In this issue of the League of Women Voters of Arlington Bulletin:
From Jennifer Susse, LWVA Member
Tuesday, September 26, 7 p.m.
Home of Kathy and Paul Fennelly, 97 Gray Street, Arlington
Come join us as we discuss the MBTA Communities Law. This law requires cities and towns served by the MBTA to increase the supply and type of housing in order to address high regional housing costs. The type of housing incentivized is sometimes referred to as “missing middle housing.” These are the triplexes and small apartment buildings that Arlington used to build, before the last major zoning recodification in the 1970s.
There is a good introduction to the MBTA Communities Act on the Equitable Arlington website (https://equitable-arlington.org/), but very briefly the law requires 175 communities that are located near transit to create a district of reasonable size where multifamily housing is allowed by right. The final proposal is still being hashed out, but it will likely affect between 2 and 4 percent of Arlington’s buildable land.
The MBTA Working Group will soon conclude its work and send its recommended proposal to Arlington’s Redevelopment Board (ARB) for consideration. Then the ARB will have a series of meetings, both to refine the proposal and hear from the public. Finally, Town Meeting members will vote on a proposal at the special Town Meeting that starts on October 17th.
Directions: 97 Gray St. is at the intersection of Gray St. and Churchill Ave., which is the 4th right after you turn onto Gray St. from Pleasant St. (Route 60). If you’re traveling on Gray St. from Arlington Heights, Churchill Ave. is the 4th left after the lights at Highland Ave. The house is a large gray home on the right side if you’re traveling up from Pleasant Street. There is plenty of onstreet parking.
After many years of hosting all the information for the Arlington League of Women Voters on a website she custom coded, Phyllis Maddox has passed the baton.
The new site may look different, but we hope to provide the same information and level of service you have come to expect from the LWVA.com site, on a platform that can be managed by a broader range of people.
This new website is built on the WordPress platform, and modelled after the current Massachusetts and US League sites. We hope you find it easy to use. Please Contact Us if you have any suggestions or problems. Thank you!
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2023
The end of summer means it’s time to get ready for Arlington’s Town Day. LWV Arlington will have a booth at this event that will be packed with information about voter registration, precinct maps, proposed legislation, League membership, policies, and activities, and other voter service literature. We are looking for volunteers to work in 1- or 2-hour increments from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
This is a great, fast-paced event, with two to three people at the booth at all times, so both seasoned and new League members are welcome to participate. If you can help out, please call Meredith Zona at 781-648-2753, or send an email to her at meredith.zona@stantec.com.
You can find more information on this year’s Town Day on the Town Day page of the Arlington website. We look forward to seeing you on Town Day!
In this issue of the League of Women Voters of Arlington Bulletin:
