Medford Conservation Commission Approves 171 Arlington Street Addition With Native-Plant Condition

MEDFORD — October 1, 2025 — Medford Conservation Commission approves rear addition and deck at 171 Arlington Street with native-plant requirement. The commission voted 5-0 at its October 1 meeting to approve an abbreviated notice of intent filed by applicant Alexander Wong for a project within the 200-foot riverfront area, the bordering land subject to flooding, and the 100-foot buffer zone to the top of bank. The project had been continued from the September 17 meeting pending a revised site plan, an operation and maintenance manual, and a plant list that included wild bergamot, buttonbush, winterberry holly, milkweed, and cardinal flower, among others. Commissioners debated how strictly to apply a native-only planting condition before agreeing, in the interest of consistency with the nearly identical 173 Arlington Street project approved previously, that the order of conditions would require all vegetation other than grass to be native species. The commission also discussed provisionally moving its next meeting from October 15 to October 22, citing member conflicts and a lack of confirmed filings.