Arlington Adds Accessible Parking At Popular Park

These helpful additions meant to increase accessibility are one year in the making.

By Benjamin Pierce, Patch Staff

Sep 21, 2026 2:57 PM EDT

Officials said the two new parking spaces are intended to allow visitors with disabilities to more easily take advantage of those accessibility features. (David Allen/Patch)

ARLINGTON, MA — The town has completed the installation of two handicap parking spaces meant to improve access to Robbins Farm Park. The spaces are located along Eastern Avenue near the park's playground, which was designed using Universal Design principles to make it accessible to visitors with a range of abilities.

The work was completed in August and included a new carveout, curb ramp, and a realignment of the sidewalk and fence on the park side of Eastern Avenue. The project was paid for in part through a $25,000 grant from the Massachusetts Office on Disability. Arlington said the work was completed through a collaboration between the Disability Commission, Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Engineering Division and Recreation Department.

The spaces were proposed after town officials identified a lack of nearby accessible parking despite the playground itself being designed with accessibility in mind. In a 2025 memo to the Select Board, Arlington ADA Coordinator Tim Ross said there were no designated accessible parking spaces near the playground and proposed creating two along Eastern Avenue near an existing crosswalk and curb ramp.

The parking improvements follow a larger renovation of the Robbins Farm Park playground, which partially reopened in November 2024 following a project that cost just over $2.1 million. The town initially approved $997,000 in Community Preservation Act funding for the project, with additional funding coming from federal American Rescue Plan Act money and the Friends of Robbins Farm Park.

The playground was designed by Agency Landscape and Planning with the goal of going beyond basic ADA accessibility requirements. Plans included an accessible route up the park's hillside, sensory and musical play elements, accessible play structures, and seating areas. The playground also includes an inclusive carousel designed to allow children using wheelchairs to play alongside other visitors.

According to the town, the playground is the first in Arlington designed with Universal Design principles to be fully inclusive.