UPDATED April 10: Zoning is the set of laws that regulate how land is used -- everything from what can be built to how buildings can be used. It shapes buildings, blocks and entire neighborhoods.

Yet how it works can be confusing. Please join us at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 5, as those involved seek to demystify Arlington's zoning.

This will be a strictly informational forum, with plenty of time to answer your questions. 

Speakers are Amy Dain, Laura Weiner, Jenny Raitt, Rachel Zsembery, Alex Bagnall and Steve Revilak. They are a Boston-area zoning expert, as well as representatives from Arlington's Department of Planning and Community Development, the town Redevelopment Board and Envision Arlington.

They will cover:

• What is zoning: an overview;
• A brief history of how zoning was created in communities like ours;
• General information about Arlington's zoning maps;
• Pictures: What types of structures current zoning allows and doesn't allow; and
• Your questions.

This presentation is expected to be taped, but details about that remain incomplete.

This news summary was published Tuesday, March 22, 2022, and updated April 10, to add video.