Thorndike Place (The Mugar '40B' large development near Thorndike Field in East Arlington) will be discussed at the upcoming Zoning Board of Appeals meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 25 at 7:30pm. You can find the meeting info also on our ARFRR Meetings and Contacts Page or follow the Zoom/phone links below.
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://town-arlington-ma-us.zoom.us/j/94599281468
Or iPhone one-tap :
US: +13126266799,,94599281468# or +16468769923,,94599281468#
Or Telephone:
Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 312 626 6799
Rendering of a 100-year flood at the new Vox housing project across Rt. 2 in Cambridge. By Mike Nakagawa
Q: Why is it that Cambridge is able to build a small satellite city on its side of Rt. 2, but Arlington continues to oppose anything on its side, even though they're part of the same floodplain?
A: Because Cambridge paved over and built on its side long before the Wetlands Protection Act (WPA) was passed in 1972. The WPA prohibits exactly the kind of development you see there now.
Q: But much of that is brand new!
A: This land was first developed long before the WPA was passed in 1972. Thus, it can be redeveloped. Many WPA provisions still apply. In contrast, the Mugar site has -never- been developed, so WPA prohibitions against developing there are much more sweeping.
Q: But they built a new luxury housing project of 100 to 200 units in the Belmont portion of Alewife, just recently, on land that was never developed. How was that allowed?
A: The area is called the Belmont "Uplands," because that plot of land rises just enough above the floodplain to be exempt from some of the WPA's restrictions. The land was raised by dumping fill from the construction or expansion of Rt. 2 there, again long before the 1972 passage of the WPA, which would have prohibited it. The Town of Belmont opposed the development.
Q: So why is Mugar trying to develop his property if the WPA prohibits that?
A: Much like the Belmont Uplands, Mugar claims that some portions of his site are above a certain elevation, and therefore can be built on. Both Mugar and the Town of Arlington have surveyed the site, mapping its elevations. The two surveys differ on the elevations of certain areas. Not surprisingly, the Mugar survey claims higher elevations for certain areas than does the town survey.
Q: Why is it a bad idea to build in a floodplain?
A: When water hits the ground, it will sink in, unless the ground is paved over, built on, or already saturated with water, in which case it spreads out. Floodplains are the lowest points around. Surface water which can't sink in flows there first, then spreads outward from there. Building housing or parking in a floodplain causes the water on one landowner's property to spread out and damage the property of people nearby during heavy rains or spring thaws. The WPA recognizes the value of floodplains in preventing property damage.
Q: What does this mean for Arlington?
A: In 1996, 1998 and 2002, parts of Arlington (and parts of Belmont and Cambridge) near Alewife were badly flooded by 25- and 50-year storms, so-called because storms of their severity were statistically expected to occur only once every 25 or 50 years. Damage included flooding of basements up to several feet, ruining washers, dryers, heating systems, and anything else. The fire department had to wait several days, until the floodwaters subsided, before it could use firetrucks to pump out basements. Homes that were flooded were subject to mold. Residents have pictures of high water marks on the outsides of their houses that are 3 to 4 feet above the ground.
The degree of damage from these storms would have been less, if less floodplain in Cambridge was developed. Similarly, the degree of damage from future storms (which, due to climate change, are increasing in frequency and severity) will be greater the more floodplain that is developed.
Q: Are there photos and video of what happens in area floods or could happen in the future?
A: Yes, click here to see a collection of photos, many by East Arlington residents, showing various floods:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/xwvj6hl41jpx90q/AADAlPT-DYRkimSaJpTdZGKka?dl=0
Click here for video footage of the 1996, 1998, 2001, and 2010 floods (4 floods in 15 years, none of them 100-year floods). C2015, Glenn Koenig, Open Eyes Video.
By Aram Hollman
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You can read our earlier post on the Mugar Development on our blog: https://blog-arfrr.blogspot.com/2020/04/mugar-update.html
You can also read more about the situation on the Save Mugar Wetlands website:
