Arlington History Preserved In New Master Plan

The citizens of Arlington engaged in an active and well publicized discussion about all the elements of a proposed new town Master Plan.  These discussions took place in well attended public meetings held, primarily, at the Senior Center/ Central School’s main public meeting space.  They were held in a series of meetings, each meeting considering one “element” or subject of the proposed master plan between late 2014 and early 2015.  Each of the elements was presented by staff and consultants, and thoroughly discussed by a wide range of citizen attendees.  After additional discussion in Town Meeting, Town Meeting members voted to adopt the Master Plan in the spring of 2015.

Following is a list of each of the elements of the Master Plan that were discussed and approved at that 2015 Town Meeting.   The links lead to a more detailed description of each of the Master Plan elements.

What as a Master Plan?

Article 1 in a series on the Arlington, MA master planning process. Located about 15 miles north west of Boston, the Town of Arlington is now developing a master plan that will reflect the visions and expectations of the community and will provide enabling steps for the community to move toward this vision over the… Read More

Arlington Choices for Future Land Use

Article 2 in a series on the Arlington, MA Master Planning process.  Arlington, relative to other communities in the region, is a densely developed residential suburb with some commercial centers and a variety of interesting, walkable neighborhoods spread over a topography of hills, streams, ponds and flat lands. The Town’s property… Read More

Traffic and Transportation Issues Shape Arlington’s Future

Article 3 in a series on the Arlington, MA Master Planning process.   A conversation about transportation issues extends well beyond rush hour car traffic congestion.  As the Town contemplates its future 20 years from now, should it build wider streets, wider bike paths, wider sidewalks or none of the above? If… Read More

Arlington Master Plan Considers Economic Development

Article 4 in a series on the Arlington, MA Master Planning process.  Most of Arlington’s budget depends on the Town’s tax base. As the cost of services increases, the Town budget must increase. Massachusetts communities are limited in their ability to increase taxes on existing property. Many municipalities have developable land… Read More

Housing Choices Shape Affordability and Vitality of Town Future

Article 5 in a series on the Arlington, MA Master Planning process.  The Master Plan will have a distinct section focusing on housing and in Arlington there will be much to decide. Housing prices in Arlington are among the fastest rising in the region. According to a recent article in the… Read More

Master Plan to Preserve Open Space and Natural Resources for Future

Article 6 in a series on the Arlington, MA Master Planning process.   Arlington residents value the town’s walkability, woodlands and water vistas and tree lined streets. It will require careful Town policy and citizen advocacy to preserve these valuable assets for the future. The Master Plan, now in draft form… Read More

Arlington History Preserved in New Master Plan

Article 7 in a series on the Arlington, MA Master Planning process.  Reminders of Arlington’s Revolutionary War history are scattered throughout the town. The town, first inhabited by the Algonquian group of Native Americans, then settled by European colonists in 1635 and incorporated in 1807, took its current name in… Read More

Public Buildings and Services:  How Much Dues Municipality Need?

Article 8 in a series on the Arlington, MA Master Planning process. Prepared by Barbara Thornton Town buildings, both school and municipal, comprise 1.3 million square feet of building space. That is a lot of property to maintain. And it doesn’t include the Town’s open space, parks and fields. Some properties key to the town’s… Read More

Article 2 in a series on the Arlington, MA Master Planning process.   Prepared by Barbara Thornton

Arlington, relative to other communities in the region, is a densely developed residential suburb with some commercial centers and a variety of interesting, walkable neighborhoods spread over a topography of hills, streams, ponds and flat lands. The Town’s property tax revenue pays for about 76% of the cost of operations, a relatively high percentage made more challenging because the Town has little room to add new property tax generating uses such as commercial or industrial development, and state law limits the growth in revenue from property tax to 2.5% a year, less than many of the inflationary costs local governments must cover.

The four goals for the land use section of the Master Plan are to 1) Balance housing growth with other supportive services and amenities; 2) Encourage development that enhances the quality of Arlington’s natural resources and built environment; 3) Attract development that supports and expands the economic, cultural and civic purposes of the commercial areas; 4)Focus mixed use development in Arlington’s commercial areas to support local businesses and provide services for residents. While Arlington has little open land that could be buildable for new tax revenue, it does have commercial areas that could be more densely developed, adding to the community’s revenue base.

Arlington’s topography also suggests some untapped and underutilized amenities for the community. Citizens value the historic character of the town but also want to ensure revenue to support the town’s future. Redevelopment opportunities exist that could enhance characteristics the community cherishes while adding expansion and diversification to the tax base. These opportunities will require an update to the old fashioned, linear approach to land use regulation outlined in the town’s current regulations. Access to open space and recreation amenities like Mill Brook and the Minuteman Bike Way can be enhanced with the right kind of redevelopment program.

A modern approach to land use can also improve the revenue generating opportunities and visual amenities along the Mass Ave. commercial corridor in specific nodes, like Arlington Heights, Arlington Center and Capitol Square in East Arlington, without disrupting the quality of life in adjacent residential neighborhoods. The current zoning map includes 19 different types of districts such as “Town House”, “Industrial”, “Vehicular Oriented Business”, etc. (See page 4, table 2.1 of the revised Land Use Working Paper so see the full list or the current Zoning Map on pg 10-11 of the Existing Conditions report). The zoning plan was essentially an effort to describe what existed at that time, starting in 1975. Some districts were so small, they only had one parcel. Arlington’s current zoning use regulations are unusually restrictive and don’t now match the actual use of land. For example, 49 acres are zoned for industrial development but only 14 acres are actually used for industrial purposes and 20% of the business zoned land is used for residential purposes. Old fashioned zoning tools no longer fit the Arlington of today.

Fortunately, zoning policy has evolved considerably since 1975. New techniques such as “form based codes” give a community the vocabulary to talk about neighborhoods and how the citizens want that neighborhood to look and feel when they are in it. “Mixed Use Development” is another tool that would allow the Town to regulate the use of residential units above commercial store fronts, a contemporary concept for walkable village areas, bringing a more vibrant street life both day and night. New planning approaches also allow a more flexible conversation about density, design elements, massing, transitional areas and other characteristics of the built environment that are hard to address just by dimensional requirements like minimum lot area requirements, side yard dimensions, building height, etc.

As the Town uses the Master Planning process to reconcile the challenges of growth, change, revenue, amenities and quality of life for the future, the community will face the opportunity to rewrite its antiquated zoning and land use regulations. The shared vocabulary provided through the Master Plan will make this easier. Currently Arlington is divided into separate “pods” of singularly defined land uses called “zoning districts” such as commercial, residential, institutional, agricultural and industrial.

Modern land use regulation moves toward language to describe the relationship between buildings and the “public realm” (streets, open spaces, civic places), the form and mass of buildings in relation to each other, and the type and purpose of streets and blocks. According to the RKG consultants’ working paper, “ Form-based codes focus on the form of a place, including the space between buildings that make up the public realm, such as where the building sits on a lot, the frontage, sidewalk, planting area, drainage, and the street itself. Form based codes also consider the scale of blocks in order to create walkable places.
A close look at the Town through the lens of the Master Planning process and using an updated vocabulary to define ways of regulating land use shows many terrific new opportunities for the Town in the future.

Each week, for the next several weeks, we will review the goals, findings and opportunities associated with each of the following sections of the Master Plan.
• Land Use existing conditions
• Economic Development
• Housing
• Open Space
• Historic and Cultural Resource Areas
• Public Facilities and Services
• Natural Resources

Article 3 in a series on the Arlington, MA Master Planning process.  Prepared by Barbara Thornton.

A conversation about transportation issues extends well beyond rush hour car traffic congestion. As the Town contemplates its future 20 years from now, should it build wider streets, wider bike paths, wider sidewalks or none of the above? If reducing traffic congestion is a goal, is it possible to develop more job opportunities in town so residents can walk to work? If we value the walking opportunities and we value the lovely trees that make the walk pleasant, what material can we use on the 542,309 linear feet of town sidewalks so the roots won’t break through the walkway and create tripping hazards. Transportation planning can get complicated.

Arlington is fortunate to have a number of active groups, including the Town established TAC (Arlington Transportation Advisory Committee) and the ABAC (Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee as well as the citizen organized Vision 2020’s Transportation Taskforce and “Walking in Arlington” that look at transportation issues. PTO’s and the School Dept. plan for the safe transit of school children. The East Arlington neighborhood took a long and deep look at the traffic on Mass. Ave., spending a couple of years discussing the proposal to narrow the street in that neighborhood. The Town describes itself as having three “village areas” or neighborhood areas associated with the Town’s three distinct commercial areas: Arlington Center, Arlington Heights and East Arlington.

Discussion about transportation tends to focus on patterns to and from or through each of these areas. In addition, the plan addresses major corridors that bring through traffic from outside the Town. Various modes of transportation including walking, bikes, cars with one passenger, shared passenger cars and opportunities for ridesharing like Zipcar, Lyft or even Hubway for bikes.

On April 10, 2014 the Arlington MA Planning Dept. and RKG Associates sponsored a public discussion on circulation and transportation issues for the Master Plan. Here are the questions that were discussed.

1. How should the Town balance street capacity improvements with expanding multi-modal transportation options?
2. What could the Town do to extend and enhance “walkability” in Arlington Center, Arlington Heights, and East Arlington?
3, Can the Town better manage and enhance parking supply and distribution in the village centers? How: What changes would the community support?
4. Should the Town adopt standards for sustainable thoroughfares and parking areas? What kinds of standards would make sense in Arlington?
5. What can Arlington do to decrease congestion? Which of these ideas would you support?
a. Encourage students to walk or bike to school.
b. Develop employment opportunities in Arlington so that more people can shorten their commute.
c. Encourage safer biking and other alternatives to using private vehicles.
6. If the Town moves toward a higher density, how can transportation planning mitigate any negative impact on residential neighborhood quality of life?
7. Should the Town put more emphasis on providing more parking spaces or minimizing dependence on cars?

The Master Plan’s guiding goals for the Transportation section are

• Enhance mobility and increase safety by maximizing transit, bicycle and pedestrian access and other alternative modes of transportation.
• Manage congestion safely and efficiently by improving traffic operations.
• Manage the supply of parking in commercial areas in order to support Arlington businesses.

More details on the transportation data and issues gathered for the Master Plan can be found here: http://arlingtonma.gov/home/showdocument?id=19822

Upcoming articles in this series include

• Economic Development
• Housing
• Open Space
• Historic and Cultural Resource Areas
• Public Facilities and Services
• Natural Resources

Article 6 in a series on the Arlington, MA Master Planning process. Prepared by Barbara Thornton

Arlington residents value the town’s walkability, woodlands and water vistas and tree lined streets.  It will require careful Town policy and citizen advocacy to preserve these valuable assets for the future.  The Master Plan, now in draft form, assesses the challenges and makes recommendations for how to preserve and enhance the open space and natural resources the community now enjoys.

Open Space Held by Different Owners

Some facts to frame the situation:  41% of Arlington is covered with impervious surfaces, buildings, roads, etc., making it harder for water to drain into the ground.  Additional area is covered by rocky ledge.  Surface water covers Approximately 6% of the land area – two lakes, two ponds, one reservoir, one river and several brooks, and  15% of the town’s land area is publicly owned open space including conservation land, land in schools, parks and recreational uses and other town or state owned land.  Arlington Conservation Commission (ACC) oversees and manages 25 land parcels with a combined total of 50 acres (see Table 7.2). Arlington also owns the 183 acre Great Meadows, ironically located entirely in Lexington.  The state owns and Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) manages several parcels including the 120 acre Alewife Brook Reservation and the land along the Mystic River and around the Mystic Lakes dam.  Areas designated as wetlands and floodplains also limit development and hold the community closer to the natural environment.

Concerns for Sustainability and Climate Change Adaption Guide Actions

The nine Vision 2020 goals the town adopted in the 1990’s anticipated a sustainable community.  Volunteer and Town actions like the “Arlington Sustainability Action Plan” developed by the Vision 2020 Environment Task Group led to the Town hiring an energy coordinator, a recycling manager and the purchase of fuel-efficient vehicles.  The “Safe Routes to School” initiative, the Minuteman Bikeway, the “complete streets” plan for Mass Ave in East Arlington, the “Tree City” designation, the recycling program, Hurd Field “rain gardens” and porous parking, are all examples of how citizen concerns and volunteer action have led to significant sustainability initiatives.  These actions set the stage for Arlington’s designation by the Massachusetts Green Communities Program in 2010 as a “Green Community”.

Challenges Remain- How Will the Community Respond?

Protecting and preserving open space, water quality, urban wildlife, tree cover and managing environmental hazards continue to challenge Arlington citizens and officials.  The Master Plan raises several questions for how the community might respond to these challenges.

1. Should there be disincentives for the “teardown” of smaller and older homes that reduce open space or tree cover?
2. Can mixed use development be encouraged in areas where infrastructure is already in place?
3. What are the best opportunities for linking existing open space?
4. Are there locations suitable for “urban agriculture”?
5. How can Arlington residents support efforts to better maintain its trees, water bodies and passive recreation land?

Ideas discussed include a linear park along Mill Brook, improved access to shorelines along Spy Pond, Mystic Lake and Mill Brook, rooftop gardens, food growing in green strips between sidewalk and street, re-imagining uses to preserve open space at Poet’s Corner and the flood-prone Mugar property and, revising the zoning bylaw to allow “form based” zoning code in support of enhancing open space, improving streetscape, preserving tree, control flooding etc.

Key to the success of the past initiatives, and to the future, is Arlington’s tradition of informal and flexible support of the creative initiatives of the town’s citizens.

Arlington Advocate’s Master Plan series:

1:  Arlington shows the way with master plan.

2:  Arlington Master Plan: Choices for future land use

3:  Traffic and transportation issues shape Arlington’s future

4:  Arlington Master Plan considers economic development

5:  Housing choices shape future affordability, vitality

Article 8 in a series on the Arlington, MA Master Planning process. Prepared by Barbara Thornton

Town buildings, both school and municipal, comprise 1.3 million square feet of building space.  That is a lot of property to maintain.  And it doesn’t include the Town’s open space, parks and fields.   Some properties key to the town’s identity have been bequeathed to the town by earlier citizens.  Robbins library is an example.  Other properties end up almost by accident in Town ownership, the Disabled American Veterans building is an example.  Most buildings are explicitly acquired, newly constructed or repurposed to serve the evolving needs of the community.  New elementary schools and renovated fire stations are scheduled years in advance based on a carefully planned process to balance what the Town can afford with what the Town needs.

Perform a Space Needs Analysis for All Town Owned Buildings

Through the longer term lens of the master plan process, some flaws in the traditional process of acquiring, renovating and maintaining our public facilities emerges.  Some buildings are underutilized.  Some departments need more space.  The area comprising the Civic Block is a good example of how a “space needs analysis” might better reapportion space to meet the growing needs of the Arlington Senior Center and Town Hall.  Another example is the Department of Public Works which has many core functions inefficiently spread across several buildings.  The Master Plan recommends a space needs analysis to rebalance the requirements for building space with the availability of space.

Sell or Repurpose Underutilized Buildings

In reviewing the needs of the Town, including the operating costs of services, the Master Plan asks the Town to consider a policy for disposing of properties that no longer serve public purposes.  Some of the Town’s older elementary schools are now sought after housing.  Should the Town retain buildings that it no longer needs?  Should it sell or lease the buildings?  What guidelines should the community use to make these decisions?  In the next few years a new or substantially renovated high school will be needed.  Current kindergarten registration is substantially higher than expected.  With apparent pressure for more classroom space, should the Town sell property and use the cash for more space?  Or should it first repurpose all existing buildings for its future needs?

Add Maintenance Capacity for Town & School Buildings

No matter what the decision, maintaining over a million square feet of building space is a challenge.  When RKG Associates looked at Arlington’s investment in the Department of Public Works budget compared to surrounding communities, they found 1.8 FTE (full time equivalent) positions in Arlington compared to an average of 2.15 FTE in the Northeast Region.  Arlington is already straining the capacity of DPW to maintain existing facilities.  Fortunately, both the Board of Selectman and the draft Master Plan recognizes this problem.  In Fall, 2012, the Board of Selectmen called for a report on the formation of a maintenance policy and plan for the Town.  The Master Plan, too, recommends the establishment of a preventative maintenance program and the funding of a full time facilities manager position.  See  Page 154 of the Draft Master Plan.

Citizens’ Turn to Speak

These and many other choices are on the table now for the citizens of Arlington.  The DRAFT Master Plan is available for review and comment .   Comment period closes December 1, about a week away.  The development of the Master Plan represents an historic opportunity for the community to reflect on its history and develop the tools to move into the future.

There will be a public hearing on the DRAFT Master Plan on January 12, 2015.