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Thorndike Place Wetlands Permit

The Department of Environmental Protection has received an appeal of the Notice of Intent for Thorndike Place.

Post Date:10/07/2025

Project Summary

Thorndike Place is a proposed rental and ownership residential community on a 17.7-acre parcel of land in Arlington. As proposed, the project consists of 6 duplex family homes and 124 rental apartments for adults over 62 years of age. In addition to the buildings, the proposal includes structured and outside parking, landscaping, lighting, stormwater management facilities, and utilities. Approximately 12 acres of the site are proposed to be preserved in perpetuity as open space.

On September 6, 2023, the Arlington Conservation Commission received a Notice of Intent (NOI) only under the Massachusetts Wetland Protection Act (WPA) for construction of the Thorndike Place Residential Community.

The NOI proposes work within the FEMA 100-Year Floodplain / Bordering Land Subject to Flooding (BLSF), as well as within the Buffer Zone to Bordering Vegetated Wetlands (BVW). Mitigation measures are proposed to compensate for the impacts to these resources.

The project proposes impacts of 32,616 square feet (sf) of Bordering Land Subject to Flooding (BLSF) with 4,392.9 cubic feet (cu ft) of fill. To compensate for this impact, the project offers to provide 9,160.8 cu ft of compensatory flood storage (at a 2:1 ratio). The project also proposes to impact 34,084 sf of the 100-foot Buffer Zone to Bordering Vegetated Wetlands (BVW) with a building, and areas of impervious as well as porous pavement. To mitigate this impact, the project proposes replacing vegetation in a woodland restoration area and other areas of the site (as proposed in the Planting Plan). No work is proposed within the BVW resource area.

The Conservation Commission opened the public hearing for this NOI under the WPA on September 21, 2023. A Comprehensive Permit, which includes specific conditions in consideration under Arlington’s Bylaw and implementing Wetland Regulations, was granted by the Arlington Zoning Board of Appeals on November 22, 2021.

On March 6, 2025, the Conservation Commission moved a vote on the NOI. The vote was split 2-2. In such circumstances the Wetlands Protection Act allows the applicant 70 days to appeal the inaction to MassDEP. On May 2, 2025, MassDEP received such an appeal.

MassDEP Appeal

Materials Provided by MassDEP

March 6, 2025 Meeting

View a recording of the March 6 meeting here.

Correspondence Received:
Statement by Vice Chair Susan Chapnick

February 6, 2025 Meeting

Thorndike Place Supplemental Materials	Correspondence Received:
GZA Peer Review BSC Response to GZA Peer Review BSC Final Plan Presentation	Clarissa Rowe Scott Horsley Scott Horsley - Response to BSC Revised Plans MMA - Response to BSC Revised Plans MMA - Addendum to Response Coalition to Save the Mugar Wetlands

January 16, 2025 Meeting

Thorndike Place Supplemental Materials	Correspondence Received:
BSC Response to GZA Peer Review BSC Revised Stormwater Calculations BSC Revised Stormwater Report BSC Revised ISMP BSC Revised Full Plan Set	MMA - Response to BSC submittal

December 5, 2024 Meeting

Correspondence Received:

November 7, 2024 Meeting

Correspondence Received:

October 24, 2024 Meeting

Thorndike Place Supplemental Materials	Correspondence Received:
GZA Stormwater Standards Peer Review BSC Response to GZA Peer Review BSC Revised Stormwater Calculations	MMA Response to GZA Letter Coalition to Save the Mugar Wetlands

August 15, 2024 Meeting

Thorndike Place Supplemental Materials	Correspondence Received:
GZA Stormwater Standards Peer Review	Coalition to Save the Mugar Wetlands

August 1, 2024 Meeting

Correspondence Received:
Peter Fiore Jill Broughton GM Hakim Elisabeth Ann Logan Carol Sweeney

July 11, 2024 Meeting

Correspondence Received:
Helene Martel Jacob Evans Lisa Friedman Mark McCabe Michael Mobile Michelle Race Vasanthi Viswanathan

June 20, 2024 Meeting

Thorndike Place Supplemental Materials	Correspondence Received:
Summary of Submitted Stormwater Materials, provided by BSC	Coalition to Save the Mugar Wetlands

June 6, 2024 Meeting

Thorndike Place Supplemental Materials	Correspondence Received:
Stormwater Peer Review Proposal - GZA Stormwater Peer Review Proposal - Hatch Revised Stormwater Peer Review Proposal - Hatch Stormwater Peer Review - Hatch	Coalition to Save the Mugar Wetlands Referenced MyRWA Climate Climate-Resilient Riverbank and Ecological Restoration Report Part 1 Part 2 John Yurewicz MMA - Proposed Frimpter Adjustments Scott Horsley - Groundwater Methods Stephanie Kiefer - Applicant Response to Peer Review Proposals

May 16, 2024 Meeting

Thorndike Place Supplemental Materials	Correspondence Received:
BSC - Groundwater Elevations - 05.09.2024	MMA - Preliminary Review of BSC Groundwater Mounding Analysis

May 2, 2024 Meeting

View a recording of the May 2 meeting here.

Thorndike Place Supplemental Materials:	Correspondence Received:
Additional Test Pit Summary by BSC BSC re: Arlington Land Trust – Weston & Sampson Resiliency Review (2021) Letter from Stephanie Kiefer re: Weston & Sampson review for Arlington Land Trust	Coalition to Save the Mugar Wetlands Lisa Friedman Scott Oran Wolfgang Kirstein, Town of Arlington witness test pit locations and notes McDonald Morrissey Associates, groundwater mounding analysis Arlington Land Trust – Weston & Sampson Resiliency Review with ALT memo Arlington Land Trust – Weston & Sampson Resiliency Review (Draft)	Arlington Land Trust – Weston & Sampson Resiliency Review talking points Arlington Land Trust Test Pit Data (gathered by Town of Arlington for 03/30/24 to 04/12/24) Test Pit ALT-1 Graph Test Pit ALT-2 Graph Test Pit ALT-1 Data Test Pit ALT-2 Data Results provided by ALT 03/18/24 to 03/30/24

April 18, 2024 Meeting

Correspondence Received:
Kathleen Glenn Lillian Swanstrom Rachel Roth Rajeev Soneja

April 4, 2024 Meeting

View a recording of the April 4 meeting here.

Thorndike Place Peer Reviews and Responses:	Correspondence Received:
SWCA ISMP Thorndike Place Arlington MA 3.27.24 SWCA Peer Review - Additional Response to Applicant Comments Letter Hatch Peer Review - Stormwater Standards - Ross Mullen BSC Group Response to ISMP	Anna Y. Anthony & Cori Beckwith Ben Peterson Gene O'Neill Janis Fleishman Jeannette Cummings and Julie DiBiase Jennifer Watson	Julia McKay Madeleine Webster McDonald Morrisey Associates Mia Celluci Pama Miller Sally Harris

March 21, 2024 Meeting

View a recording of the March 21 meeting here.

Thorndike Place Peer Reviews and Responses:	Correspondence Received:
BSC Invasive Species Management Plan - 03-07-2024 BSC Restoration Plan Supplemental Materials - 03-12-2024 SWCA Response to Restoration Plan Supplemental Materials - 03-14-2024 BSC Test Pit Summary Report - 03-13-2024 Hatch Permit Recommendation - 03-15-2024	MA Assn Conservation Districts - Brian Mariano Amy Antczak Anita and Gary Gryan Ann and Abdul Hannan Brian Mariano Brid Coogan Brooke Bartion and Ian Marge Cissy Yang Coalition to Save the Mugar Wetlands Donna Vanderlinden Ed Walsh Erin Freeburger GM Hakim Ian Howard Jin Xu John C. Yurewicz Kamil Mroczek and Kristin Wallace Karen Fanale	Karen Petho Kim Carney-Wong Lena Nahan Lisa Fredman Marjorie Howard Mark McCabe Nancy Ulrich Nicholas Ide Peggy Hallinan Peter Fiore Robin Doughty Scott Horsley Comment Letter - 03-18-2024 Shona Gibson Sue Barry Tom Woodbury Town Test Pit Report - 03-18-2024

March 7, 2024 Meeting

View a recording of the March 7 meeting here.

Thorndike Place Peer Reviews and Responses:	Correspondence Received:
SWCA Response to BSC Group Comments on Habitat Evaluation Peer Review - 03-06-2024 BSC Group Response to Stormwater Peer Review - 02-28-2024 J. Hession Flooding Memo - 10-04-2021 BETA Review Flood Mitigation - 10-08-2021 McPhail Associates Building Memo Update - 02-28-2024	Arlington Land Trust - Approval of Monitoring Wells - 03-05-2024 Coalition to Save the Mugar Wetlands Rep. Dave Rogers

February 15, 2024 Meeting

View a recording of the February 15 meeting here.

Thorndike Place Peer Reviews and Responses:	Correspondence Received:
Revised Thorndike Place Stormwater Review - 02-14-2024 Response to Stormwater Peer Review Comments - 02-13-2024 Thorndike Stormwater Review - 02-07-2024 Response to Landscape Restoration Peer Review - 02-07-2024	Arlington Land Trust Brian Mariano Coalition to Save the Mugar Wetlands 1 of 2 Coalition to Save the Mugar Wetlands 2 of 2 Elaine Lyte GM Hakin Lisa Fredman Horsley supplemental letter - 02-07-2024

February 1, 2024 Meeting

View a recording of the February 1 meeting here.

Thorndike Place Peer Reviews and Responses:	Correspondence Received:
SWCA Environmental Consultants Habitat Evaluation Peer Review - 01-23-2024 Hatch Engineering Stormwater Peer Review - 01-23-2024 BSC Group Response to Stormwater Peer Review - 01-24-2024	Coalition to Save the Mugar Wetlands 1 of 2 Coalition to Save the Mugar Wetlands 2 of 2 Brid Coogan Elaine Lyte Jeanette Cummings Lisa Fredman Peter Fiore Scott Horsley

January 18, 2024 Meeting

Correspondence Received:

December 21, 2023 Meeting

Correspondence Received:

Diego Gianolo

December 14, 2023 Meeting

Request from Applicant:	Correspondence Received:
Request to Continue Hearing	Scott Horsley Rep. Sean Garballey League of Women Voters Arlington (LWVA) Coalition to Save the Mugar Wetlands

November 16, 2023 Meeting

View a recording of the November 16, 2023 meeting here.

Thorndike Place Peer Review Solicitation:	Correspondence Received:
Response from Hatch to Habitat Peer Review Solicitation Response from SWCA to Habitat Peer Review Solicitation Email from Stephanie Kiefer to David Morgan	Coalition to Save Mugar Wetlands Colleen Kirby Julia and Robert Dibiase Scott Horsley Supplemental information submitted by Scott Horsley Sen. Cindy Friedman Steve Moore

November 2, 2023 Meeting

View a recording of the November 2, 2023 meeting here.

Thorndike Place Peer Review Solicitation:	Correspondence Received:
Peer Review Solicitation Email from David Morgan to Stephanie Kiefer and Dominic Rinaldi Response from Hatch to Stormwater Peer Review Solicitation Response from Kleinfelder to Stormwater Peer Review Solicitation Response from Weston & Sampson to Stormwater Peer Review Solicitation	Coalition to Save the Mugar Wetlands Jo Ann Reneker John Yurewicz Rep. Dave Rogers Robert and Julie DiBiase

October 19, 2023 Meeting

View a recording of the October 19, 2023 meeting here.

General Materials:	Correspondence Received:
Memo from Stephanie Kiefer Concerning Supplemental Materials for Thorndike Place Hearing Memo from David Morgan Concerning Thorndike Place Planting Plan Peer Review Recusal of David White from Thorndike Place Proceedings Conservation Commission Site Visit Summary (10/11/23)	Julie DiBiase Coalition to Save the Mugar Wetlands Brian McBride Nina Shepardson

September 21, 2023 Meeting

View a recording of the September 21, 2023 meeting here.

Thorndike Place Notice of Intent:	Third-Party Review:	Correspondence Received:
Cover Letter Notice of Intent Plan Set Stormwater Report	Whitestone Test Pit Third-Party Review	Peter Fiore Anna Yuan Sara Augood