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Arlington Redevelopment Board - Sep 28th, 2026

SteveR — Sat, 03 Oct 2026 15:15:11 GMT

initial revision

New page

Meeting held at 27 Maple St. Materials were available from
https://arlingtonma.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=17382.

=Discussion of 455 Mass Ave=

(Kin Lau, ARB Chair) Mr. Lau notes that this item will be a discussion
among board members, and is not a public hearing. The board will not
take public comment under this item.

(Claire Ricker, Planning Director) Ms. Ricker says that 455 Mass Ave
was permitted in 2021. The town issued a stop work order in the fall
of 2025 due to deviations from approved plants. The docket was
re-opened and the board made a decision on the re-design. Staff noted
more deviations on September 2nd, including: affordable housing, the
garage enclosure, garage fans, screening for the trash enclosure, and
a fake window on the Mass Ave frontage.

(Kin Lau, ARB Chair) Mr. Lau says the have 16 parking spaces, but two
of them are compact rather then full-sized. This was due to the
transformer placement. The trash enclosure blocks some sight lines,
and the building commissioner is working with the applicant on that.

Mr. Lau says the details about the affordable units have been worked
out.

There were originally three windows on the ground floor fronting Mass
Ave. They put in two windows, and a fake windows. Mr. Lau suggests
removing the fake window and filling in the facade. There's an exam
room in the interior that's making use of the space.

The applicants have added a garage door, where the approved plans did
not have one. There's also additional venting for the garage.

(Vince Baudoin, ARB) Mr. Baudoin asks about exhaust fans. He was
expecting larger openings.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau says the applicants provided plans, stamped by an
engineer, showing adequate ventilation for the garage area.

(Steve Revilak, ARB) Mr. Revilak is okay with removing the fake
window. He'd like there not be a square when the window is removed.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau says we'll ask the applicants to feather the brick
paneling when removing the window, so it looks like a continuous wall.

Overall, the board is okay with having the applicant work out these
issues with town staff.

=Docket 3902 - 251 Summer St=

The is the second hearing for Calyx Peak, who is seeking to establish
a recreational marijuana dispensary at 251 Summer St.

(Claire Ricker, Planning Director) Ms. Ricker says this is an
application by Calyx Peak for a cannabis dispensary. There was a
previous hearing on July 6th where the board asked the applicant to
address several items. They've provided responses, but are requesting
relief for a lit cabinet on the monument sign.

The bylaw allows 40 square feet of wall sign per business, so there is
enough room for the auto business on the other side of the building.
The "future sign area" on the drawings is illustrative.

They plan to have two long-term bicycle parking spaces indoors, which
will be wall-mounted lift-assist racks. Staff has suggested a layout
change to the short-term bicycle parking.

(Mary Winstanley O'Connor, Attorney) Ms. Winstanley O'Connor says the
rendering in the package is meant to be illustrative. They are
requesting relief for a cabinet sign, in order to draw attention to
the business. They've received confirmation from the town engineer
that the stormwater system will be adequate. She would prefer the
condition language about police details include the language "if
necessary".

(Shaina Korman-Houston, ARB) Ms. Korman-Houston asks for clarification
about where the 6' high PVC fencing will be.

(Shane ?, for the Applicant) There's existing fencing around the north
and east sides of the property. Some is 6' high PVC and some is
chain-link. They plan to replace the chain link fence with a 6' PVC
fence.

(Shaina Korman-Houston) Ms. Korman-Houston asks about the property
line on the west side of the property.

(Shane) Shane says there's a 1:1 slope which would make it difficult
to install a fence.

(Mary Winstanley O'Connor) Ms. Winstanley O'Connor says that she and
her client have had conversations with the owner of the abutting
property.

(Shane) Shane feels that arborvitae or a similar species would provide
the best screening, but they would have to be planted on the abutter's
property. There's a railroad tie retaining wall on the abutters
property, and Shane is concerned about doing anything that might
undermine it.

(Shaina Korman-Houston) Ms. Korman-Houston asks about tree removal.

(Shane) Shane says they're not expanding the building on the parking
area, so there will be no tree removal.

(Michelle Shortsleeve, ARB) Ms. Shortsleeve says that her main
questions are about the fence and planting. She asks for more
information about those areas.

(Mary Winstanley O'Connor) Ms. Winstanley O'Connor says her team had
proposed a row of arborvitae on the western property line.

(Michelle Shortsleeve) Ms. Shortsleeve asks if the applicants had
considered adding trees in the rear.

(Shane) Shane says that area is more of a swale, to direct water from
Pine Avenue.

(Vince Baudoin, ARB) Mr. Baudoin says he's not inclined to ask for the
dumper to be moved. He thinks the arrangement of the short-term bike
racks is impractical. He suggests going to one rack, or turning them
90 degrees.

(Shane) Shane says he misunderstood how those types of racks are
typically used.

(Vince Baudoin) Mr. Baudoin isn't in favor of a cabinet sign on the
monument sign.

(Steve Revilak, ARB) Mr. Revilak notes that Section 6.2.3.B(3) says
that cabinet signs are illegal in Arlington, so he doesn't think the
board can approve one. He agrees with Mr. Baudoin's comments about
the short term bike parking.

(Kin Lau, ARB Chair) Mr. Lau asks if the applicants will install new
wire and conduit for the light poles.

(Shane) Shane says they will. They'll re-use the concrete bases, but
install new poles and wiring. The poles will be 12' tall.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau wants to make sure there's no light spillage onto
neighboring properties.

(Shane) Shane says the lights will be on timers.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau asks if they'll get rid of the existing gooseneck
lights on the roof.

(Shane) Shane says they will.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau would be okay with a cabinet sign because he doesn't
think that external lights are appropriate here. He asks how the
businesses will be delineated in the front year, and suggests carrying
the barrier across the concrete pad.

(Shane) Shane says there's no curbing there.

There's back and forth about water and drainage.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau asks if the parking lot striping for the other
business is illustrative.

(Shane) Shane says it's not illustrative; it's what they're proposing
to do.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau suggests leaving that out. He doesn't want to
approve a parking configuration for the other tenant without them
being here. Mr. Lau says he spoke with the police commissioner, and
she had no concerns with safety or the curb cut. He says the proposed
curbing would run over a manhole on the property, but he's okay with
the applicant working that out administratively with the town
engineer.

The chair opens the hearing to public comment.

(Shaoqing Yang, 277--279 Summer St) Ms. Yang says the proposed PVC
fence doesn't include her property. There is an existing chain link
fence there and you can see right through it. The bylaw requires
effective screening. She doesn't understand why the applicants can't
plant taller trees. She thinks the updated plan ignores her and asks
that the PVC fencing be extended along her property line, with trees
planted on the slope, preferably evergreens. She suggests the
applicants install a stone retaining wall on the slope. She thinks a
retaining wall is workable, but there will be a question of cost. She
says there are no railroad ties in her retaining wall; it's just
boards, held in place by posts.

(Michael Walsh, 17 Pine Ave) Mr. Walsh hopes there could be someplace
else for the dumpster, and notes that it will have to be locked.
There was a dumpster on the property years ago, where the shed is now.
He believes the Board of Health will regulate the dumpster location
and pickup times. He's lived at this property for many years with no
activity at the business. He requests a different location for the
dumpster, closer to the street. He believes the loading dock will be
a structure in the required rear yard setback, and there will be
activity in the loading zone.

(Cathy Walsh, 17 Pine Ave) Ms. Walsh says she'd lived here for 48
years, and the original host agreement was for one business, not two.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau notes the redevelopment board doesn't have
jurisdiction over whether a marijuana facility should be allowed here.
He believes their host community agreement is valid.

(Claire Ricker) Ms. Ricker says the applicants presented to the ARB in
2023, and were asked to go back to the Select Board. They went before
the Select Board in 2024 -- they did go back to the Select Board. She
says there's nothing in the host community agreement that stipulates
whether one or two business can operate on the site.

(Michael Walsh) Mr. Walsh says the ARB minutes from 2023 have the
ARB telling the applicant to go back to the Select Board.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau says the applicant did go back to the Select Board.
Tonight's hearing is about whether to approve their site plan.

(Michael Walsh) Mr. Walsh says it looks like they've adjusted the
parking lot elevation.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau says the applicants have agreed to retain the catch
basin and add rip rap to control stormwater. This was reviewed by the
Town Engineer.

(Christoper Walters, 154 Westminster Ave) Mr. Walters argues against
the cabinet sign. He this the site is very visible and any
illumination would be unnecessary commercialization.

(Yushi Chen, 281 Summer St) Ms. Chen says that Arlington does a good
job at having the best parks. They're proposing signs with big
letters near the street, and our kids will walk by and see the signs.
This is very troubling. We're teaching kids the wrong thing. The
applicants were approved for hours of 9am to 8pm, but most young kids
have gone to bed by 8pm. This is a residential street, not
commercial. Calyx Peak presented that they would use the whole
building and there was no indication that there would be two
businesses. There will be more traffic. How many cars has there
study suggested? In the afternoon, there could be 34, and 43 on
Saturday. That entrance will get very crowded. She wonders if she'll
be able to get out of her driveway. She thinks there will be a 475'
queue of waiting traffic. She doesn't think any of the concerns have
been addressed.

There is no more comment from the pubic.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau says the parcel is zoned for commercial use, though
it is next to residential properties. It use to be a gas station. He
spoke with the police commissioner who was okay with a condition for
traffic details, if needed. The police chief felt the curb location
was safer because the curb cut was smaller, and there will be fewer
large vehicles than the present use. Mr. Lau thinks the hill on the
west side of the property is sufficient to act as screening; the grade
difference is enough to block headlights.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak asks if the loading area will be a section
of the parking lot, or if they'll be a structure.

(Shane) Shane says it will be a marked off section of the parking lot.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak says that the setback requirements for
loading zones are the same as the setback requirements for parking
lots -- ten feet, or five feet with a fence. The applicants are
meeting that condition. Mr. Revilak agrees with Mr. Lau's comments
regarding screening.

(Vince Baudoin) Mr. Baudoin is curious to see if we can reach a
solution. Perhaps taking down the chain link fence, and putting a PVC
fence on the abutter's property.

(Michelle Shortsleeve) Ms. Shortsleeve would like to hear if a fence
on the abutter's property would be acceptable, but would prefer that
it be on the applicant's property. She'd also stick with the sign
bylaw's position on cabinet signs.

(Shaina Korman-Houston) Ms. Korman-Houston agrees that a cabinet sign
is not in compliance with the bylaw. She would like to find some
source of screening for the abutter.

(Mary Winstanley O'Connor) Ms. Winstanley O'Connor says she has an
alternate proposal for the monument sign.

(Shane) Shane says they didn't ignore the fence location. The current
fence is on the abutter's property. His clients are amenable to
reaching a solution and have tried to contact the abutter. A tiered
retaining wall would require a lot of engineering work, and his
clients are not willing to entertain that. He's concerned about
anything that could undermine the abutter's retaining wall, but would
entertain the option of replacing their chain link fence with a PVC one.

(Shaoqing Yang, 277--279 Summer St) Ms. Yang says a PVC fence would be
taller and require stronger footings. She'd be okay the the
applicants putting one along the property line.

(Shaina Korman-Houston) Because of the slope, Ms. Korman-Houston
understands the fence would need to be on the abutter's property, or
at the bottom of the slope, next to the parking lot.

There's more discussion about the fence.

(Shaina Korman-Houston) Ms. Korman-Houston moves approval, with the
following conditions:
* Revising condition 2 so that police details are only required if necessary.
* Removing the parking lot striping from the second business's lot
* Using a low cement berm to divide the front of the site,
* Revising the layout of the short-term bicycle parking
* Having the applicants continue to work with the abutter at 277 Summer St, to try to resolve their screening concerns
* The board would accept a non-cabinet monument sign, subject to administrative approval.
* Making a best effort to remove invasive plants from the site.

Special permit approved, 5--0.

=Open Forum=

(Christoper Walters, 154 Westminster Ave) Mr. Walters is concerned
about the Arlington Heights Business District. He thinks it might
make it too easy for developers. He's an architect and he wouldn't
be surprised if the Gold's Gym site became housing. He thinks part of
the board's responsibility is the physical character of Arlington, in
addition to tax revenue. He'd like to see the Heights have a similar
character. And he would have forced the developers

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau says the Heights Business district wouldn't giving
relief to developers. They'd like to increase the number of
businesses and they're looking at ways to provide incentives so people
will invest. Mr. Lau says he's pissed about the window at 455 Mass
Ave, but there's more to it than just that one issue. He thinks what
Mr. Walker said is correct, but he wished Mr. Walker knew the history
behind it.

(Yushi Chen, 281 Summer St) Ms. Chen says her major concern is about
kids in the neighborhood and the potential for people smoking
marijuana in the yard. She passed by a marijuana shop and thinks the
signs are an advertisement.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak says there were significant discussions
about marijuana legalization when the question was put on the ballot,
as the regulations were being written, and when cities and towns were
updating their bylaws. He understands there are people who don't
agree with legalization, but that decision has been made. The board's
purpose is not to re-litigate it.

=New Business=

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak noticed that the Attorney General's office
approved some of the zoning articles that were adopted at the last
town meeting, and will make decisions on the rest by the end of
October. There was a citizen challenge to Articles 50 and 51, which
re-zoned part of the St. Camillus property, but the attorney general
let the articles stand.

(Vince Baudoin) Mr. Baudoin attended a conference on housing, land
use, and building reform. Jonathan Berk presented a new report called
"Delayed by Design". The report mentions Arlington, and we came out
looking favorable. Sam Naylor talked about building code reform. He
looked at what makes it hard to build at the scale of 3--24 units.
Challenges include the requirement for two means of egress,
sprinklers, elevators, and where the code could make things easier.
Amy Dain talked about progress on zoning reform. Massachusetts has
tried incentives like 40R, mandates like the MBTA Communities Act.
The MBTA Communities act is making a difference, but it was a lot of
work. State pre-emption, like legalization of ADUs, is another tool
and it might be the most effective.

Meeting adjourned.

[[Category:Public Meetings]]

Public Meetings

SteveR — Sat, 03 Oct 2026 15:14:48 GMT

2026: Arlington Redevelopment Board - Sep 28th, 2026

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			* [[Arlington Redevelopment Board - Sep 28th, 2026]]
	* [[Arlington Redevelopment Board - Sep 14th, 2026]]		* [[Arlington Redevelopment Board - Sep 14th, 2026]]
	* [[Arlington Redevelopment Board - Aug 10th, 2026]]		* [[Arlington Redevelopment Board - Aug 10th, 2026]]

Arlington Redevelopment Board - Sep 14th, 2026

SteveR — Sun, 20 Sep 2026 17:52:23 GMT

initial revision

New page

Meeting held at 27 Maple Street. Materials were available from
https://arlingtonma.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=17169.

=Review Meeting Minutes=

The board approved minutes from their August 10, 2026 meeting.

=Docket 3907 - 635 Mass Ave=

The is the second hearing for Chase Bank's special permit application
to establish a branch at 635 Mass Ave.

(Claire Ricker, Planning Director) Ms. Ricker says the applicants are
looking to renovate the unit at 635 Mass Ave for a Chase Bank branch.
The board identified several issues during the first hearing,
including long-term bike parking, signage, details of the front
entrance, and details of the rear door infill. The applicants have
removed the external sconces, as the building facade would make it
difficult to install the needed wiring.

(John Leone, Attorney) Mr. Leone says they've reduced the number of
signs from three to two, and the sign area now complies with the
bylaw. The ADA ramp for the front entrance has been detailed, and
there will be a concrete transition to the sidewalk. The exterior
lighting has been removed.

There is no room on the site to add green space, but they'll improve
the existing landscaped strip along the rear of the building.

The applicants are proposing an exterior locker for long-term bike
parking. The landlord expressed trepidation about having bike parking
indoors. They've identified two or three bike locker models that will
fit. The details haven't been finalized, and the applicants are
requesting administrative approval of the final location. Mr. Leone
notes that the locker can't be installed under the fire escape, as the
stairs need room to swing down.

(Michelle Shortsleeve, ARB) Ms. Shortsleeve asks if they'll provide
one or two long term spaces.

(John Leone) Mr. Leone says they're required to provide one, but are
planning to provide two.

(Vince Baudoin, ARB) Mr. Baudoin wasn't able to attend the previous
hearing, but he has watched the recording. He asks why Chase thinks
Arlington needs a new bank.

(Giovanni Caesar, ?) Mr. Caesar says that Chase has been looking at
Arlington for a while, and even applied to open a branch several years
ago. They think Arlington has an attractive demographic. Mr. Caesar
says he's worked with Chase for several years and has seen them take
good care of their spaces.

(Vince Baudoin) Mr. Baudoin has questions about the rear door infill.
It looks like a glass door with a partition. He asks if it will be
accessible for cleaning.

(John Leone) Mr. Leone says there are currently stairs behind the
door. Chase plans to make it into usable office space.

(Kevin Kelly, Architect, by phone) Mr. Kelly says the glazing will be
opaque, and the wall will have an access panel.

(Vince Baudoin) Mr. Baudoin says he could be satisfied with a bike
locker. He asks about an alternate location for long-term bike
parking -- a room near the rear door.

(Kevin Kelly) Mr. Kelly says that was discussed earlier, but voted
down due to concerns about damage to the glass door, and because of
the stairs.

(Vince Baudoin) Mr. Baudoin asks if there's a change in elevation
inside the building.

(Kevin Kelly) Mr. Kelly says there's a 14" elevation change.

(Steve Revilak, ARB) Mr. Revilak says he's okay with an outdoor
locker. He's also okay with leaving the final details for
administrative approval.

(Shaina Korman-Houston) Ms. Korman-Houston asks if there will be any
lighting on the front of the building.

(John Leone) Mr. Leone says there are lights in the existing facade.

(Shaina Korman-Houston) Ms. Korman-Houston says there were planters in
front of the building at one point in time. She thinks that would be
an option for greenery.

(John Leone) Mr. Leone says the owners would need permission from the
town first, since the town owns the sidewalk.

(Kin Lau, ARB Chair) Mr. Lau is okay with having a bike locker
outdoors, and having it approved administratively. Mr. Lau says the
town plans to redo the sidewalk, and replace the brick with stamped
concrete. He'd like the applicants to coordinate with the town on
that, so their front door transition will work.

(John Leone) Mr. Leone says they can coordinate with the planning end
engineering departments.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau suggests not putting the bike locker above the
grates in back of the building.

The chair opens the hearing to public comment.

(Susan Stamps, Grafton St) Ms. Stamps says there are several gas leaks
in the area. One tree has died because of them, and other tree is
practically dead. She suggests installing planters, similar to the
ones on Broadway plaza.

There are no more comments from the public.

(Michelle Shortsleeve) Ms. Shortsleeve would support planters.

(Shaina Korman-Houston) Ms. Korman-Houston suggests adding planters as
a condition for the permit.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak asks who paid for the planters on Broadway
plaza.

(Claire Ricker) Ms. Ricker says the town purchased them, using parking
benefits district funds.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak thinks parking benefits district funds
would be the most appropriate way to get planters in this location,
but he thinks it should wait until after the sidewalk work is done.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau believes the town will ask the gas company to
remediate the leaks as part of the sidewalk work.

(Shaina Korman-Houston) Ms. Korman-Houston moves approval with the
following conditions:
* That the applicant coordinate with town departments regarding where the front door threshold meets the sidewalk
* That the type and location of long-term bike parking be subject to administrative approval.

Permit approved, 5--0.

=Development Design Guidelines=

(Claire Ricker, Planning Director) Ms. Ricker says the design
guidelines were funded by an appropriation from the 2022 town meeting.
The department has been working with Overunder. They've done site
walks with town staff and are here to present an existing conditions
analysis.

(Rami el Samahy, Overunder) Mr. el Samahy says that Overunder is a
architecture and urban design firm that works at a variety of scales.
They recently did a similar project in Cambridge, to produce the
city's first set of urban design guidelines. The existing conditions
analysis they'll present tonight consists of three sections: town
context, land use, and zoning.

Arlington's corridors are already mixed use, as the spine of the town
developed along Mass Ave. They looked at the multi-family overlay
districts to see how they worked. Buildings on the corridors are
broadly two or three stories, with some that are quite taller.
Arlington's topography varies widely, and that can effect how
buildings are perceived. For example, the Artemis doesn't register as
a tall building from Mass Ave.

Very few of Arlington's buildings were built during the 21st century.

Over under looked at the three commercial neighborhoods, and the amount
of frontage on main streets. Sometimes there's a lot, but many parcels
have 50--100 feet of frontage. There is a rhythm from one building to
the next. The Center has the grandest buildings and the East has a
pattern of low-lying retail.

Overunder produced a series of section cuts around main streets.
Overall it's an eclectic town with a lot of different heights.

Arlington Center is very wide, and the Heights and East Arlington are
tighter.

It's important how buildings relate to the street and sidewalk. Some
of the buildings we were drawn to had a distinct rhythm. A viewer
could understand how the buildings were broken down.

In terms of buildings materials, historically there's a lot of brick.
The Artemis is an interesting use of more contemporary materials. We
all have penchants for different parts of architectural history and
they are all valid. How a building relates to the street and the
surroundings is very important. The first two floors are the most
important.

Mr. el Samahy shows some examples of recent buildings in other
communities, that are on a similar size and scale to Arlington. Some
were from Beacon St. in Brighton. One of these is very long, but the
length was broken down in different ways. They have exaggerations of
depth of surface.

We don't and can't build like we used too -- the older techniques are
too expensive. Older buildings might have had walls that were 1--2
feet thick, with deep openings and shadows that changed as the light
moved.

(Steve Revilak, ARB) Mr. Revilak asks about the metric used for the
density gradient on page 10. He suggests putting the metric in the
key rather than the word "density". Density can be a charged term
in certain contexts, and it can be interpreted in different ways. In
the narrative, he suggests using words like "compact", "walkable",
or "urban". He thinks those words better describe how areas along
Mass Ave and East Arlington read to him.

Mr. Revilak suggests adding a map to show walkability. The board has
been making a deliberate effort to create walkable areas, particularly
around the business districts.

On page 20, Mr. Revilak suggests adding labels to show which areas of
town the frontage maps represent.

In addition to looking at lot frontage, Mr. Revilak suggests looking
at lot depth. For example, the deck shows several restaurants and
stores in Capitol Square. Those lots are only 45--50 feet deep, and
the shallowness will have a big impact on what could be built there in
the future.

Mr. Revilak suggests an existing conditions map that shows which
parcels are conforming and non-conforming to off-street parking
requirements. For example, if built today, the Capitol Theater would
need roughly 300 parking spaces. Another example is the hardware
store in the heights. It would need 13 parking spaces, and there
aren't enough square feet of property to fit 13 spaces. The board
sometimes gets beaten up because there's a loss of commercial space
when properties are redeveloped, but the loss is almost always due to
off-street parking requirements.

Mr. Revilak suggests adding a key to the diagrams on pages 25--27, to
indicate what the different colors mean.

He suggests Overunder look at Bates Road and River Street as a minor
arterial, as that's a direct path to West Medford.

Finally, he'd like to see something to indicate where the precedents
on page 39--41 were taken from.

(Vince Baudoin, ARB) Mr. Baudoin says that Arlington has a strong
diversity of building styles and it would be hard to propose one
aesthetic. He hopes the guidelines will be drafted with a mindset of
making them easy to legislate.

He hopes the design guidelines will keep public benefits in mind. For
example, having places that are nice to walk through and provide
opportunities for social interaction.

Maybe there could be different recommendations for different scales.
Mr. Baudoin thinks there's a need to be more rigorous with larger
buildings, but we can be more flexible with smaller ones.

He'd like the guidelines to be specific about things we do or don't
want. For example, no vents in building facades, no blank walls
along public ways, and limiting the amount of frontage devoted to
cars. We want to see things like canopies and greenery.

(Michelle Shortsleeve, ARB) Ms. Shortsleeve she questions if the
precedent building could be built under Arlington's zoning. She
wonders if the existing conditions analysis could quantify business
frontage.

(Shaina Korman-Houston, ARB) Ms. Korman-Houston echos her colleagues
requests for more labels. She suggests adding the contemporary street
names to the historic maps, as some of the names have changed. She'd
like to see something that explains what the cross sections are trying
to convey.

(Rami el Samahy) Mr. el Samahy says his team were trying to consider
the space between buildings, and the public realm. He'd like to
emphasize the public realm.

(Shaina Korman-Houston) Ms. Korman-Houston says that one of the values
will be to help with aesthetics. But we also have goals about how
we'd like spaces to be used. The street section diagrams resonated
with her, because they show how the spaces are used.

(Kin Lau, ARB Chair) Mr. Lau notes that the planning department has a
sketch-up model of Mass Ave and Broadway. That can be give to
Overunder if it would help.

(Rami el Samahy) Mr. el Samahy says they already have it.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau says the presentation looks at three areas. He'd
like to suggest a fourth: the infill between the business centers.

Mr. Lau would like to see more about Arlington's history. Auto
dealerships used to be very common in Arlington and that influenced
what replaced the auto lots. The board is looking for walkable,
liveable spaces.

He likes the comments about rhythm, facades, and the public realm.
He'd like to see recommendations for good ways to separate the ground
and upper floors. He suggests having examples of how rhythms were
done in the past, and what could be done today. How to create shadow
lines, for example.

He suggests using more representative areas for street cross sections.

He suggests showing some more economical examples; buildings that have
good designs but with less expensive materials. He encourages the
consultants to say what good design elements are and to show examples
of them.

Mr. Lau asks how many more drafts there will be.

(Rami el Samahy) Mr. el Samahy says they'll incorporate the board's
comments and work on pieces that can be shown to developers, to help
them make better proposals.

(Vince Baudoin) Mr. Baudoin says there's always a negotiation between
the public and private realms, and different people will see different
things in the guidelines. He asks if Overunder has observed
communities where design guidelines were used successfully. And, what
helps them get used?

(Rami el Samahy) Mr. el Samahy says there are different ways to
measure success. Are the guidelines providing the built environment
you're hoping to have? Are they giving staff something to work with?
Are they giving developers certainty and clarity, and reducing
unknowns.

(Vince Baudoin) Mr. Baudoin hopes something to that effect could be
stated in the preface.

The chair opens the discussion to public comment.

(Wynelle Evans, Orchard Place) Ms. Evans suggests looking at the
residential design guidelines, and considering Battle Road as a town
resource. She liked hearing about building details. She thinks trees
have to be figured into everything, because of climate change. She
suggests looking at the apartment building at 990 Mass Ave.

(Susan Stamps, Grafton St) Ms. Stamps appreciated the comments about
looking for liveable, walkable communities. She like the idea that
public benefit should be given more importance than something
subjective like color. She thinks this is going in the right
direction.

(Liz Reisberg, Shawnee Road) Ms. Reisberg there will be a lot of
feedback on the design guidelines and public engagement will be
necessary. She thinks we're about to build Arlington's future.
Arlington has a diversity of architecture. New buildings need to be
respectful of the character of our neighborhoods, and we haven't been
particularly good at that. We need to proceed cautiously and
thoughtfully. She's concerned about what will happen when this is
all done. She'd like to see builders that want to work with the
community.

There are no more comments.

=Open Forum=

There are no speakers for the Open Forum section of tonight's meeting.

=New Business=

(Claire Ricker) Ms. Ricker says the ARB's retreat will be held from
9:00 to noon on October 24.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak recently read an article that ran in the
Advocate in 1972. It was about parking in Arlington's center, and a
perception that there wasn't enough of it. The Article mentioned a
1932 plan for a multi-modal transit facility in the center. He'd
appreciate getting a PDF of this plan, if staff ever comes across it.

Meeting adjourned.

[[Category:Public Meetings]]

Public Meetings

SteveR — Sun, 20 Sep 2026 17:51:55 GMT

2026: Arlington Redevelopment Board - Sep 14th, 2026

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			* [[Arlington Redevelopment Board - Sep 14th, 2026]]
	* [[Arlington Redevelopment Board - Aug 10th, 2026]]		* [[Arlington Redevelopment Board - Aug 10th, 2026]]
	* [[Arlington Redevelopment Board - Jul 20th, 2026]]		* [[Arlington Redevelopment Board - Jul 20th, 2026]]