Arlington Conservation Commission Continues Dudley Street Hearing Amid DEP Stormwater Objections

ARLINGTON -- December 4, 2025, Arlington Conservation Commission defers commercial expansion permit at 26 Dudley Street after state DEP objections. The commission, chaired by Chuck Tironi, continued the notice of intent hearing for a project proposing two additions totaling roughly 3,857 square feet to an existing commercial building near Mill Brook, after DEP reviewer Alicia Galen submitted written comments concluding the project does not appear to meet the state's redevelopment standard and that a proposed 35-square-foot reduction in impervious surface "does not provide a meaningful improvement." Commissioner David Kaplan called the stormwater design a "real missed opportunity" in water quality improvement, and Commissioner Nathaniel Stevens noted the submitted calculations used standard NOAA Atlas 14 data rather than the "plus plus" figure required by Arlington's local wetlands regulations. Applicant representative Nicole Farrar of LEC Environmental said her firm plans to meet with DEP on December 9 and believes Galen "did not fully understand or review the application." The commission also voted unanimously to support a letter backing updated statewide Wetlands Protection Act regulations and a second letter endorsing a Community Preservation Act application for the Cook's Hollow open space project.