After five years advancing environmental planning and climate resilience in Arlington, David Morgan has left his position as the town’s environmental planner and conservation agent for a role at a regional agency.
Morgan, 42, began working for Arlington in November 2021 after completing his master’s degree in urban planning at Tufts University in 2019.
He said he was not looking to leave Arlington, but when a position for a senior environmental planner opened with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, he decided to apply. The opportunity to work regionally appealed to him, he said, because it would allow him to apply what he has learned with Arlington on a broader scale.
“I loved my position in Arlington,” Morgan said. “This is the best job I’ve ever had. This is hands down where I’ve been the most successful.”
Morgan left his salary of $96,500 with Arlington for the MAPC’s offer of $93,000. He said the benefits he receives with MAPC makes the two salaries “essentially equivalent.” In addition, Morgan said he had all but hit his salary cap in Arlington.
During his time in town, Morgan worked on long-term environmental planning, grants, local regulations and projects involving open space and sustainability. On the conservation side, he helped expand the Conservation Commission’s work beyond permitting to include land management, ecological restoration and volunteer stewardship
Claire Ricker, Arlington’s director of planning and community development, said Morgan’s passion and professionalism helped move several projects forward. She said he gained the trust of the community and excelled with outreach.
“He’s a hard act to follow,” Ricker said.
One of Morgan’s projects, Cool and Connected, focused on extreme heat and social resilience. Supported by a state grant, the project examined how heat affects residents differently and how the town can better support people who may be particularly vulnerable, including immigrants and people who do not speak English as their first language, older adults, people with disabilities and residents with lower incomes.
Morgan said temperatures in some parts of town can be 10 to 15 degrees hotter than the forecast. The initiative helped establish three cooling centers during the summer, with plans to continue the pilot the following year.
He also worked on the Sustainable Landscape Handbook, developed in collaboration with other communities, and the Nature’s Neighbors pledge program.
The handbook walks residents through ways to maintain their properties while conserving water and promoting the health of native habitats. Those who take a pledge to follow the program’s recommendations are officially recognized as Nature’s Neighbors.
The handbook received an award from the Massachusetts chapter of the American Planning Association, Ricker said.
Ann LeRoyer, a longtime member and former chair of Arlington’s Open Space Committee, worked with Morgan on the town’s Open Space and Recreation Plan, which was updated in 2022, as well as other land-management initiatives.
The Open Space and Recreation Plan sets out goals for protecting and maintaining open space and recreational properties through 2032.
“He really has provided a lot of leadership and a lot of new ideas,” LeRoyer said.
In a post on LinkedIn, Morgan said his “parting gift to Arlington” was a herd of goats that grazed a half-acre plot of land at 21 Pond Lane. The animals’ landscaping efforts are part of a broader plan to transform the vacant lot into a native-plant garden.
Morgan’s departure leaves the town with projects still underway, including the development of this new public garden. Ricker said Morgan left behind a 40-page exit memo outlining roughly 20 different matters he was considering as he departed, giving the town a roadmap as it looks for his replacement.
She said that the town planned to post the job by Oct. 16.
“It’s big shoes to fill,” Ricker said. “We’ll do our best to get someone great in that position.”