- Target:
- Arlington Redevelopment Board (ARB)
- Region:
- United States of America
Summary:
Please join the effort to save the 100-y.o. Historical Pine in the Arlington Center!
It is slated for removal in the current redevelopment plan of the 821 Mass Ave historical Atwood House. There are viable and more environmentally beneficial alternatives to this plan that preserve the tree without reducing the housing capacity.
Facts about this tree:
-- 22 inch DBH, Austrian Pine
-- reduces atmospheric carbon by 397 pounds, per year
-- intercepts 2,609 gallons of stormwater runoff, per year
-- life expectancy: more than 500 years!
Update: Nov 17: the ARB hearing on 821 Mass Ave, scheduled for Nov 18, is now in the process of rescheduling. When the new date is available - I will update the petition.
Thank you!!!
Update: Oct 21 - reflections on the ARB meeting of 10/21/2024:
The 10/21/2024 ARB meeting was well attended by supporters of the "Save the Pine" campaign. Many people spoke out about the importance of preserving Arlington’s trees, in general, and this 100y.o. Austrian Pine, in particular. Not many trees of this age, historic significance, and beauty remain in town, and certainly not along Mass Avenue, which is already a heat island.
441 signatures were delivered to the ARB, alongside hundreds of comments by Arlington residents, asking the ARB and the developers in question to spare this tree. Additionally, 35 concerned residents sent letters to the ARB demanding the same. I believe this is a clear and loud message from the Arlington Community, one that I was hoping our ARB would prioritize over that of a developer. After all, this same developer failed to comply with the requirements of his Special Permit by initiating the illegal demolition of the historic Atwood House.
However, the response from the ARB does not inspire optimism. Several ARB members spoke out against preserving the tree, using the following reasoning:
1. it's just one tree, and we need to look at the bigger picture and towards the future
2. it's more important to have energy-efficient building
The first argument is especially puzzling. One could draw the opposite conclusion: this is not just one tree, but 1 out of 100 mature trees that would be (and already were) lost due to a handful of recent developments in Town. Replacing them with a similar number of young trees will not produce the same benefits for another 50 years or so - too late to help slow down Climate Change. The amount of stormwater absorption alone that will be lost is huge: this one 100y.o. pine tree absorbs about 2,600 Gallons per year. With 100 trees felled, where will all this water go?
As to the second argument - this is not an either/or situation. The request is to only move the building closer to CVS to preserve the tree and its roots, not to make any changes that would render it less energy efficient, which is a commendable goal. We can build this project and preserve the pine tree.
Equally disappointing was the dismissal of the Arlington Zoning Bylaw violations that were brought up, specifically article 5.3.7 of the zoning bylaw that requires a buffer of 15ft between the new building and the church and EDR-1 (Arlington Zoning Bylaws Section 3.4) that requires landscape preservation.
I urge everyone who value trees and our natural habitat to sign and share this petition and to keep writing to the ARB. Please ask them to reconsider their position on this 100 y.o. Austrian Pine. The hearing for 821 Mass Ave will continue on Nov 18, 2024.
Earlier Updates as of 10/18/2024:
-- there are now 3 (!!) tree health inspections done - by Hartney Greymont (hired by the developer), by the Arlington Tree Warden, and by Arbor Care (hired by me) . In essence, none of the reports say that the tree is unhealthy. They do point out it shows signs of stress and neglect - which is understandable given this tree received zero care for the past few decades (just like the Atwood house itself). And despite all that - the Arbor Care arborist concluded it is in a reasonable health and can live for many more years (could be more than 500 for this kind of trees)
-- current plan violates the article 5.3.7 of the zoning bylaw that requires a buffer of 15ft between the new building and the church, which would be satisfied if the building is shifted closer to the CVS, as per the first plan of 2020
-- the plan also violates the EDR-1 requirement (Arlington Bylaws Section 3.4) that states that "The landscape shall be preserved in its natural state, insofar as practicable," where "practicable" means "possible". This bylaw language is important. It cannot be interpreted as 'what is most convenient or profitable to the developer'. If it is possible to design and locate a building that spares that tree, the bylaw requires it. And the developer himself has proven that possible with a previous design version of 2020 that placed the building closer to CVS
What you can do to help protect the tree:
-- Attend the next ARB meeting in person - and raise your concerns during the public comment period: Nov 18, Mon, 7:30PM at the Community Center, 27 Maple Str
-- Write to ARB and urge them to require the developer to modify their plan and preserve the tree. Emails of all ARB members:
rzsembery@town.arlington.ma.us
srevilak@town.arlington.ma.us
KLau@town.arlington.ma.us
SKorman-Houston@town.arlington.ma.us
EBenson@town.arlington.ma.us
cricker@town.arlington.ma.us
-- Sign and share this petition:
https://www.gopetition.com/petitions/save-the-centennial-scottish-pine-from-being-destroyed.html
Links for more info:
-- detailed arguments for preserving the tree in my Open Letter to ARB published by YourArlington: https://www.yourarlington.com/component/easyblog/entry/8-planning/3360-attwood-080924.html
-- all documents submitted to ARB, including tree health reports: https://www.arlingtonma.gov/Home/Components/News/News/14227/3864?backlist=%2ftown-governance%2fboards-and-committees%2fredevelopment-board
-- Facts about Austrian Pines: https://www.coniferousforest.com/austrian-pine.htm
-- calculator of tree benefits: https://www.arborday.org/calculator/
UPDATE 08/09/2024:
The effort to save the 100-y.o. Historical Scottish Pine at 821 Mass Ave is continuing!
The latest efforts were concentrated on getting the tree's health assessed and researching the options to address the ARB's questions and concerns stated at the last ARB meeting. This information was included into an Open Letter to ARB that was published by YourArlington (thank you, YourArlington !!):
https://www.yourarlington.com/component/easyblog/entry/8-planning/3360-attwood-080924.html
Please see all the details in the post - but a few highlights are:
-- the tree was assessed by a certified arborist from the Arbor Care Tree Services as healthy
-- there are viable, legal and preferable options to shift the building closer to CVS to preserve the Pine tree
What you can do to help protect the tree
-- Sign this petition if you have not yet - and share with your friends and neighbors
-- Write to ARB and urge them to require the developer to modify their plan and preserve the tree. Emails of all ARB members:
rzsembery@town.arlington.ma.us
srevilak@town.arlington.ma.us
KLau@town.arlington.ma.us
SKorman-Houston@town.arlington.ma.us
EBenson@town.arlington.ma.us
cricker@town.arlington.ma.us
-- Attend the next ARB meeting that will have this plan on the agenda, 09/23/2024, in person - and raise your concerns during the public comment period
UPDATE 07/02/2024:
At the ARB meeting on 07/01/2024, ARB let all those who came in person provide public comments. A few people spoke for the tree. Susan Stamps from the Arlington Tree Committee spoke in defense of the tree too - thank you Susan Stamps !
There is no decision made yet - the ARB members largely spoke against keeping the tree, citing reasons such as potential poor health of the tree, casting shadows and preference to keep the building closer to the front/Mass Ave.
The ARB requested a further inspection by the Arlington Tree Warden and , based on his assessment, further discussions will be held at the next meeting, Sept 24. (there are many other action items ARB asked the architect and developer to do)
I will be waiting for the assessment anxiously - and hope it will be favorable to the tree. I did not notice signs of bad health - without getting too close , as it is on a private property.
YourArlington reporter was at the meeting too - so I hope we will see an update published soon, here is the original post:
https://www.yourarlington.com/.../3351-pine-062924.html
Lets keep the petition go - as it clearly made a big difference and showed ARB that the Arlington Community treasures the tree and really wants to keep it as a historical marvel it is.
Please keep sharing with your friends and neighbors! And thank you so much for all your support!!
Original Petition:
On July 1st, 2024, the Arlington Redevelopment Board will be considering a proposal to redevelop the parcel: 821 Mass Ave - the Atwood House.
While the addition of much needed commercial space to Arlington is welcome - the plan also includes demolishing of a remarkable , healthy, Scotch Pine tree - of ~22’’ diameter - which calculates to about 80-100 years old depending on which growth factor you use (3.5 - 5).
This is a very healthy, magnificent tree that is older than probably most people living in Arlington! There are very few trees like this left in Arlington and MA in general - and they should be treasured, admired and protected at all costs. Dollar amounts alone cannot adequately represent the value this tree provides to our environment and the whole Arlington Community!
The tree does not have to be killed - there are many ways to architect and design the new project that would preserve the tree, as was evident from an earlier plan submitted to ARB in 2020 - in which this tree was preserved and the building was shifted slightly closer to CVS. There are many other ways to incorporate the tree into the design - like creating a courtyard where the tree would be the crown jewel and the attraction magnet , as well as many other possibilities.
The Mass Ave is already a heat island area - with many mature trees gone due to development or age. With temperatures climbing up and up every year - our best line of defense is preservation of trees that provide priceless benefits - cooling, water absorption, clean air and many more!
You can further help this campaign by sponsoring it
The Save the Centennial Pine from being destroyed! petition to Arlington Redevelopment Board (ARB) was written by Marina Popova and is in the category Environment at GoPetition.