The 2019 Special Town Meeting met last year at almost the same time as the normal Annual Town Meeting with it’s own agenda. This Special Town Meeting was primarily driven by the Town Manager who added the 6 warrant articles about selling town property, capital budgets, and special zoning change proposals.

Here’s an easy to read version of the full 2019 Special Town Meeting Warrant, with some annotations or comments added. Note that amendments and changes during the meeting are not included. See how I build this page.

For official (harder to read) copies of 2019 warrants, download or view them on the official Town Meeting page.

ARTICLE 1 - CAPITAL BUDGET/ARLINGTON HIGH SCHOOL REBUILD 
(view official article) Pass (for: 208, against: 10, abstain: 4) on 29-April-2019

To see if the Town will vote to appropriate, borrow, or transfer from available funds, an amount of money to be expended under the direction of the Town Manager and/or the Arlington High School Building Committee to demolish, design, construct or re-construct and originally equip Arlington High School located at 869 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington, MA, for which the Town may be eligible for a grant from the Massachusetts School Building Authority; or take any action related thereto. The MSBA’s grant program is a non-entitlement, discretionary program based on need, as determined by the MSBA, and any costs the Town incurs in connection with the design, demolition, construction, re-construction, or equipping of the High School in excess of any grant approved by and received from the MSBA shall be the sole responsibility of the Town. 


(Inserted at the request of the Town Manager) See also: article2 article3 article4 article5 article6
Supplemental documents: The Finance Committee voted (unanimously) to recommend Article 1 (with comments, funding $291.4M). Arlington Finance Committee Report, AHS Building Committee reccommends Article 1 (with detailed AHS Rebuild report) Arlington High School Building Committee Report

ARTICLE 2 - ACQUISITION OF REAL ESTATE/PARCEL 54-3-3.A (25 GROVE STREET)
(view official article) on

To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Select Board to acquire, by purchase, gift, eminent domain or otherwise, in fee simple, an approximately  8,427 square foot developed parcel of land identified as parcel 54-3-3.A, located at 25 Grove Street, Arlington, including all buildings and structures thereon, and all privileges and appurtenances thereto belonging, as well as all trees and shrubs thereon, excepting therefrom any easements of record included within such description by whomsoever the same may be owned,  for general municipal purposes, and for all purposes and uses accessory thereto, including but not limited to, inter alia, the expansion of either or both the existing Department of Public Works facility and/or the Arlington High School campus and Arlington High School educational facilities and amenities, including parking, service stations and areas for DPW vehicles, and/or class rooms, conference and meeting rooms, study areas and educational office space, and that to meet such expenditure to appropriate a sum of money to be expended at the direction of the Town Manager, to pay costs of acquiring said property, and for the payment of all costs incidental and related thereto, and to determine whether such amount shall be raised by taxation, transfer from available funds, borrowing or otherwise; to authorize the Town Manager and Select Board to apply for, accept and expend any grants from any source whatsoever that may be available to pay any portion of this project; or to take any other action related thereto.


(Inserted at the request of the Town Manager) See also: article1 article3 article4 article5 article6
Supplemental documents: Finance Committee recommends no action on this article (with comments). Arlington Finance Committee Report

ARTICLE 3 - APPROPRIATION/FUTURE ZONING BYLAW AMENDMENTS
(view official article) Pass (for: 192, against: 20, abstain: 1) on 29-April-2019

To see if the Town will vote to appropriate or transfer a sum of money to fund development of amendments to Arlington’s Zoning Bylaw to align with the Arlington Master Plan, including payment of consultant fees in furtherance of the process; or take any action related thereto


(Inserted at the request of the Town Manager) See also: article1 article2 article4 article5 article6
Supplemental documents: Finance Committee voted (unanimously) to recommend this article (with comments, funding $70K). Arlington Finance Committee Report

ARTICLE 4 - DISPOSITION OF REAL ESTATE/ PARCEL 133-1-8 GLOUCESTER STREET
(view official article) Pass (for: 218, against: 0, abstain: 3) on 29-April-2019

To see if the Town will vote to authorize the Select Board to dispose of, or grant access to or through a 216 square foot parcel of land identified as 133-1-8 Gloucester Street by sale, grant of easement, or otherwise under such terms as the Town may specify consistent with applicable legal requirements; or take any action related thereto.


(Inserted at the request of the Town Manager) See also: article1 article2 article3 article5 article6
Supplemental documents: Finance Committee voted (unanimously) to recommend this article (with comments). Arlington Finance Committee Report

ARTICLE 5 - APPROPRIATION/RESIDENTIAL DESIGN GUIDELINES
(view official article) Pass (for: 197, against: 6, abstain: 2) on 29-April-2019

To see if the Town will vote to appropriate or transfer a sum of money to fund development of residential design guidelines, including payment of a consultant to develop such guidelines and recommend a design review process for the Town; or take any action related thereto.


(Inserted at the request of the Town Manager)  See also: article1 article2 article3 article4 article6
Supplemental documents: Finance Committee voted (9-5) to recommend this article (with comments, funding $50K). Arlington Finance Committee Report

ARTICLE 6 - APPROPRIATION/MUGAR PROPERTY APPLICATION REVIEWS
(view official article) on

To see if the Town will appropriate or transfer a sum of money to fund support of the review and/or comment of any application or request for approval to the Town or the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for or  accessory or otherwise related to the construction of residential dwelling units off of Dorothy Road in Arlington, Massachusetts (otherwise known as the “Thorndike Place” or the “Mugar Property”), including payment of legal, consultant, expert, and technical review fees in furtherance of such review and/or comment, and any legal actions reasonably arising therefrom permissible under law; or take any action related thereto.


(Inserted at the request of the Town Manager) See also: article1 article2 article3 article4 article5
Supplemental documents: Finance Committee voted (unanimously) to recommend this article (with comments, funding $25K). Arlington Finance Committee Report