Mugar Site

The Conservation Commission hearing on stormwater concerns and landscape and habitat planning for wildlife and vegetation at Thorndike Place on the Mugar property in East Arlington will continue on March 7 at 7 pm via Zoom.

Check the Con Com website for the final agenda, additional correspondence submitted for the hearing, and Zoom registration information.

A recording of the February 15 hearing, the various consultants’ reports, and public comments are posted on the Commission’s Thorndike Place Wetlands Permit web page. 

Following the February 15 hearing, the Land Trust requested permission from the Select Board to install two monitoring wells on Town property on Dorothy Road to provide additional data on groundwater readings in the proposed development area to supplement data provided by the developer’s consultants. The Select Board unanimously approved the request at its meeting on March 4, so the monitoring wells will be installed with Town oversight in the next few days. Stay tuned for further updates, and attend the March 7 hearing for more information.

The Conservation Commission hearing on February 1 received the peer reviewed stormwater report from Hatch and additional professional comments from Land Trust consultant Scott Horsley. Both reports raised serious concerns about discrepancies found in ground water level measurements and other data prepared by the BSC Group for Arlington Land Realty, LLC, the owner/developer of Thorndike Place on the Mugar site.  

The hearing has been continued to Thursday, February 15, at 7 pm, via Zoom. Check the Con Com website for the final agenda, additional correspondence submitted for the hearing, and Zoom registration information.

A recording of the February 1 hearing and the consultants’ reports are posted on the Commission’s Thorndike Place Wetlands Permit web page. 

The Conservation Commission expects to continue its public hearing on the proposed Thorndike Place 40B development project on Thursday, February 1. Check the Con Com website for the final agenda and Zoom registration information.

In summary, the hearing will review the Notice of Intent (NOI) under the Massachusetts Wetland Protection Act (WPA) received from Arlington Land Realty, LLC, the owner/developer of the site. The NOI describes work within the FEMA 100-Year Floodplain / Bordering Land Subject to Flooding (BLSF), as well as within the Buffer Zone to Bordering Vegetated Wetlands (BVW). Mitigation measures are proposed to compensate for the impacts to these resources.

The public hearing began in September and has been continued several times while the Conservation Commission solicited peer review consultants to supplement its own analysis of two specific portions of the NOI. Hatch has been hired to review the Stormwater Report and Management Plan to determine whether it complies with the Massachusetts Stormwater Standards. SWCA is reviewing the Thorndike Place Planting Plan for compliance with the performance standards for restoration work in designated zones and whether the plan will enhance wildlife habitat conditions

In addition, ALT retained Scott Horsley, a hydrologist with more than 30 years of experience in evaluating water resources projects, to review the NOI and other documents relating to stormwater management. His report and other materials related to the NOI hearing are posted on the Commission’s Thorndike Place web page. 

The Conservation Commission had planned to continue its public hearing on the proposed Thorndike Place 40B development project on Thursday, January 18, but two peer review reports have not yet been received. The hearing is now scheduled for February 1. Check the Con Com website for the agendas and Zoom registration information.

In summary, the hearing will review the Notice of Intent (NOI) under the Massachusetts Wetland Protection Act (WPA) received from Arlington Land Realty, LLC, the owner/developer of the site. The NOI describes work within the FEMA 100-Year Floodplain / Bordering Land Subject to Flooding (BLSF), as well as within the Buffer Zone to Bordering Vegetated Wetlands (BVW). Mitigation measures are proposed to compensate for the impacts to these resources.

The public hearing began in September and has been continued several times while the Conservation Commission solicited peer review consultants to supplement its own analysis of two specific portions of the NOI: a review of the Stormwater Report and Management Plan to determine whether it complies with the Massachusetts Stormwater Standards; and a review of the Thorndike Place Planting Plan for compliance with the performance standards for restoration work in designated zones and whether the plan will enhance wildlife habitat conditions. At its November 16 meeting, the Conservation Commission voted to hire Hatch to review the stormwater plan and SWCA to review the planting plans.

In addition, ALT retained Scott Horsley, a hydrologist with more than 30 years of experience in evaluating water resources projects, to review the NOI and other documents relating to stormwater management. His report and other materials related to the NOI hearing are posted on the Commission’s Thorndike Place web page.  

December 2023 – Mugar Update #2

The Conservation Commission was scheduled to continue its public hearing on the proposed Thorndike Place 40B development project on December 14, but now that hearing is postponed until January 18.

Con Com announced late on December 12 that Arlington Land Realty, LLC, has asked for a continuance to January 18, since the peer review reports have not yet been completed. Hydrologist Scott Horsely’s presentation will also be moved to the January date – assuming the Commission votes to approve the continuance, and assuming the reports will be available in time for review before the January meeting.

ALT will provide updates as they become available. Visit the Commission’s Thorndike Place web page to review materials related to this hearing.