Another way to look at E. Arlington impact of MBTA guidelines

UPDATED Feb. 24: Stephen A. Revilak offers the following viewpoint about zoning requirements for MBTA communities. He is a member of the Redevelopment Board, but these are his own opinions as a town resident, and he represents no group. Note that the Redevelopment Board plans to discuss this issue at its Feb. 28 meeting. Agenda >>

Massachusetts's 2020 Economic Stimulus Bill contained a set of multifamily zoning requirements for MBTA communities. The new law requires communities served by the MBTA to zone for more housing around transit stations, and brings the potential to address two of our most pressing regional challenges: a shortage of housing in the greater Boston area, and roadway congestion caused by automobile traffic. Arlington is an MBTA community and we'll have to make a choice between complying or losing access to certain sources of state funding.

The Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development has published a set of guidelines for compliance. Although the guidelines are still in draft form (and DHCD is soliciting public comment), I think it's worthwhile to start going through the exercise of considering what Arlington's MBTA district might look like. 

Not the only option

An earlier opinion piece, by resident Don Seltzer, opined that Arlington would have to allow high-rise apartments in East Arlington by right. While that's certainly one path to compliance, I believe it's far from the only option available. I'd like to share my thought process of figuring out what an MBTA district might look like, in the spirit of fostering more constructive dialogue.

I started with the capacity requirements (Section 5b in the draft guidance). Arlington is considered a "Rapid Transit Community," and our MBTA zone will need to accommodate a maximum capacity of 5,115 dwellings. I'd like to emphasize that this is not a mandate to construct 5,115 new dwellings -- it's simply the number of dwellings that the newly created zone has to allow for.

Next, I considered the density requirement of 15 dwellings per acre (Section 1). At that density, one could fit 5,115 dwellings into 341 acres, or 0.53 square miles. Finally, I looked at the requirement for "multifamily" (Section 2), which essentially boils down to allowing three dwellings per parcel. That is my basic starting framework: approximately half a square mile of triple-deckers.  It's quite possible that Arlington could do with a lesser number of acres, as East Arlington lots tend to be on the smaller side.  

Alewife T is in Cambridge

Finally, there's the matter of where the district is located. The Alewife T station is outside Arlington's borders, and the immediate vicinity contains both wetlands and public parks. Section 8b of the guidelines offers flexibility for this situation: Some of the district should be within within 0.5 miles of the train station, but parts can be farther away, as long as they're "easily accessible to the transit station based on existing street patterns and pedestrian connections." By my reading, there's nothing that requires the entire MBTA district to be located within 0.5 miles of a transit station.

Ultimately, I believe we'll be able to define a district that satisfies the new requirements and fits the fabric of East Arlington; we have options and shouldn't be afraid to explore them. At the very least, we should treat this as an opportunity to address the regional need for housing, and to encourage a shift away from single-occupancy vehicle trips. 

Feb. 2, 2022: MBTA zoning guide could revamp East Arlington, writer says

This viewpoint was published Monday, Feb. 14, 2022, and updated Feb. 24, to add link for Feb. 28 meeting. 

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