MAPC information about housing in Arlington.
The legend above the graphics on the screen at the Senior Center was at once stark and obvious: “HOUSING PRICES ARE INCREASINGLY OUT OF REACH.”
So was the supporting data provided by Jennifer M. Goldson, a planning consultant for the town: One in three households here spends more than 30 percent of their income on housing. Further, the sale price affordable to a median income in Arlington is about $310,000, but the median sale price of homes in town was $580,000 in 2015.
Can we address key issues about Arlington housing? Thirty-five residents, hunched in discussion over seven tables, tried.
In a “visioning” session Tuesday, Feb. 2, aimed at moving toward a town housing production plan in May, participants were encouraged to use “perfect-world thinking.” Thus, they offered a wide-ranging list of options.
That list is expected to be refined against the glint of practicality at a second public session, in April.
After that, a proposed housing plan will go for approval to the Redevelopment Board and then selectmen. The plan was last updated in 2004 and is among the recommendations of the town’s first comprehensive master plan, adopted a year ago.
For those who stayed to the end of the two hours, and most did, the scope of Arlington’s housing problem became clearer, and residents, undaunted by depressing statistics, took their best shots at possible solutions.
Housing issues
Goldson and Karina Milchman, of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), laid out the problems.
Illustrating some were background graphics; others emerged as participants answered raise-your-hand-type questions.
Those that night were mainly Arlington residents who had moved here from 1990 to ’99 and were 45 or older.
Told that 51 percent in Boston rent, they raised hands in response to questions about many rent in Arlington.
Over 50 percent? No hands.
From 40 to 44 percent? Ten hands.
Less than 40? Three hands raised, and that was the correct answer (38 percent).
What is the average rent for a one-bedroom unit in town?
The options increased from $1,055 to $1,655. Many hands raise at the last number, and that was right.
In Arlington, those with extremely low income — two people making $22,600 or less a year — live in 2,100 households, or 11 percent of all in town.
How many spend half on housing?
Against this number, participants were asked: How many of all in town spend more than 50 percent for housing?
Of options from 500 to 1,300, most chose the highest number, and that was correct.
Other disheartening numbers arose:
Between 2000 and 2014, how many of the town’s 7,828 rent-occupied units converted to condos?
Most hands raised at 1,460, or 10 percent, the correct number.
And the median sale price of a condo in 2015? $248,000.
Compare that to the most recent median sale price of a single-family home in town, $641.000.
Options for growth?
Now line up all of those numbers against some realities that run like Mass. Ave. straight up the spine of Arlington:
The 5-square-mile built-out town, with 5-percent protected open space, has little developable land. On a map shown that night, one spot stood out — in East Arlington, along Route 2: the Mugar site.
Over a consultant’s map showing Arlington’s zoning districts was the legend “Zoning Does Not Easily Accommodate a Range of Development Types.”
“Discussion of mixed use is coming up at Town Meeting” in April, Goldson noted. Among recommendations in the master plan is a zoning option mixing, for example, commercial on the ground floor with apartments above.
And of course, demand for housing continues here, as does the changing neighborhood environment: Against a 4-percent vacancy rate, consider the number of teardowns between 2013 and 15 — 56.
The number households in town, 18,969 in 2010, are expected to rise to 20,844 in 2030. Through 2020, the demand for more housing units is expected to be about 200.
One participant piped up: “Where ya gonna get 200 units?”
Goldson responded: “That’s the question, and we’ll get to that.”
And they did.
Housing options
After conferring for a half hour trying to imagine a better housing future, those at seven tables were stopped by a Zen bell. Then facilitators from each table presented their ideas. Here is a list of some of them:
— Put back some farms, orchards
— More affordable units and condos to own for low and middle income
— Cohousing
— Encourage elders and young people living together
— Smaller, more affordable homes
— Mixed-use and mixed-income development
— Encourage a village concept in which all have access to shops
— Return to the Arlington of 50 years ago
— Wider variety of diverse housing styles
— Self-contained senior housing development
— Tree houses, which drew laughter
In response to a second exercise, seeking community housing goals, participants offered these ideas:
— More energy-efficient housing
— Smaller apartments
— Rooming houses
— Cooperative housing
— Family-size rental
— Mobile homes
Ideas suggested for those over 65 included:
— Townwide structure to foster neighbors’ development
— Rental options for seniors
— Control escalating property taxes
— State and federal grants and loans to seniors to pay for weatherizing and retrofitting living spaces (e.g., to build a first-floor bedroom)
— Contractors who don’t scam elderly
Ideas about barriers and compromises included:
— Do not cut down mature trees
— Seek underused sites and provide incentive for establishing housing
— Increase parking by changing overnight rules
— Broadens zoning that now allows only one building on a lot
— Charge developers fees for condo conversion
— Keep investing in education
— Bring the Red Line to Arlington
At the next session, in April, participants will aim to work out housing strategies for the final draft report.
Laura Wiener, interim director of Planning and community development, welcomed presenters and was among the facilitators.
On hand was Jennifer Raitt, MAPC’s assistant director of land-use planning and chief housing planner. As of Feb. 16, she is Arlington’s director of planning.
Town Housing Plan Advisory Committee
All links to adopted town master plan >>
This report was published Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2016. Arlington resident Marjorie Howard provided information that helped in preparing this story.
