The Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) meeting on Tuesday, October 13, was supposed to focus on critical wetland impacts and stormwater management on the Mugar site. However, at the Conservation Commission meeting on October 1, Oaktree Development presented a significantly revised site plan to replace the original plan for Thorndike Place, its proposed 40B housing development. 

No further plans or reports have been provided since then, so many crucial details are unknown, such as the revised wetlands boundaries, stormwater impacts and mitigation, building heights, and the proposed number of housing units and parking spaces. Until complete hydrological studies and other documentation are shared by the development team, further analysis by Town boards and Beta Group, the Town’s peer reviewer, remains in limbo.

At the October 13 ZBA hearing the developers are expected to provide some new information about their revised site plan, but the scope and context are uncertain. 

To register in advance, go to the ZBA agenda on the Town website.

Wetlands delineation is a critical upcoming decision.
Please let your concerns be heard.

Defining the extent of the site’s wetlands begins with an evaluation by the developer’s soils scientist, who then provides findings and data for review by the Town’s peer review consultants. Ultimately the Zoning Board of Appeals, with the input of the consultants and advice from ConCom, will determine the extent of the wetlands to be protected.

Please consider writing to both the ZBA and the ConCom to ask them to ensure that the review of the wetlands is thorough and accurate, and includes investigation of whether they have been been altered or covered by dumping or filling during the site’s decades of neglect. Comments may be sent to both boards at zba@town.arlington.ma.us and  concomm@town.arlington.ma.us.

Arlington Land Trust continues to advocate for the permanent protection of the Mugar parcel as conservation land. The site is subject to regular and significant flooding, and is a critical stormwater buffer for the surrounding and downstream neighborhoods of East Arlington.