Proposed condos and retail space at 1021-1025 Mass. Ave. / Harrison Mulhern Architects
UPDATED May 18: Town deliberations about “The Residences at Mill Brook,” a proposed 50-unit multifamily development and 1,000 square feet of commercial space at 1021-1025 Mass. Ave., near Brattle Square, have continued for nearly a year.
Now the lengthy process by the Arlington Zoning Board of Appeals is headed toward resolution.
The board has until June 4 to make its final decision, though it can request more time from the applicant. Ultimately, the ZBA can vote to approve the comprehensive permit with no conditions, approve it with conditions or deny the permit completely.
The next meeting regarding this proposal is set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 25, with a backup date May 30, if the ZBA does not finish reviewing the documents.
Initial uproar from some in Arlington after the Select Board moved the plan forward in June 2022 has died down.
At its May 11 meeting, the ZBA reviewed documents for 1021-1025 Mass. Ave. All board members except Elaine Hoffman were present. The meeting began at 7:30 and concluded at 10:30.
First, the board voted to approve a series of property decisions, all of which passed unanimously. They included the properties at 90 Brantwood Road, 11 Pine Ridge Road, 39 Sunnyside Ave., 25 Teel St. and 15 Grand View Road.
Next, board members reviewed and edited the application for the property near Brattle Square. Various members suggested small comments, including adding other town departments consulted, adding verbiage regarding erosion control, fixing spelling errors and more minor details.
Waivers for the property were reviewed and decided as well. Eight waivers were granted, many of which had to do with setting back the property and determining floor space.
Trees discussed
The waiver to take down protected trees was somewhat controversial. Board member Dan Ricardelli said he was “slightly uncomfortable” with cutting down established trees and adding seedlings that will take a longer time to fully develop.
Ultimately, the waiver was still granted, and in the deliberating process, the applicant agreed to adding more trees along the street, though the board debated the efficacy of that. There was discussion about adding a condition for the applicant to put money toward a fund benefiting the town to replace the trees being removed.
A few waivers were deemed unnecessary after changes by the applicant, including a waiver for uplighting considering all uplighting was removed from the project.
A draft of the application is available on the ZBA website.
March 28, 2023: Brattle Square plan moves ahead with little public comment
This news summary by YourArlington freelance writer Renee Aboott was published Wednesday, May 17, 2023, and updated May 18, to add agenda link for May 25.
