Mugar Project Receives 40B Project Approval From State

ARLINGTON, Ma. - The proposed development for the Mugar land obtained 40B project eligibility from MassHousing, according to WickedLocalArlington.com.

Chapter 40B is a state statute, which enables local Zoning Boards of Appeals to approve affordable housing developments under flexible rules if at least 20 to 25 percent of the units have long-term affordability restrictions

The Mugar family wants to build 219 units in East Arlington.

There are a number of people in town who oppose the proposed development, including officials.

The 17-acre Mugar property is the last large, privately owned tract of vacant land in Arlington. Located in the southeast corner of East Arlington by Route 2, the Mugar property is adjacent to Thorndike Field and the Alewife Reservation. Arlington officials have been concerned about the Mugar land for many years, according to the town’s website. In 2000, Town Meeting approved funding to purchase the land, but local officials could not reach agreement with the owners, who have proposed several unsuccessful development concepts for the site. The Mugar property has been altered and filled, but a substantial part of the site is wetlands and susceptible to flooding. Recent changes to the Federal Emergency Management Agency floodplain maps could have an impact on the property’s development potential, according to town officials.

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The Coalition to Save the Mugar Wetlands was planning on meeting Tuesday night to discuss the development, according to the group’s Facebook page. The proposed project would be built in the middle of undevelped wetlands, according to the coalition, and they state, the only way people can get in and out of this area is Route 2 and Lake Street.

Read the full text of the state’s 40B letter on the Coalition to Save the Mugar Wetlands Facebook page.

Map: Coalition to Save the Mugar Wetlands