[Town Meeting] second amendment for TMM list ASAP

[pbworden1 at comcast.net]

Article 8 



Amendment 





  

I move to amend the recommended vote of the Arlington Redevelopment Board by adding to Section 11.09, b 7 the following words: 



  

“The other unit must be rented at no more than an affordable price as defined in Article 11, Section 11.08.” 



Patricia B. Worden 

TMM, Precinct 8 











Reasons to Vote No on Article 8 ( even if amended) 





  

At the public hearing on Article 8 establishment of accessory apartments not one member of the public spoke in favor of the article.   Several spoke against it. 



  

Article 8 if successful would result in conversion of R1and RO districts to R2 districts.   There would be resulting frequent construction activity for expansion in addition to possible total demolition of single family houses and replacement with maximum size structures each with two dwelling units.   Loss of diversity of residential neighborhoods.   Several thousand new residential units could be built. 



  

Arlington ’s vehicular density has increased during the last decade.   Article 8 would cause further vehicular and traffic increase and traffic congestion. 



  

Arlington ’s zoning bylaw already makes provision for controlled legal room rentals for up to three persons in a dwelling unit (Art. 6   8.01).   That is sufficient to accommodate persons needing temporary living space.   Any required additional bathrooms or entrances can be created by right under current zoning. 



  

Arlington is one of the most densely populated towns in Massachusetts .   Its open space is rated as too low for its size and density.   Article 8 could increase population density to levels inconsistent with capacity to maintain a decent quality of life including recreational space and public education.   If ten accessory apartments each have a child among the tenants, the Town of Arlington would have to spend about 1.5 million dollars educating them.   So the costs to the Town of educating children in hundreds or thousands of these units and of building new schools would be astronomical.   Landlords cannot discriminate against children. 



  

Accessory apartments should be restricted to relatives including elderly or disabled.   



  

If Article 8 passes there will be constant pressure to allow overnight parking.   There is already a lack of enforcement. 



  

Arlington ’s housing density is the highest among all surrounding towns.   The only housing lack in Arlington is for affordable dwellings.   But Article 8 does not address this need. 



  

ARB’s recommended vote on Article 8 specifies that the accessory apartment must be contained within the gross floor area of the dwelling at the time of application for the permit.   This means that when a developer purchases a single family house for conversion to contain an accessory apartment he needs simply to make sure he completes the   addition beyond the footprint or finishes the total demolition and construction of a maximum sized house with rental unit prior to applying for the accessory apartment. 





  

When the owner of a house with an accessory apartment dies or moves away the accessory apartment designation should end. 



  

ARB has presented no plan for preventing abuses for those circumventing the rules. 



  

Replacement of single family houses by towering McMansions each containing a rental unit is likely to reduce to minimum standards the current side yards and yard space and cause tree removal – landscape features which make Arlington attractive.
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://seven.pairlist.net/pipermail/townmeeting/attachments/20120421/6e54111f/attachment.html>