Arlington Redevelopment Board - Feb 24th, 2025

Meeting held at 27 Maple Street. Materials were available from https://arlington.novusagenda.com/agendapublic/MeetingView.aspx?MeetingID=2217&MinutesMeetingID=-1&doctype=Agenda.

Meeting Minutes

The board approved minutes from their Jan 27, 2025 meeting.

Docket 3838 - 15 Ryder St

(Rachel Zsembery, ARB Chair) Ms. Zsembery outlines the process for the public hearing. The applicants will present, the board will ask questions, the board will take comments from the public, and then the board will discuss the application.

(Claire Ricker, Planning Director) Ms. Ricker says the applicant proposes to renovate a building in the industrial district and add approximately 1000 square feet. They would establish a brewery with a top room and a 3900 square foot restaurant. The applicants would like to continue the non-conforming parking and loading spaces.

(Mary Winstanley O'Connor, Attorney) Ms. Winstanley O'Connor introduces the applicants. She says there will be covered long-term bicycle parking spaces and EV charging stations. They're adding parking to the site, along with adding approximately 2500 square feet of pervious surface. She's provided a memo stating why the project meets the solar exemptions in the zoning bylaw.

(Tom Allen, Arlington Brewing Company) Mr. Allen says his company's mission is to spread joy through craft beer and human connections. They've spent four years looking for space to open a brewery in Arlington, and all of the company's executives are connected to Arlington. Fifteen Arlington businesses currently sell their beer, and they're happy with the space they've found. They're planning to use the building for beer production and a taproom. They'll have a 15 barrel brewing capacity and plan to produce two batches per week. The restaurant and taproom will be available as an event venue and there will be a beer garden in back of the restaurant.

(Mary Winstanley O'Connor) Ms. Winstanley O'Connor says that Arlington Brewing Co. has done numerous beer gardens and pop-up events in town.

(?, Architect) The architect says there will be parking on one side of the property, and vehicles will enter the lot from Ryder St. They're planning to remove the paving and parking from the building. The bike shed will be on the right side of the building. The front entrance will have a vestibule to contain sound, and the addition will be used for refrigeration. She says they're planning a deep energy retrofit of the building with a new thermal facade. They will use gas for the kitchen and brewing equipment. They plan to re-use the existing structure and add accents around the front door. They're planning an painted wall sign facing the bike path, and vinyl cut signs on the door.

(Steve Revilak, ARB) Mr. Revilak commends the applicants for providing extra short-term bicycle parking. He asks if they'll use a recirculating water system for chilling wort.

(Tom Allen) Mr. Allen answers in the affirmative.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak asks how often organic waste from the brewing process will be removed, and where it will be stored in the interim.

(Tom Allen) Mr. Allen says that brewing waste will be taken away the same day, so there's no need to store it.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak would like to confirm that the applicants plan to install two EV charging stations.

(?) One of the applicants answers in the affirmative.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak says the board received a few letters expressing concern over odors. He asks if the fermentation tanks will have something akin to a fermentation lock.

(Tom Allen) Mr. Allen answers in the affirmative; the tanks have a device to separate air in the fermenter from the air outside, while allowing gases to escape. Mr. Allen says fermenting beer has a bit of a sweet smell, not like sulfur. If the beer smells bad, it's going to taste bad, and he doesn't plan to brew bad beer.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak asks if CO2 from fermentation will be emitted inside the building, and handled by the ventilation system.

(Tom Allen) Mr. Allen answers in the affirmative.

(Eugene Benson, ARB) Mr. Benson asks how much water the brewery will use.

(Tom Allen) Mr. Allen says that a batch of beer is 450 gallons, and additional water is needed for cooling and cleaning. He says they plan to capture and re-use as much water as possible, and very little of it will go down the drain.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson asks how much spent grain will the brewing process generate.

(Tom Allen) Mr. Allen says that a single batch of beer will produce about 1000 pounds of spent grain. That's about the size of a pallet, and will be stored in plastic totes.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson asks when the grain will be removed.

(Tom Allen) Mr. Allen expects the grain to be removed in the afternoon, and the end of the brewing process.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson asks about site access for removal.

(Tom Allen) Mr. Allen says they'll use a forklift to load it on to the truck.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson asks how many staff will be involved in the brewing process.

(Tom Allen) Mr. Allen says that will generally be two people.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson asks about the capacity of the restaurant.

(Architect) The architect says it will be around 100 people. 60 on the ground floor, and 40 in the mezzanine.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson asks about the capacity of the outdoor beer garden.

(Architect) The architect says that will be around 100 people.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson asks if they're planning to have food trucks.

(Tom Allen) Mr. Allen says they'll have their own kitchen, and won't need food trucks.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson asks about the total number of employees.

(Tom Allen) Mr. Allen says they expect to have 10--12 employees.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson has a question about the parking spaces in front of the lot. He asks if it's possible to lease additional space at the back of the lot, so those spaces can be moved.

(Mary Winstanley O'Connor) Ms. Winstanley O'Connor says that won't be possible. The property owner is using that area for other purposes.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson asks if the restaurant will offer take-out.

(Tom Allen) Mr. Allen says yes. He expects most of the take out orders to come from people at the hockey rink.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson asks what would happen if someone pulled into the parking lot and found there were no spaces available.

(Tom Allen) Mr. Allen says they'd have to back out and look for parking elsewhere.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson asks if they would consider using a "lot full" sign.

(Tom Allen) Mr. Allen says that's a good idea.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson asks if Mr. Allen has talked to the town regarding ways to prevent people from driving over the bikeway.

(Tom Allen) Mr. Allen says he's spoken with (town Transportation Planner) John Alessi, and he says they're planning changes to the bikeway in that area.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson asks if it will be possible to schedule truck traffic outside of school hours.

(Tom Allen) Mr. Allen says they'll do their best to accommodate that.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson asks if they'll have music in the beer garden.

(Tom Allen) Mr. Allen says there won't be music after 9:00 pm.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson asks how they'll judge volumes.

(Tom Allen) Mr. Allen says that volume will have to be sensitive to neighbors that live nearby.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson asks if the tree warden has reviewed the tree planting list.

(Tom Allen) Mr. Allen says they're planning to use trees from the Tree Committee's preferred species list.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson asks if the mezzanine will have a second means of egress.

(Architect) The architect says the mezzanine's capacity is less than 49, so a second means of egress isn't required.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson asks if the applicants will have to appear before the Conservation Commission.

(Clair Ricker) Ms. Ricker says yes, the applicants will have to file for an NOI.

(Shaina Korman-Houston, ARB) Ms. Korman-Houston has some questions about site circulation. She asks how the applicants plan to handle waste management.

(Tom Allen) Mr. Allen says they'll secure trash behind a gate until it's picked up.

(Shaina Korman-Houston) Ms. Korman-Houston asks about the turning radius of delivery trucks.

(Tom Allen) The applicants show a turning diagram for a delivery truck. Mr. Allen says that delivery vehicles would back in, and pull out.

(Shaina Korman-Houston) Ms. Korman-Houston asks about forklift access.

(Tom Allen) Mr. Allen says forklifts would exit the side of the building, and access delivery vehicles via the drive isle.

(Shaina Korman-Houston) Ms. Korman-Houston asks if the applicants can revisit their LEED checklist, as they're doing a deep energy retrofit. She thinks they should have a higher score.

(Architect) The architect says that LEED checklists don't represent the kinds of changes made during deep energy retrofits, and they don't jive with the state's stretch codes. She'll have to give it some thought.

(Shaina Korman-Houston) Ms. Korman-Houston asks about drainage.

(Architect) The architect says they plan to use the existing gutter system and pervious asphalt.

(Shaina Korman-Houston) Ms. Korman-Houston asks about mechanical screening.

(Architect) The architect says they don't have those plans at this time.

(Kin Lau, ARB) Mr. Lau understands the applicants are proposing an EIFS building. He suggests reinforcing the bottom eight to ten feet, to give it more strength and durability.

(Note: EIFS stands for "exterior insulation finish system")

(Architect) The architect says that's their plan.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau suggests lowering the exterior lights, so they light the parking area without spilling over to the surroundings. He'd like the applicants to provide a light survey.

Mr. Lau asks how the kitchen and mechanical systems will work.

(Architect) The architect says those systems will be mounted on the roof of the building. The mechanicals will be closer to Ryder St and the kitchen exhaust will be towards the back of the building.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau would like the kitchen exhaust to vent away from Ryder St.

Mr. Lau asks if the applicants plan to designate a smoking area.

(Tom Allen) Mr. Allen says there will be no smoking on site.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau asks about the elimination of two parking spaces in front of the building.

(Tom Allen) Mr. Allen says they originally planned to have a few parallel spaces between the utility poles, but removed them after discussions with the abutters.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau asks about the ownership of the driveway to the Artemis.

(Mary Winstanley O'Connor) Mr. Winstanley O'Connor says the driveway will need to be brought into conformance.

(Rachel Zsembery) Ms. Zsembery asks if there will be a drop-off area for ride shares.

(Tom Allen) Mr. Allen says they haven't designated a drop-off area, but they can work on that.

(Rachel Zsembery) Ms. Zsembery asks about snow removal.

(Tom Allen) Mr. Allen says the landlord will take care of snow removal.

(Rachel Zsembery) Ms. Zsembery says that signage could be handled during this hearing, or in a separate hearing. She says the board would need more details of the signage in order to approve it. She asks why the applicants aren't proposing signage on the Forest St. side of the building.

(Tom Allen) Mr. Allen says they've been considering a mural on that side of the building. He felt that signage facing the bikeway would be better.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson asks where employees will park.

(Tom Allen) Mr. Allen says they'll park in the parking lot

(Rachel Zsembery) Ms. Zsembery says the board will take public comment until 8:40 pm, at which point the discussion will return to the board.

(Alex Tee, 2 Ryder St) Mr. Tee says there's no question about the demand for a brewery in town, but there hasn't been any acknowledgment of the burden this will put on the neighborhood. He asks how the supporters of Arlington Brewing Company would feel about having a brewery 80' away from their bedroom. Mr. Tee is concerned about safety. He says Ryder Street lacks basic infrastructure, and there are lots of near misses with traffic. He's concerned about more drivers, alcohol, impaired drivers, and impaired cyclists.

(? Chen, 19 Beck Road) Mr. Chen has the same concerns. There's a lot of heavy truck traffic on Ryder St and it's noisy. He thinks the brewery will add noise and disturbance. Mr. Chen says he sees a lot of mice and raccoons. He thinks the brewery will attract animals and cause health concerns. He thinks that 11:00 pm is too late for business hours and lighting could create a disturbance if it's left on all night.

(Bailey Snyder) Ms. Snyder is a member of the Library Foundation. She says that Arlington Brewing Company really walks the walk when it comes to engaging with different groups in the town.

(Nicole Weber, 14 Ryder St) Ms. Weber says the brewery will add traffic, and that sometimes people park in the Artemis driveway. She says the area is also a walking corridor for middle school students. She suggests moving the entrance from the front to the side of the building.

(Kristin Anderson, 12 Upland Road West) Ms. Anderson says it's very difficult for businesses to find space in Arlington, and Arlington Brewing Company has been looking for four years. She says there's a direct relationship between the economic health of a community and the number of breweries that it has. She hopes the neighbor's concerns can be addressed.

(Jason Montano) Mr. Montano says he's here for personal reasons. He knows Mr. Allen and believes he'll set up a well-run business. He says it's exciting to see new businesses in town, and new opportunities for collaboration.

(Stephanie Hong, 17 Beck Rd) Ms. Hong thinks this is a square peg in a round hole. She says the location isn't a good fit for the neighborhood. There's a landscaper on the street, and they have trucks backing up and turning at 5:00 am. There are also DPW trucks and moving trucks. She says there's lots of noise and traffic. There are DPW events on the weekend, and a brewery will keep noise and traffic going all day long. She's concerned about the dumpster location, and thinks that rink events could congest the streets.

(?, Ryder St) A resident of Ryder Street says this is a combination residential and industrial neighborhood, which relies on quiet after 5:00 pm. They can hear car doors, and people walking by. They think a brewery will change the fabric of the neighborhood, and would be more suitable for a bustling city center. They're concerned about noise, odors, and having windows opened during the summer.

(Chris Walters) Mr. Walters says that Mr. Allen has been brewing beer in his basement for years, and he would have never known this if Mr. Allen hadn't told him. He says there haven't been any odors.

(Chris Loreti, Adams St) Mr. Loreti thinks the corner by the Artemis driveway needs more attention, and perhaps the transformer should be moved. He thinks there shouldn't be a bike path in front of the building and the applicants are providing too many bike parking spaces. He thinks it's problematic for the board to end public comment if there are still people who want to speak.

(Jordan Cass (?), Peirce St) Mr. Cass says he's a great supporter of Arlington Brewing Company and he bikes down Ryder St every day. He thinks the new section of sidewalk will help. He says it's a difficult area to find parking, and expects a lot of people to arrive on foot. He says the brewery will help revitalize the area and remove a property that had a lot of work trucks.

It's 8:40, and discussion returns to the board.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak says he has mixed feelings about having the taproom open until 11:00 pm. He says the West Medford Brewing Company is similarly situated in a residential area, and they're only open until 10:00 pm.

(Tom Allen) Mr. Allen says the taproom wouldn't be open until 11:00 every night, but he'd like to have that option for events.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson thinks the loudest noises will come from the beer garden, and he suggests that close at 9:00 pm.

Mr. Benson says the parking area was created two years ago, and he's not sure it's a pre-existing non-conformity. He thinks it's a strange quirk that we have an industrial district right across the street from a residential one, without any buffer. Mr. Benson is concerned about traffic, though there was none when he visited the site on Saturday.

Mr. Benson reads a section of the bylaw that applies to parking in the industrial district. He thinks something needs to be done with the parking area so it better conforms to those provisions. He wonders if the transportation advisory committee could look at the area. He asks what would happen if 200 people show up.

(Rachel Zsembery) Ms. Zsembery asks about shared parking arrangements.

(Shaina Korman-Houston) Ms. Korman-Houston is also concerned about parking. She thinks the beer garden could close earlier, but not necessarily at 9:00 pm. She wonders if traffic calming can help, and would like to see rendered elevations of the building.

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau asks about a turnaround to mitigate traffic. He used to attend hockey games all the time, and thinks there's less demand for parking these days. He says it's hard to put lots of pressure on one project to fix a bunch of neighborhood problems. He thinks that parking on the street makes it tight, and asks the applicants to consider not using the street as a turnaround. He likes the idea of closing the beer garden a little earlier, and says we can talk about ways to mitigate sound.

(Rachel Zsembery) Ms. Zsembery goes through the list of things the board would like to see from the applicant.

• The location of EV chargers
• Details of the bike shed
• A sign package, including the potential mural
• Investigating options for renting additional parking spaces
• Projections for how patrons will arrive
• Looking at the feasibility for using the snow storage area as a turnaround.
• Revisiting the LEED checklist
• Using mesh to reinforce the lower 8' of the EIFS system
• Lowering exterior lights
• A lighting plan
• Having the kitchen exhaust vent away from Ryder St
• Documentation that the site will be designated as non-smoking
• Identification of a ride share pickup location
• Hours of operation

The board discusses hours of operation. The applicants will have to appear before the Select Board when obtaining their business license, and the Select Board will also have input into hours of operation.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson notes the industrial district parking regulations in Section 6.1.11.F.

(Rachel Zsembery) Ms. Zsembery asks about plans for bikeway improvements by the Ed Burns arena.

(Claire Ricker) Ms. Ricker says there will be a public hearing in March.

The board votes to continue the hearing until March 24th.

Warrant Articles for 2025 Annual Town Meeting

These are public hearings for this year's zoning articles.

Article 28 - Definition of Lot Coverage

(Claire Ricker) Ms. Ricker says that Article 28 proposes to add a definition of "Lot Coverage". It will refer to the definition of "Building Coverage", which is how Inspectional Services has been interpreting the bylaw.

There's no discussion from the board, and no comments from the public.

Article 29 - Parking in Residential Districts

(Claire Ricker) Ms. Ricker says that Article 29 is a proposal from the Zoning Board of Appeals, to clarify the section on parking in residential districts.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak thinks the proposed language is easier to understand than the current bylaw. He sometimes struggled with this section during his tenure on the ZBA.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson suggests a change to the background section.

(Shaina Korman-Houston) Ms. Korman-Houston suggests adding the words "and in a garage located" to section 6.1.10.A(1)(b).

(Kin Lau) Mr. Lau thinks there should be an option to allow driveways within 20' of an intersection by special permit.

The chair opens the hearing to public comment.

(Chris Loreti, Adams St) Mr. Loreti thinks the proposed language is harder to understand than what's currently in the bylaw. He thinks it should clarify where additional parking can be located. He suggests the intersection to driveway distance be 2x the width of the driveway, plus 15 feet.

Article 30 - Screening and Buffer Requirements

(Claire Ricker) Ms. Ricker says that Article 30 is an administrative change to remove duplication in sections 5.3.7 and 5.3.21.

There's no comment from the board.

The chair opens the hearing to public comment.

(Susan Stamps) Ms. Stamps says the buffers will be at least three feet wide, which is large enough for a shade tree. She suggests the buffer include shade trees every 25'.

There are no more comments from the public.

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak recalls the discussion of front setbacks for the MBTA Communities zoning. There was debate over whether front setbacks should be 10' or 15', and an argument that 10' wasn't large enough for a shade tree. Based on those discussions, Mr. Revilak doesn't feel that 3' is adequate for a shade tree.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson would like to limit the changes to administrative corrections.

(Shaina Korman-Houston) Ms. Korman-Houston concurs.

Article 31 - Redevelopment Board Jurisdiction

(Claire Ricker) Ms. Ricker says that two environmental design review cases have come before the board where an applicant wanted to add dormers to a single- or two-family home along the minuteman bikeway. This article would remove the ARB's jurisdiction along the bikeway, for single- and two-family homes in the R1 and R2 districts.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson suggests a change to the overview paragraph.

The chair opens the hearing to public comment.

(Chris Loreti) Mr. Loreti thinks this article should apply to all single- and two-family homes along the bikeway, not just those located in the R1 and R2 districts.

There are no more comments from the public.

The board discusses Mr. Loreti's suggestion, and decides to leave the article as-is. Some of the single- and two-family homes along the bikeway are in industrial districts, and the board would like to retain jurisdiction over those parcels.

The board votes to continue warrant article hearings to March 10th.

Discussion of B1 Rezoning

This discussion of B1 rezoning is more about the board's process for reviewing properties in the B1 district. Mr. Revilak and Mr. Benson have visited all of the B1 parcels and taken notes. Mr. Lau has visited most of them. Board members will continue to do this individually.

Open Forum

There are no speakers for tonight's open forum.

New Business

(Rachel Zsembery) Ms. Zsembery would like to review the hearing schedule for the remaining warrant articles. The dates are

• March 10. Articles 25--27.
• March 17. Articles 36, 37, 38, 40--43, and 44.
• March 24. Articles involving map changes
• April 7. Discussion and voting

(Steve Revilak) Mr. Revilak has been reading the zoning for the MIX (Mixed Use Innovation) district that Burlington adopted in January. The district covers the Burlington Mall area, and the bylaw says it's purpose is to encourage a "vibrant live, work, play district". The MIX district permits multi-family housing, townhomes, mixed use, and a range of commercial uses. The regulations are form-based and cover height, setbacks, fenestration, and impervious surface area. The zoning includes block standards and complete street standards.

Mr. Revilak thinks this would make a good framework for some of Arlington's industrial districts.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson says the town's zoning and GIS maps don't include the MBTA multi-family districts. He thinks it would be a good idea to update them.

(Claire Ricker) Ms. Ricker says she's been working with GIS staff on that.

(Eugene Benson) Mr. Benson says the snow around 149 Pleasant St hasn't been shoveled all winter.

Meeting adjourned.