Mugar Site

ZBA Hearings on Mugar/Thorndike Place Continue

On Tuesday, December 22, the ZBA will continue its environmental review of wetlands, stormwater and related issues on the Mugar property, with input from the Conservation Commission and the Town’s third-party reviewer (Beta Group) as well as from Oaktree Development’s representative (BSC Group) and others.

To register for this Zoom meeting and find links to the various plans and technical materials that have been submitted for review and discussion, visit the ZBA agenda page on the Town website. You are encouraged to send comments to both Town boards at concomm@town.arlington.ma.us and zba@town.arlington.ma.us. 

See the ZBA memorandum of the schedule for future hearings on Thorndike Place. The next meeting on January 12 will focus on traffic studies.

The environmental review of wetlands, stormwater and related issues on the Mugar property will now commence with a Conservation Commission working session on Thursday, December 3, followed by a ZBA hearing on Tuesday, December 8. An updated schedule for all ZBA hearings on Thorndike Place was announced at the ZBA meeting on November 24.

The Conservation Commission will meet on December 3 with Oaktree Development’s representative (BSC Group) and the Town’s third-party reviewer (Beta Group) to review the updated permit application materials submitted over the past several weeks. This discussion is scheduled to begin at 8:30 pm following other commission business.

To register for these Zoom meetings and find links to the various plans and technical materials, visit the respective Con Comm and ZBA agenda pages on the Town website. You are encouraged to send comments to both boards at concomm@town.arlington.ma.us and zba@town.arlington.ma.us. 

You can now register in advance for the Zoning Board of Appeals hearing on the Mugar property to be held on Tuesday, November 24 at 7:30 pm, via Zoom. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information about joining the meeting.

However, the agenda has been changed because the anticipated report by Beta Group, the Town’s peer review consultants, is not yet available. Instead, the ZBA will accept the large number of new documents submitted by the Oaktree Development team and discuss the schedule for future hearings. The new materials include architectural plans and numerous technical reports on wetland delineations, stormwater, transportation and other issues, as required for the 40B Comprehensive Permit process for Thorndike Place. They are posted on the ZBA agenda website.

Another new item of interest is the comment letter from the Conservation Commission with its preliminary review of Oaktree’s new documents and its recommendations pending further information from Beta Group. All of this will be discussed at a future meeting, so stay tuned!

The Zoning Board of Appeals hearing on Tuesday, November 24 at 7:30 pm, will focus on critical wetland impacts and stormwater management on the Mugar site. Since announcing their revised site planin September, the Oaktree Development team has submitted new architectural plans and numerous technical reports as required for the 40B Comprehensive Permit process for Thorndike Place. These documents can be viewed on the ZBA agenda website.   Of particular note is a comment letter from Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA) that outlines our shared concerns for a thorough analysis of the wetland delineation, recent hydrologic modelling in the Alewife watershed, and Arlington’s wetland regulations.   One crucial item not yet posted there is a report by Beta Group, the consultants hired by the Town to provide peer review of the Oaktree Development team’s permitting materials. That report is expected before the November 24 meeting, along with Zoom instructions to register for the meeting. We will send out another update with that information before next Tuesday.   In the meantime, please consider writing to both the ZBA and the Conservation Commission to ask them to ensure that the review of the wetlands is thorough and accurate, and includes investigation of whether and when they have been altered or covered by illegal dumping. Comments may be sent to both boards at zba@town.arlington.ma.usand concomm@town.arlington.ma.us.

Revised Site Plan

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.