feeney say there was a renovation some
years ago. The roof and skylight were not done at that time.

Capital budget passes, 181--0--1.

=Article 66 - Ottoson Middle School Feasibility Study=

(Liz Homan, School Superintendent) Ms. Homan says the Ottoson is at
the first stage in the MSBA process, which involves information
gathering. For the Ottoson, the preferred priority is replacement.
There are a number of concerns with the building, including HVAC, roof
leaks, the design of the building, envelope deterioration, and lack of
accessibility. We performed a capital needs assessment for the
Ottoson in 2022, and the needs were beyond what our capital budget
could support. The MSBA's engineers and architects determined that
the school needed rebuilding.

(Julie Wayman, Deputy Town Manager) Ms. Wayman says Arlington
submitted two statements of interest in 2025 and this article is about
securing funding for a feasibility study. The study will determine
the final site and cost of the project. The Arlington High School
took ten years from statement of interest to completion, and the
Ottoson school may take a similar amount of time. Both the project
and borrowing would be phased.

(Wynelle Evans, Precinct 14) Ms. Evans asks why the cost of the
Ottoson Feasibility Study is twice that of the high school feasibility
study.

(Jim Feeney, Town Manager) Mr. Feeney says the High School feasibility
study cost $2M. The Ottoson feasibility study would cost $2.5M.

(Faton Limani, Precinct 15) Mr. Limani asks how the budget payments
will work.

(Jim Feeney) Mr. Feeney says we have to meet the eligibility
requirements first. If we do, then we'll be invited to do a
feasibility study and would proceed from there.

(Faton Limani) Mr. Limani strongly supports this as a way to plan for
an aging facility.

(Metin Kilic, Precinct 11) Mr. Kilic asks how much money we got for
the high school, and what was the percentage offset.

(Jim Feeney) Mr. Feeney says the high school cost $284M and $200M of
that was borrowed.

(Andy Greenspon, Precinct 5, Point of Order) Mr. Greenspon asks if
town staff will be here Monday night to answer questions.

(Greg Christiana, Town Moderator) Mr. Christiana says that school
staff have indicated that they'll be here.

(Christine Deshler, Finance Committee Chair) Ms. Deshler moves
reconsideration on articles 64 and 65.

Meeting adjourns at 23:00.

[[Category:Public Meetings]]

Public Meetings

SteveR — Sun, 10 May 2026 15:15:17 GMT

Town Meeting - May 6th, 2026

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	* [[Arlington Redevelopment Board - May 4th, 2026]]		* [[Arlington Redevelopment Board - May 4th, 2026]]

Town Meeting - May 4th, 2026

SteveR — Sat, 09 May 2026 20:56:28 GMT

initial revision

New page

Night three of Arlington Town Meeting. Materials were available from
https://www.arlingtonma.gov/town-governance/town-meeting.

Voting results:
https://www.arlingtonma.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/77564/639135829635800000.

=Article 3 - Reports of Committees=

Town Meeting receives the report of the Fiscal Resources Task Group
(FRTG).

(Gordon Jamieson, FRTG) Mr. Jamieson believes we're being
over-assessed by the MBTA, to the tune of $2.5M/year. That's cost
the town $50M since 2000. A legislative solution would be to
reclassify Arlington via state law, and senate bill S.2629 would do
this, and the bill has been referred to committee. Mr. Jamieson
encourages people to ask our senator to support it.

=Article 30 - Repeal MBTA Prohibition=

Article 30 will be postponed until May 13th.

=Article 31 - 61B Exemption=

(John Hurd, Select Board Chair) Mr. Hurd says this article would
authorize the Select Board to file home rule legislation asking for a
Chapter 61B exemption. The Select Board voted to recommend favorable
action, 3--1--1 with Mr. DeCourcey voting no.

(Carmine Granucci, Petitioner) Mr. Granucci says that Chapter 61B is a
state law that provides for reduced assessments of recreational land.
There are two country clubs in Arlington that take advantage of this.
Removing the exception would add approximately $18,000/year in tax
revenue. It's a home rule petition, so the state legislature would
have to approve it as well. Belmont and Swampscott have filed similar
home rule petitions. The Board of Assessors unanimously supported
this article.

(Al Tosti, Precinct 17) Mr. Tosti says he doesn't play golf. He asks
if this could incentivize the clubs to close, and why Mr. DeCourcey
voted no.

(Steve DeCourcey, Select Board) Mr. DeCourcey says there are good
things in recreational land law. The 61B exemption is open to
non-profits, which these country clubs are. He doesn't know what's in
the future for these clubs.

(Sam Polk, Precinct 12) Mr. Polk says he's a former JV golf
bench-warmer. He asks how Chapter 61B works.

(Dana Mann, Director of Assessments) Mr. Mann says Winchester applied
for an exemption in 2025, which gave them a $24,964 discount in
taxes. Belmont's discount was around $18,000.

(Sam Polk) Mr. Polk asks what services were provided.

(Jim Feeney, Town Manager) Mr. Feeney says there's no exemption for
services.

(Sam Polk) Mr. Polk says he's support the article.

(Carl Wagner, Precinct 15) Mr. Wagner says this isn't a slam dunk.
Multifamily housing costs the town money and a 75% tax exemption may
be too little. He suggests studying the issue and cutting less.
There are no children that live in the grass and no roads. He
guarantees that these clubs will close and turn into multifamily
housing if this article passes.

(Matt Miller, Precinct 11) Mr. Miller says grass is good for the
environment but golf courses uses a lot of water. He asks if Belmont
or Winchester could do something retaliatory to us.

(Andrew Fischer, Precinct 6) Mr. Fischer is sympathetic because golf
courses don't cost us as much as families with children. He asks what
would happen if someone from the country clubs caught him throwing a
frisbee on their golf course.

(Greg Christiana, Town Moderator) Mr. Christiana says the country
clubs are private organizations.

(Gordon Jamieson, Precinct 12) Mr. Jamieson says this is private land
and they don't provide access at will to Arlington residents. He
doesn't agree with treating them as gated communities. He believes
the Winchester Country Club has an $80,000 initiation fee.

(Andy Greenspon, Precinct 5) Mr. Greenspon suggests that golf courses
do not have beneficial environmental effects. He asks what could
happen if the property were subdivided.

(Jim Feeney, Town Manager) Mr. Feeney says the country clubs are zoned
R0 and R1, which only allow single-family homes.

(Michael Ruderman, Precinct 9) Mr. Ruderman says that Chapters 61A and
61B were enacted to prevent development pressure on recreational
lands. But we don't have to afford that protection if we don't want
to. He questions whether the public benefit is worth it.

(Pi Fisher, Precinct 6) Mr. Fisher moves the question.

Article passes, 198--18--2.

=Article 32 - Prohibit First Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides (FGARs) in Arlington=

(John Hurd, Select Board Chair) Mr. Hurd says this article was
submitted by Laura Kiesel. It's a home rule petition asking for
permission to ban FGARs. The Select Board voted to recommend
favorable action on Article 32, 4--0--1.

(Laura Kiesel, Petitioner) Ms. Kiesel says we need to file this
article as a home rule petition, due to state pesticide law.
Arlington was the first community to file a home rule petition to ban
second generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs). FGARs interfere
with blood clotting and have a profound affect on wildlife. FGARs
killed a fox in Arlington last year. They are also dangerous to pets
and children. Not a single study has shown that FGARs or SGARs reduce
rodents. Sanitation is a more effective form of prevention.
California has a moratorium on all anticoagulant rodenticide. This
article has gotten support from numerous organizations.

(Adam Lane, Precinct 3) Mr. Lane is philosophically supportive of the
article. He asks how enforcement would work.

(Laura Kiesel) Ms. Kiesel says the home rule petition is intended to
push the state to work on this. The Senate's bond bill would allow
the pesticide board to provide guidance in this area.

(Gordon Jamieson, Precinct 12) Mr. Jamieson asks if we've already
banned SGARs.

(Michael Cunningham, Town Counsel) Mr. Cunningham says we passed a
home rule petition to ban SGARs, but the legislature has not acted on
it.

(Gordon Jamieson) Mr. Jamieson thinks a moratorium would be
interesting to consider. He asks if there are any endangered animals
at risk. He's a strong proponent.

(Guillermo Hamlin, Precinct 14) Mr. Hamlin moves the question.

Motion to end debate passes by voice vote.

Article passes, 211--3--1.

=Article 35 - Endorsement of CDBG Application=

(John Hurd, Select Board Chair) Mr. Hurd says this article asks town
meeting to endorse this year's CDBG application. He offers an
amendment to the main motion: changing the word "FY2026" to
"program year 52".

(Claire Ricker, Planning Director) Ms. Ricker says that Community
Development Block Grants (CDBG) are a federal program administered by
the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). They intend to
support viable, healthy communities. The demand for these funds have
increased but HUD's budget is flat. Each year, we submit an action
plan to HUD. If additional funds are received, they will go to
support ADA programs. The total funding recommendation for this year
is $1,254,000. The proposals include the Housing Corporation of
Arlington's capital program, and a range of community services. There
were lots of infrastructure-related requests this year.

(Gordon Jamieson, Precinct 12) Mr. Jamieson commends the Select Board
for including fringe benefits in their reports.

(Ed Trembly, Precinct 19) Mr. Trembly asks where the stairs to the
Minuteman are.

(Claire Ricker) Ms. Ricker says they're near Mill Brook.

(Jennifer Litowski, Precinct 3) Ms. Litowski notes that each item in
the report has a requested amount and a recommended amount. She asks
which of these applies to the number of individuals served.

(Jim Feeney, Town Manager) Mr. Feeney believes it's the actual dollar
amount.

(Jennifer Litowski) Ms. Litowski asks what category the community
garden falls under.

(Jim Feeney) Mr. Feeney says it's categorized as community open space.

Vote on the Hurd amendment passes, 208--0--5.

Vote on the article passes, 210--0--3.

=Article 36 - Revolving Funds=

(John Hurd, Select Board Chair) Mr. Hurd says this article is a
request to reauthorize the town's revolving funds. The Select Board
voted to recommend favorable action, 5--0.

(Jim Feeney, Town Manager) Mr. Feeney notes that higher limits are
being requested for two funds: private way repairs, and field use.

(Beth Benedikt, Precinct 21) Ms. Benedikt asks about the funds for the
Robbins House and the Board of Health. The amount allocated is larger
than the amount spent. She asks what will happen to the excess.

(Jim Feeney) Mr. Feeney says these are fund expenditure caps, not
appropriations. No money is being taken from the general fund. Money
goes into the fund through fees on programs.

(Beth Benedikt) Ms. Benedikt asks why there's no money allocated for
the Conservation Commission's revolving fund.

(Julie Wayman, Deputy Town Manager) Ms. Wayman says that fund is not
actively being used.

(Beth Benedikt) Ms. Benedikt asks what the white goods recycling fund
is for.

(Jim Feeney) Mr. Feeney says the fun collects fees from recycling, and
the costs are what the town pays to dispose of these items.

(Charlie Foskett, Precinct 10) Mr. Foskett says he's trying to
reconcile the amount spent by these funds with a line item in another
budget document. He asks if that includes the parking benefits
district in Arlington Center.

(Jim Feeney) Mr. Feeney says he doesn't have an explanation for what
the auditor put into the line item that Mr. Foskett is referring to,
but he offers to do due diligence.

(Gordon Jamieson, Precinct 12) Mr. Jamieson notes that the next to
last page of the Select Board report has a more detailed list of
expenditures.

Article passes, 211--2--2.

It's around 21:30, and town meeting takes a ten minute break.

=Article 38 - Extend the Charge of the Affordable Housing Overlay Committee=

(Note: I'm presenting these articles and answering questions posed by
town meeting members, and there are gaps in my notes as a result).

(Steve Revilak, Redevelopment Board) In 2025, a citizen group filed an
Article to create an Affordable Housing Overlay District. This
article didn't make it to town meeting. However, town meeting voted
to create the Affordable Housing Overlay District Committee. Their
charge included: "conducting outreach to the community", "sharing
draft proposals", "soliciting community feedback", and "submitting
zoning and map amendments to the 2026 Town Meeting" in order to
establish an affordable housing overlay district.

It takes some time to get committees formed, and the affordable
housing overlay district committee began meeting in September
2025. They've been holding regular public meetings, they've organized
one community forum, and they've made two presentations to the
Arlington Redevelopment Board.

Planning efforts like this are not easy -- they take a lot of time and
effort. While the affordable housing overlay district committee has
made significant progress and developed some general ideas, they would
like more time to share them with the community, gather feedback, and
refine their proposal. This is what we're seeking with Article 38 --
allowing the committee to continue their work for another year, in
anticipation of bringing a proposal to town meeting in 2027.

The Redevelopment Board's Recommendation to town meeting is That the
charge of the Affordable Housing Overlay Committee be extended to 2027
Annual Town Meeting. The Arlington Redevelopment board voted to
recommend favorable action on Article 38, 5--0.

(Carl Wagner, Precinct 15) Mr. Wagner says he didn't want to go to
these meetings but he did. The committee was formed last year by a
motion to commit. There are seven people on the committee but one
didn't attend. He thinks town meeting should let the committee
expire. Six of the committee members have experience developing
affordable housing. This could change our community dramatically and
we need a broader range of stakeholders. Mr. Wagner asks town meeting
for a no vote, and says this should have been a broader-based effort.

(Max Palmer, Precinct 2) Mr. Palmer is a member of the committee, and
they're looking for an extension to continue their work. The
committee is considering things like how affordable housing is funded
and they're focused on identifying viable sites. They'd like more
time to craft a careful proposal.

(Andrew Fischer, Precinct 6) Mr. Fischer asks if this is an ad-hoc
committee.

(Greg Christiana, Town Moderator) Mr. Christiana says "no", it was
created by town meeting. The creation of study committees is an
inherent power of town meeting.

(Andrew Fischer) Mr. Fischer asks for a no vote.

(Guillermo Hamlin, Precinct 14) Mr. Hamlin looked at the draft site
list. He asks if we can extend the committee beyond 2027.

(Greg Christiana) Mr. Christiana says no.

(Guillermo Hamlin) Mr. Hamlin says the committee has plenty of work to
do, and he'll vote in favor of the extension. He supports the work
they're doing.

(Jess Ahearn Luma, Precinct 12) Ms. Luma notes that 77% of town
meeting voted in favor of forming the committee last year. She
supports what they're doing and would like to see what they come up
with.

(Andrew Greenspon, Precinct 5) Mr. Greenspon moves the question.

Motion to end debate passes, 164--46--1.

Article passes, 169--41--4

=Article 39 - Administrative Clarification to Accessory Dwelling Units=

(Steve Revilak, Redevelopment Board) Last year, Town meeting voted to
adopt changes to our ADU bylaw, for the purpose of bringing it into
compliance with new state requirements.

When reviewing the changes, the attorney general's municipal law unit
noticed a problem. It wasn't in the text that we changed, but they
still noticed it. That problem was a special permit requirement for
ADUs within 6 feet of a lot line. And the AG's office sent us a long
memo about it, which you can find in the annotated warrant.

State regulations for ADUs only permit the use of a special permit for
Accessory Dwelling units in two circumstances: (1) when a municipality
has elected to allow additional ADUs on a lot, a special permit can be
required for the additional ADUs. And (2) for the development of a
Protected Use ADU in a floodplain or aquifer protection overlay. The
special permit requirement in Arlington's ADU bylaw meets neither of
those provisions, which essentially means it's unenforceable.

The municipal law unit recommended changing the special permit
requirement to a finding, and that is what Article 39 proposes.

The main motion strikes the text "acting pursuant to Section 3.3,
grants a Special Permit upon its finding", and replaces it with the
word "finds". The redevelopment board voted to commend favorable
action on Article 39, 5-0.

(James Fleming, Precinct 4) Mr. Fleming would like to amend the main
motion, to change "Special Permit" to "finding" in Section 8.1.3.

(Greg Christiana) Mr. Christiana says the warrant language cited
Section 5.9.2.B.(1)(e)(iii) specifically, so a change to Section 8.1.3
would be out of scope.

(Wynelle Evans, Precinct 14) Ms. Evans asks if we have to follow the
advice of the Attorney General's Office.

(Michael Cunningham, Town Counsel) Mr. Cunningham believes that we do.

Article passes, 198--8--5.

=Article 40 - Zoning Map Change Requirements=

(Steve Revilak, Redevelopment Board) Section 1.5 of Arlington's zoning
bylaw contains a requirement that someone petitioning for a map change
has to send notice to all property owners and immediate abutters by
certified or registered mail. This is an Arlington-specific
requirement, which does not have a counterpart in state law.

Certified and Registered mail is significantly more expensive than
first class. Certified mail costs $5.30, in addition to postage, for
a total of $6.08/letter. First class mail is $0.78/letter. The
requirements can be cost prohibitive for anything beyond the smallest
map changes, and there's no guarantee that they produce better
notifications. The recipient gets the same notice in the mail,
regardless of how it's delivered.

Article 40 proposes to change the certified or registered mail
requirement to first class. This will be less of a cost burden, while
still preserving the requirement that notice be given.

The main motion proposes to strike the words "certified or registered
mail", and replacing them with the words "first-class mail, postage
prepaid".

The redevelopment board voted to recommend favorable action on Article
40, 5-0.

(Kristin Anderson, Precinct 11) Ms. Anderson says that she treats
certified letters differently than regular mail. She doesn't believe
the additional cost is a burden.

(Elaine Cahill, Precinct 13) Ms. Cahill urges a no vote. People need
to realize what map changes are about and nobody knows these things
are happening. She says there was a reason this law was put on the
books.

(JP Lewicke, Precinct 2) Mr. Lewicke asks about the requirements for
map changes vs other zoning changes.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak says the notice requirement only applies
to map changes. There is no notice requirement for other changes to
the zoning bylaw.

(Gordon Jamieson) Mr. Jamieson asks how much we spend on certified
mail.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak says the town doesn't spend anything on
certified mail. The mailing requirement only applies to citizen
petitioners, not to map changes proposed by the redevelopment board.

(Gordon Jamieson) Mr. Jamieson asks how much citizen petitioners
spend.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak isn't sure, because the money is paid by
the petitioners. There is a citizen petition for a map change that
town meeting will hear. During the warrant article hearings,
Mr. Revilak asked the petitioner how much he'd spent on mailing, and
the answer was "under $500".

(Andy Greenspon, Precinct 5) Mr. Greenspon asks for more information
about the notice process.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak says there are two notice requirements.
First, the petitioner has to send notice by certified or registered
mail. In addition, the Planning Department is required to send
noticed by first class mail.

Article passes, 146--64--3.

=Article 42 - Parking and Loading Standards=

(Steve Revilak, Redevelopment Board) Article 42 was motivated by
mixed-use projects that have come before the ARB. There's always a
tug of war between interior space on the ground floor -- which
includes commercial space -- and space needed to satisfy parking
requirements. We'd like the commercial spaces to be bigger, but the
bylaw also has dimensional requirements for parking lots that we have
to satisfy. Parking spaces have to have certain dimensions, drive
aisles have to have certain dimensions, and buildings have to fit in
around them.

Narrowing the drive aisle allows the parking area become a little
smaller, and ground floor -- with the commercial space -- to become
deeper. This is what Article 42 proposes to do: reduce the required
width of drive aisles from 24' to 22'. This allows for a modest
increase of commercial space, probably between 100-200 square feet.

When considering this change, the Board looked at Drive aisle
requirements for some of our neighboring communities. They ranged
from 20 to 24', and what we're proposing is right in the middle of
that.

The 24' drive aisle width requirement appears in two places, and
Article 42 would change them both to 22'. The redevelopment board
voted to recommend favorable action on Article 42, 5-0.

(Ed Trembly, Precinct 19) Mr. Trembly thinks this will be a
disadvantage to people with commercial driver's licenses. Drive
aisles need to be wide for delivery trucks.

(Melitta Marx, Precinct 12) Ms. Marx thinks this article would create
ridiculously small spaces that are difficult to pull in and out of.
She says the main problem is that we're trying to shoe horn too many
building units in town. People need cars, and the solution is to
build a larger building.

Article passes, 144--58--3.

=Article 43 - Marquee Signs=

(Steve Revilak, Redevelopment Board) Article 43 was motivated by the
town's two theaters: the Capitol and the Regent. These are historic
Arlington institutions that have been around forever. They've also
got old marquee signs that they're interested in updating.

Article 43 proposes to allow digital display technology on Marquee
signs. It provides a modernization path where these businesses could
show what's playing via a programmable digital display board, rather
than by needing someone to go up on a ladder and swap out individual
letters.

To provide an idea of what this might look like, here are some
pictures of the Cabot Theater in Beverly, whose marquee sign has a
digital display. The display being used in a very traditional sense -
to show what's playing at the theater.

Digital displays would only be allowed on marquee signs, and only by
special permit. The displays would have to be architecturally
integrated into the marquee signs. Displays would be limited to
events happening on the premises; they could not be used for general
advertising. Displays would have to be equipped with auto-dimming
technology to adjust brightness, and would have to be static -- no
motion, animations, or flashing.

The redevelopment board voted to recommend favorable action on Article
43, 5-0.

(Adam Lane, Precinct 3) Mr. Lane says the Capitol Theater is
wonderful, but the current economic environment is challenging for
theaters. He thinks we should help these businesses.

(Elaine Crowder, Precinct 19) Ms. Crowder asks how this relates to the
town's dark sky bylaw. She's concerned about uplighting, and the
effect it might have on birds.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak says the displays would be on the sides of
marquee signs. The lights would project horizontally, not vertically.

(Michele Phelan, Precinct 4) Ms. Phelan asks if the displays could
include images.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak thinks they could, as long as they were
static images.

(Michele Phelan) Ms. Phelan asks what the board would do to prevent
the these displays from being too bright.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak says the displays would have to be
auto-dimming, so they'd be less bright at night. The ARB often asks
applicants to provide photometric studies for outdoor lighting, and he
could foresee the board doing something similar here.

Article passes, 190--12--3.

=Article 44 - Floodplain District=

(David Morgan, Environmental Planner) Mr. Morgan says he's been
working with the Conservation Commission on this article, and one of
the goals is to bring things up to date. The article adds a number of
new standards for floodplain protection, and specifies where Flood
Insurance Rate Maps can be found. It adds definitions of
"structure" and "variance" that are specific to the floodplain
district and prohibits encroachments on the regulatory floodway.
There are requirements for securing and anchoring recreational
vehicles. There's a requirement that the town be notified of anything
that changes elevations in the floodplain district. Mr. Morgan says
the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation reviewed
and approved this language.

(Eugene Benson, Precinct 10) Mr. Benson has an amendment to add a
definition for "Base Flood".

It's 23:00, and town meeting adjourns until Wednesday.

[[Category:Public Meetings]]

Public Meetings

SteveR — Sat, 09 May 2026 20:56:02 GMT

2026: Town Meeting - May 4th, 2026

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:56, 9 May 2026
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			* [[Town Meeting - May 4th, 2026]]
	* [[Arlington Redevelopment Board - May 4th, 2026]]		* [[Arlington Redevelopment Board - May 4th, 2026]]
	* [[Town Meeting - Apr 29th, 2026]]		* [[Town Meeting - Apr 29th, 2026]]