Multifamily Housing In Arlington: MBTA Communities Planning Process

Press release from Town of Arlington:

04/21/2023 5:00 AM

The state has mandated that Arlington, along with 174 other communities in eastern Massachusetts with access to MBTA service, create a district or districts where multifamily housing is allowed by right. On March 15, 2023, the Attorney General issued an advisory concerning enforcement of the law. By complying with this requirement, the Town will:

• remain eligible for important state grants for infrastructure projects;
• be able to participate in the state’s fossil fuel ban pilot program, which will advance the Town’s stated goal of creating net zero carbon emissions by 2050,
• take part in a regional response to the region’s housing crisis by encouraging development of smaller multifamily housing.

Additionally, the Master Plan, Housing Production Plan, Fair Housing Action Plan, Net Zero Action Plan, and Connect Arlington (the Sustainable Transportation Plan) recommend identifying areas that are priorities for redevelopment and amending zoning to allow multifamily housing in more locations in the town.

Over the next year the Town, supported by resident volunteers in the MBTA Communities Working Group, will be leading a planning process with extensive community engagement to determine the location and details of Arlington's district(s). The result will be a zoning amendment presented to Special Town Meeting next fall. View the draft schedule.

Host A Community Meeting: Visioning Kits now available!

The MBTA Communities Planning Process is currently in the visioning phase. We want to understand your vision for multifamily housing in Arlington, and want to facilitate as many community meetings as possible to hear from the community. The Visioning Kits are a tool to help you host a meeting in an informal setting (or virtually!) with friends, family, neighbors. The Kits include a process for submitting feedback from those meetings back to the Town so that participants' ideas, comments, and questions can be incorporated into the project.

Download the materials and schedule your meeting today!

• Materials for meeting hosts
• MBTA Communities Background Sheet
• Meeting Agenda
• Sign-In Sheet
• Participant Worksheet

  OR

• Download the full Visioning Kit package.

Need help with your meeting? Contact Kelly Lynema, Assistant Director, at [email protected] or 781-316-3096 to request assistance with printing materials, finding a facilitator, or booking meeting space.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

We've been collecting questions from the community about MBTA Communities Law and what zoning changes mean for Arlington. The FAQ document is a collection of these questions, organized by theme. We'll be adding to this throughout the planning process.

View the FAQ (last updated 4/12/2023).

Planning Process and Prior Meetings

To kick off the visioning phase of this project, DPCD and the MBTA Communities Working Group hosted a community visioning session on March 9, 2023. Staff provided an overview of Section 3A requirements and how they apply to Arlington, and then invited participants to join breakout groups to discuss various topics, neighborhood features and amenities, and potential locations for multifamily housing in Arlington.

• Watch the meeting recording.
• Download the presentation slides

On Thursday, November 17, DPCD staff presented an overview of MBTA Communities legislation to describe the basic requirements of MGL Ch. 40A, Section 3A and what it means for Arlington, why compliance matters, potential starting points for considering how to locate Arlington’s district(s), and the schedule for engaging with the community to develop a zoning recommendation. The meeting included ample time for Q&A.

• Watch the presentation
• Download the presentation slides

DPCD has offered to meet with boards, committees, and communities groups as many times as reasonably requested. To schedule a presentation, please contact Claire Ricker, Director of DPCD, at [email protected] or Kelly Lynema, Assistant Director of DPCD, at [email protected].

About M.G.L. Ch. 40A, Section 3A and the DHCD Guidelines

In 2020, Governor Baker signed into law a requirement that communities with or adjacent to MBTA services create "at least one district of reasonable size in which multi-family housing is permitted as of right." Arlington, by virtue of its network of bus routes and proximity to Alewife Station, is one of these communities.

Updated guidelines from the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) indicate that Arlington is an "adjacent" community, and the zoning district or district where multi-family housing is permitted as of right does not have to be within proximity of Alewife Station.

MBTA Communities Working Group

The MBTA Communities Working Group will begin meeting on Thursday, February 2, 2023. Agendas and minutes will be posted below.

• Thursday, 2/2/23: Agenda, Meeting Summary
• Thursday, 2/13/23: Agenda, Meeting Summary
• Tuesday, 2/28/23: Agenda

Working Group Members:

• Kin Lau, ARB Representative
• Stephen Revilak, ARB Representative
• Ramie Schneider, Resident
• Mette Aamodt, Resident
• Shaina Korman-Houston, Resident
• Sanjay Newton, Resident
• Laura Weiner, Resident
• Vincent Baudoin, Resident
• Rebecca Gruber, Resident

The MBTA Communities Working Group is supported by Teresa Marzilli, Engagement Coordinator in the DEI Division, and Claire Ricker and Kelly Lynema from the Department of Planning and Community Development.

Background Documents and Resources

• Mass.Gov MBTA Communities Page: This web page describes the new MBTA Communities law (MGL Ch. 40A, Section 3A), along with information about compliance, technical assistance, and other resources.
• DHCD Guidelines: Final guidelines for compliance as developed by the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development.
• Massachusetts Housing Partnership (MHP): A round-up of information and resources regarding MBTA Communities.
• MHP MBTA Community Webinar Series: MHP has developed a series of ten webinars regarding the MBTA Communities legislation. All webinars have been recorded, and videos are posted to MHP's website.
• Arlington's MBTA Communities Action Plan

This press release was produced by Town of Arlington. The views expressed here are the author’s own.