In early 2001 the Board of Selectmen of the Town of Arlington proposed the acquisition of the 18-acre Symmes Hospital campus in response to its owners' intentions to sell, and enacted a policy statement [link] defining the Town's goals in acquiring the site. On March 31, 2001, in a Town-wide referendum, voters approved the acquisition of the Symmes Hospital Campus via a debt-excluded financing by a margin of 59% to 33%. The 2001 Annual Town Meeting created the Symmes Advisory Committee to advise and assist the Board of Selectmen, the Town Manager, the Redevelopment Board and the Town Meeting in evaluating the decision to go forward and to determine the most appropriate uses for the Symmes Campus. In January 2002, a special Town Meeting voted to carry out the acquisition of the parcel as an Urban Renewal Plan, and the Town took ownership of the property in April of 2002.

In June 2002 the Committee and the Arlington Redevelopment Board conducted an extensive RFP and interview process to select a team of professionals to undertake a through planning process with extensive public participation, to result in recommendations to the Town on the best reuse plan for the property.