Arlington Redevelopment Board Recommends Favorable Action on 12 of 20 Zoning Articles

ARLINGTON — March 30, 2026 — Arlington Redevelopment Board clears 12 zoning articles for 2026 Annual Town Meeting, rejects five. The board voted through articles covering accessory dwelling unit administrative fixes, drive aisle width reduction from 24 to 22 feet, electronic marquee signs for the town's two historic theaters, animal daycare use in business districts, and a rezoning of parcels on Norcross Street, North Union Street, Gardner Street, and Granton Park from R1 to R2 — all headed to town meeting with favorable recommendations. The sharpest divide came on Article 53, a proposal to redefine ground floor commercial area in the Mass Ave and Broadway multifamily overlay district to include unenclosed space; Member Vince Baudouin said the change "isn't a real administrative clarification" and would reduce both commercial space and housing units, and the board voted 4-1 to recommend no action, with Member Rachel Zanberry the sole dissenter. Three additional articles — proposing modified bicycle parking, commercial space, and affordable unit calculations for 100 percent affordable housing projects in the overlay districts — were voted down 5-0 as conceptually sound but misplaced in the bylaw. The board also voted 5-0 to extend the charge of the Arlington Affordable Housing Overlay Committee through 2027 Annual Town Meeting, giving that body one additional year to complete a draft overlay district bylaw.