The Zoning Board of Appeals approved the Boston Gas Co.’s proposal to rebuild a distribution station in Arlington during their Tuesday meeting.
The zoning board agreed that the project met the criteria for a special permit, meaning that it is essential to the neighborhood and it is not detrimental to their welfare.
During the hearing for the proposal, Joshua Smith, the lawyer representing National Grid, explained that new features were incorporated into the site design based on comments from the Arlington Zoning Board and community members.
The original plan had only one species of plant for landscaping while the revised plan includes more plantings and a more diverse array of species around the site. The new plan also uses a different kind of security fencing. The original idea was to use chain link fencing while the new fencing is made of wrought iron.
Marina Popova, a member of Mothers Out Front who offered her comments during the hearing, said that the neighbors are considering an appeal over the decision.
When Popova first heard that the Zoning Board approved the gas company’s proposal, she said that was very disappointed. (The area residents wrote a letter that was published on Feb. 9. You can read it here.)
Popova said that the updated landscaping plan was an improvement, but believed that it was a poor substitute for the loss of trees in the area.
“I feel that the voices of the neighborhood were not heard at all,” said Popova.