Article 47 ARB Presentation¶
ARTICLE 47
Definition of Building Height
Annual Town Meeting || April 27, 2026
Kin Lau, Chair
Arlington Redevelopment Board
Definition of Building Height
BACKGROUND – ARTICLE 47
Ø The Zoning Bylaw measures Building
Height from average grade ofcurb line.
Ø Buildings in FEMA flood zones cannot
have habitable areas below base flood
elevation.
Ø An applicant whose house was in the
floodplain recently went before the
Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) for an
addition to their house, and it was
difficult to comply with the maximum
height as measured from the curb.
Ø The ZBA felt it would make
senseto remove any building
levels below base flood
elevation from the calculation
of Building Height.
Ø Article 47 would allow property
owners in flood zones greater
flexibility, including resiliency
measures.
3
AMENDMENT TEXT
Article 47
Building Height: The vertical
distance of the highest point of
the roof above the average
grade of the curb line abutting
the property. In the Floodplain
District, building height is the
vertical distance of the highest
point of the roof measured
AMENDMENT TEXT
Amend Section 2, as follows:
ZONING AMENDMENT – ARTICLE 47
from the higher of (a) the average
grade of the curb line abutting
the property, or (b) the base flood
elevation established by FEMA.
Refer to Sections 5.3.19,5.3.19.A,
5.3.20, and 5.4.2.B(5) for detailed
exceptions.
Floodplain Map
BACKGROUND – ARTICLE 47
Arlington Flood Zones
A: 1% Annual Chance of
Flooding, no BFE (Base
Flood Elevation)
AE: 1% Annual Chance of
Flooding, with BFE
AE: Regulatory Floodway
X: 0.2% Annual Chance of
Flooding
