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Neighbors Push Back as Arlington Board Delays Vote on Cannabis Dispensary Proposal

A 47-year Pine Avenue resident said she felt "betrayed" by town officials. Her neighbor warned of floodwaters rushing across Summer Street. A woman whose husband was nearly killed in a car crash outside the site questioned why a second curb cut was even necessary. Residents turned out for a July 6 hearing to oppose a proposed marijuana dispensary at 251 Summer Street — and the Arlington Redevelopment Board heard them out before unanimously voting to demand a round of design and engineering fixes before the application can advance.

Government

Arlington ZBA Closes Hearings on Orchard Terrace Porch and Heath Road Driveway; Votes Set for July 14

The Arlington Zoning Board of Appeals wrapped up public hearings on two residential special permit applications at its June 23 meeting, with the board signaling it is inclined to approve both — a two-story enclosed porch addition at 14 Orchard Terrace and a second driveway at 25-27 Heath Road. Final votes are scheduled for July 14. The Heath Road application carries a notable condition requiring the applicant to consult the town's tree warden before the permit is finalized.

Government

Arlington Schools Eye Math Overhaul From K-5 Through Middle School; Deputy Superintendent to Depart After 2026-27

The Arlington School Committee received a sweeping set of math-instruction recommendations Tuesday night — including a full audit of the district's decade-old elementary curriculum and a new internal review of how middle schoolers are sorted into math courses — while also approving a one-year contract extension for Deputy Superintendent Dr. Mona Ford Walker, who announced she will leave the district after next school year.

Government

Arlington Select Board Approves FIFA Watch Parties, Defers Tree Decision Near Stratton School

The Arlington Select Board voted unanimously Monday to authorize one-day beer and wine licenses for four FIFA World Cup watch parties at Reservoir Beach honoring hometown U.S. Men's National Team defender Miles Robinson — then spent nearly an hour debating whether to remove a 90-year-old London plane tree on Hemlock Street before unanimously deferring that decision to its June 22 meeting.

Government

Arlington Finance Committee Flags Enforcement Costs, Fee Hikes, and School Energy Questions Ahead of Town Meeting

With a $14.8 million Proposition 2½ override on the horizon, Arlington's Finance Committee spent its March 18 meeting pressing Town Manager Jim Feeney, Deputy Town Manager Julie Wayman, and Deputy Town Manager Christine Bongiorno on the real costs behind several warrant articles — including a proposed dark sky lighting bylaw that drew sharp skepticism, a three-part fee modernization package, and a school electrification feasibility study with uncertain outside funding.

Government

Arlington Students Push Bird-Safe Windows as School Committee Eyes New State Graduation Rules

Three Arlington High School freshmen stood before the School Committee on May 28 to describe finding dead birds in the AHS courtyard — and to propose a fix. Their presentation opened a meeting that also surfaced a potentially sweeping change for every Arlington high schooler: a new state graduation framework that could require senior capstones, end-of-course assessments, and FAFSA completion.

Government

Arlington Town Meeting Wraps Up: Union Contracts Ratified, $3M in Community Preservation Funds Approved

Arlington's 2026 Annual Town Meeting closed its final session Wednesday night by ratifying long-delayed union contracts for police and firefighters and directing more than $3 million in Community Preservation Act funds — the two votes with the most immediate impact on town employees and residents — before working through a slate of resolutions on surveillance privacy, healthcare, environmental policy, and workplace rights.

Government

Arlington ZBA Clears Path for Historic Cottage Renovation, Sets Final Vote for June 9

The Arlington Zoning Board of Appeals voted unanimously Tuesday night to close the public hearing on a special permit application for a second-floor bathroom addition to a circa-1900 workers' cottage at 9 Lancaster Road — setting up a formal approval vote for June 9 after the board directed Co-Chair Patrick Hanlon to draft a written decision in favor of the permit.

Government

Arlington Town Meeting Night 7: Red Line Ban Repeal, MBTA Zoning Rules Among Key Votes

Town meeting members on Monday voted to authorize the Select Board to seek repeal of a 46-year-old state law banning Red Line expansion into Arlington — a symbolic but potentially consequential step — while also revising how the town's MBTA Communities zoning overlay defines ground-floor commercial space, in a session that worked through the fine print of Arlington's post-MBTA Communities zoning reality.

Government

Arlington Schools Land $2M Green Grant, Expand Free Meals Program

Arlington Public Schools received a $2 million state grant for the Hardy Elementary School electrification project the same evening the district's food services team showcased a universal free meals program that has erased income-based barriers for families across all 11 schools — the two headline outcomes from the School Committee's May 14 hybrid meeting.

Government

Arlington Conservation Commission Faces Twin Crossroads on Open Space, Tribal Access

Two of Arlington's most consequential conservation decisions — what to do with a deteriorating historic house atop Mount Gilboa, and whether to formalize Indigenous access to a site the Massachusett Tribe considers its last foothold in town — moved to the front of the agenda at the May 7, 2026 Conservation Commission meeting. Both questions hinge on the same constitutional provision: Article 97.