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Conservation commission continues hearing on 26 Dudley Street after flagging stormwater, groundwater and snow‑storage gaps
Summary
At the May 21 meeting the Arlington Conservation Commission reviewed revised plans for a commercial redevelopment at 26 Dudley Street and requested that the applicant rework stormwater calculations using Noah Atlas 14++ rainfall data, clarify seasonal high groundwater/test pits and show snow‑storage practices; the hearing was continued to June 25, 2026.
The Arlington Conservation Commission on May 21 continued the public hearing on Notice of Intent D‑091‑0375 for 26 Dudley Street after finding outstanding technical information in the applicant’s revised submittal.
Nicole Ferrara of LEC, representing the applicants and property owners, presented revised site and landscape plans and a revised stormwater report. Ferrara said the larger building addition was reduced to meet zoning setbacks and that the impervious surface had been reduced by about 365 square feet; she also said the degraded riverfront area was reduced by roughly 400 square feet and the dumpster was moved further from the brook to about 45.3 feet. Ferrara noted new planting areas, including hay‑scented ferns and a native pollinator seed mix.
Commissioners and technical reviewers identified several unresolved items and asked for written responses. Acting Chair Susan Chapnik and others said the stormwater analysis must be recalculated using the Noah Atlas 14++ upper‑confidence rainfall values required under local regulation rather than the Atlas 14 mean values that were used in the submittal. “For example, for the 100‑year storm you used 8.17 inches and the Noah Atlas 14++ is 11.5 inches,” Chapnik said, adding that this difference affects sizing of infiltration systems.
The commission also requested estimated seasonal high groundwater elevations or clarification of test pits and the elevation of the bottom of infiltration gravel to confirm required separation to groundwater under Massachusetts Stormwater Standard 3. Commissioners asked that snow‑storage areas be shown on the plan and that the O&M plan include limits (for example, removal “as soon as practicable”) if temporary storage is allowed; they cited prior Garden Street conditions as precedent for limited, managed on‑site storage in constrained sites.
David Kaplan, speaking during public comment, pressed the applicants to clarify treatment credits for total suspended solids (TSS), asking how rooftop runoff credit is being applied in meeting an 80% TSS removal standard.
The commission asked the applicant to provide a written, point‑by‑point response to the technical comments (including D’s comments), revise the stormwater report with Noah Atlas 14++ rainfall values, confirm groundwater/test pit findings, show snow storage/operations and submit the final package to the town engineer for review. The applicant requested a continuance; the commission voted by roll call to continue the hearing to June 25, 2026 to allow the applicant time to prepare the requested materials.
Next procedural step: the applicant will submit a memo addressing all commission comments and revised technical materials at least one week before the continued hearing on June 25; commissioners indicated they will also allow absent members to be eligible to vote on the continuance if they complete a listening requirement (Mullen rule).
