https://www.srevilak.net/wiki/index.php?title=Zoning_Bylaw_Working_Group_-_Aug_5th,_2019&feed=atom&action=historyZoning Bylaw Working Group - Aug 5th, 2019 - Revision history2024-03-29T10:09:42ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.41.0https://www.srevilak.net/wiki/index.php?title=Zoning_Bylaw_Working_Group_-_Aug_5th,_2019&diff=788&oldid=prevSteveR: initial revision2019-08-12T00:16:19Z<p>initial revision</p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>Attending: Erin Zwirko, Jenny Raitt, Ralph Wilmer, John Worden, Pam<br />
Heidell, Steve Revilak.<br />
<br />
Guest: Don Seltzer<br />
<br />
Our main agenda item was an RFQ for a consultant to perform a study of<br />
the industrial districts. The consultant should analyze existing<br />
uses, and determine the current level of economic benefit to the town.<br />
They should also be suggest other uses that might be typical for<br />
industrial districts, with accompanying revenue projections. The<br />
consultant should also recommend changes to use, dimensional, and<br />
density regulations.<br />
<br />
Ms. Zwirko has had background discussions with RKG and Judy Barrett to<br />
understand the scope of what could be achieved with our budget.<br />
<br />
Dedham is undertaking a similar exercise. They're more focused on<br />
mixed use, and will have a proposal for their town meeting in June.<br />
Canton is looking at Route 138, which is their main economic corridor;<br />
they're concerned that their zoning is not modern enough to keep<br />
Canton at the forefront of the economy. They're looking at things<br />
like office space.<br />
<br />
Someone asks who Canton hired. They hired Judy Barrett and McMahon (?)<br />
Associates.<br />
<br />
Christian Klein submitted a list of written comments, since he wasn't<br />
able to attend today's meeting. Mr. Klein would like the proposal to<br />
include changes to the zoning map.<br />
<br />
Steve Revilak had a list of comments. He asked the ARB get the draft<br />
at least two months before having to vote on it, in order to given<br />
them sufficient time to weigh in.<br />
<br />
Mr. Revilak also wanted to see map changes in scope. These could<br />
include enlarging the I districts, shrinking the I districts, changing<br />
the I districts to some other zone, or changing some other zone to I.<br />
He was also interested in I districts that had little potential<br />
economic value. Mr. Revilak felt that any such I districts should be<br />
rezoned to more viable uses, or acquired by the town and zoned as open<br />
space (e.g., for stormwater mitigation).<br />
<br />
Mr. Revilak wanted the RFQ to talk more about the towns goals. These<br />
might include increasing tax revenue, attracting magnet businesses, or<br />
creating more jobs in the town. We might mention more specific goals,<br />
like accommodating 300,000 square feet of new Class A office space, or<br />
a brewery that produces 10,000 barrels/year (for example).<br />
<br />
Mr. Revilak suggested the consultant be given additional reports to<br />
review: work products from the Community Resilience workshop, the town<br />
wetlands bylaw, conservation commission regulations, and any recent<br />
transportation, mobility, or economic studies.<br />
<br />
Finally, Mr. Revilak asked if we could change the requirement of "5<br />
years of municipal experience" to "5 years of municipal or<br />
private-sector experience". Private sector planners that worked on<br />
Everett's Encore hotel, Medford's Station Landing, or Wakefield's<br />
Edgewater Place probably have something of value to offer.<br />
<br />
Pam Heidell suggested having the reference documents online, and<br />
including links in the RFQ. She was concerned about the timing of the<br />
effort, and didn't want to see the process rushed. Ms. Zwirko replied<br />
that we should assume the recommendations will not be ready in time<br />
for the spring 2020 town meeting. That will be made explicit in the<br />
RFQ.<br />
<br />
Ms. Heidell asked about the scoring criteria outlined in the RFQ. The<br />
town uses a categorical scheme. Other organizations, like the MWRA,<br />
use a more numerical scheme.<br />
<br />
Ms. Heidell requested the addition of language to protect us in the<br />
event that the consultant leaves their firm in the middle of the<br />
project.<br />
<br />
John Worden says the consultant shouldn't look at the Arlington<br />
heights action plan. He states that factories pay taxes and don't<br />
send kids to school -- that's valuable for this town. He notes that<br />
Arlington has a very small commercial and industrial tax base. By<br />
contrast, 65% of Cambridge's tax base is commercial. Mr. Worden<br />
believes our industrial districts have a lot of nice things, which<br />
need to be preserved. He notes that the Chair of the Financial<br />
Committee says we can't afford to have any more people in town.<br />
Mr. Worden claims that the Brigham Square apartments put 40 children<br />
in the schools, and the rest of the taxpayers have to pay for them.<br />
Mr. Worden states that we need to enhance our commercial and<br />
industrial districts, and that we need a moratorium on residential<br />
construction.<br />
<br />
Ralph Wilmer notes Mr. Worden's apparent objection to performing the<br />
study. Mr. Wilmer asks why we wouldn't be better off having the<br />
analysis done. That way, whatever decision we happen to make will be<br />
an informed one. He believes that we need a study of what's on the<br />
ground now, and would like the study objectives to be open-ended.<br />
<br />
Ms. Heidell suggests the study include several development scenarios,<br />
accompanied by likely economic analyses.<br />
<br />
Mr. Revilak points out that Arlington's zoning bylaw doesn't allow for<br />
much of a commercial tax base, and we are in this situation because a<br />
succession of town meetings voted for it. Our small commercial tax<br />
base was not forced upon the town. We have what we have because we<br />
voted to have it. He agrees with Mr. Wilmer that the study should be<br />
more open-ended. Mr. Revilak is not worried about the Brigham Square<br />
apartments adding 40 students to the schools. 40 students amounts to<br />
roughly two-thirds of one percent of our total student population.<br />
That's just large enough to qualify as rounding error.<br />
<br />
Mr. Wilmer likes the idea of having a scenario analysis. He thinks<br />
the study can provide a reality check on what's possible, even if it<br />
falls short of a full market analysis.<br />
<br />
Mr. Wilmer asks about a section in the RFQ that states "33+ acres of<br />
Arlington's land are zoned as open space". Ms. Zwirko says that<br />
figure reflects the number of acres under jurisdiction of the<br />
conservation commission; she will change the RFQ language to reflect<br />
that. Jenny Raitt suggests the RFQ talk about open space in and<br />
adjacent to the industrial districts, and its value to the town.<br />
<br />
Mr. Wilmer asks if we anticipate the consultant meeting with our<br />
group, or with the ARB. Ms. Zwirko assumed that they would.<br />
Mr. Wilmer suggests making the number of meetings explicit, as that<br />
will have a material impact on the project cost. Ms. Raitt believes<br />
that three meetings will be sufficient, and that will be made explicit<br />
in the RFQ.<br />
<br />
Ms. Raitt suggests adding the Historic Districts Master Plan to the<br />
set of resource documents.<br />
<br />
Next, Ms. Raitt provides the working group with an update on committee<br />
openings. The Arlington Heights Action Plan Task Force generated a<br />
lot of interest. Applications for this group will be accepted through<br />
early September. Many of the applicants were excited about the plan<br />
and about participating in the process.<br />
<br />
The town is forming a Complete Count Working Group, to encourage<br />
residents to participate in the census.<br />
<br />
The town is forming a Design Review working Group, to produce a set of<br />
residential design guidelines. We're looking for three applicants,<br />
preferably with architectural backgrounds. This group will also<br />
explore ways to integrate design review into the permitting process.<br />
<br />
The town is forming a Sustainable Transportation Plan Advisory<br />
Committee. Mr. Worden felt this would be beneficial. He suggested<br />
that Arlington could have something like Lexington's L'express bus<br />
service.<br />
<br />
The town is forming committees for our Net Zero plan, and a Fair<br />
Housing Action Plan. The fair housing action plan will coincide with<br />
the five-year community development block grant plan. Arlington<br />
participates in the North Suburban Home Consortium, and this will tie<br />
into their five-year plan as well.<br />
<br />
Mr. Worden went off on a tangent about density. He began by telling<br />
Ms. Raitt "someone told me that you said Arlington wasn't the second<br />
densest town in Massachusetts". Ms. Raitt seemed perplexed by the<br />
comment. Mr. Worden said we were in fact the second densest town in<br />
Massachusetts, and that he'd gotten that figure from Mr. Seltzer.<br />
Mr. Seltzer rattled off a set of statistics about Arlington's<br />
population density, which he obtained from the US Census Bureau.<br />
Mr. Revilak believed that Mr. Seltzer's figures were correct, but he<br />
though it was more instructive to look at raw population counts.<br />
Arlington has the third largest population among Massachusetts towns<br />
(after Brookline and Plymouth), and is above the median population for<br />
Massachusetts cities. In other words, we're a densely-populated urban<br />
community, with a town form of government.<br />
<br />
<br />
[[Category:Public Meetings]]</div>SteveR