The City Council and Planning Board got a chance to dig into the details of some key areas of the proposed Watertown Square Zoning, including affordable housing incentives, the zoning on Galen Street, the definition of a family and a household, and Accessory Dwelling Units.
The joint hearing held at City Hall lasted more than three hours on Thursday night. This was the second hearing on the proposed zoning changes. The first one was held on Oct. 16 when the zoning was introduced by the City’s Department of Community Development and Planning, and a third one will be held Tuesday. See the details of the proposed zoning changes by clicking here.
Affordable Housing
One of the main goals of the Watertown Square Area Plan is to meet the requirements of the MBTA Communities Law to allow more multi-family developments by right. Part of the discussion about the new housing is how much of it would be affordable.
The City requires 15 percent of units in a new development to be rented or sold at affordable rates based on the Area Median Income for the Boston region (see the income levels here). The Zoning proposal includes incentives to make the units more affordable and would allow projects to add an additional floor by-right if they include units rented or sold at or below 80 percent of AMI. They can build two extra floors if the units are rented or sold at or below 60 percent of AMI. The additional floors are allowed with a special permit.
Members of the Housing for All Watertown group have called for additional incentives to go beyond the incentives in the proposed zoning. Councilor Tony Palomba brought up the proposal for to be considered, and described some of the Housing For All Watertown’s additional incentives, such as 50 percent reduced parking requirements if 25 percent of units are at 80 percent AMI, an additional floor and reduced parking requirements from 0.5 spaces per unit to 0.25 if 50 percent of units at 80 percent AMI, no required parking and the additional story by-right for 75 percent at 80 percent AMI. Incentives would be reached with smaller percentages of affordable units if the units were rented or sold at 60 percent of AMI, for example if 15 percent of units are at 60 percent AMI it would have half the required amount of parking.
Assistant City Manager Steve Magoon said that the City staff’s proposal had the two options because he believes going beyond that is not realistic because developers would not be able to get financing.
“Having 50 percent of units affordable, no developer would do that,” he said. “The only way a 50 percent affordable project would happen is if it is subsidized with public dollars.”
He added that developers can already build projects with 25 percent affordable units using the Chapter 40B process, but he has seen any private developers proposing projects like that in Watertown.
Palomba asked whether there would be any harm adding the other incentives, even if they are not not likely to be used and added that conditions could change. Magoon said his only concern is it would make the Zoning Ordinance more complicated and possibly harder to understand.
Councilor Caroline Bays said she would like to see developments where Section 8 Housing Vouchers would be required to be accepted for a certain number of units.
“It would not change the number of units rented at market rate. Some people with vouchers are turned away, I know it is illegal but it happens,” she said. “It’s a case of ‘if you build it they will come.'”
Magoon said that there are a limited number of vouchers, and there may be people who qualify to have one but cannot get one because no vouchers are available. Bays said if no one with a voucher wants the unit, then it could be opened up to others who meet the requirements but don’t have a voucher.
Some Councilors were concerned with the reduced minimum parking rules, which is reduced from 0.5 parking spaces per unit to 0.25 parking spaces per unit (or one for every four units) if they have met the required number of affordable units. One argument for reduced parking with more affordable units is people in affordable units are less likely to have a car.
City Council President Mark Sideris said he does not support having no parking required. He said he gets calls from people living at 55 Waverley, an affordable housing building for people age 60 and above, who say there is not enough parking at the building.
“I know people in 55 Waverley who are in the 90s who still drive,” Sideris said. “I have a real problem with no required parking. I think it is the wrong way to go.”
Galen Street Zoning
When the Watertown Square Area Plan discussions were held earlier this year, there was a proposal to change the west side of Galen Street to one of the Watertown Square zones, which would allow 3+ (three full stories with the top floor pushed back 7 feet from the facade or with a pitched roof) residential buildings.
When the final plan was brought forward in July a different zoning was used for that side of the street, called Neighborhood Mixed Use (NMU). This allows for one story of retail with two stories of residential on top. The Planning Board and City Council asked why it changed, and some residents called for allowing more dense residential because the Watertown Yard bus depot is located on Galen Street.
Members of the Planning Board and the Council raised the point that Galen Street is a gateway into Watertown from the Mass. Pike, but disagreed on what they would like that to look like. Some liked the idea of having larger buildings on both sides, but others, including Sideris, said that would create a canyoning effect on Galen Street.
The reason for having the NMU zoning on Galen Street was because many of the homes on the westside of the street are historic, some dating back to the 1880s and are right next to a residential district, said Watertown’s Director of Planning and Zoning Gideon Schreiber said. Also, many of the properties are oddly shaped, with some very shallow, and others — such as a set of row houses — are thin and connected properties.
The Councilors agreed that it made sense to use the NMU zoning for the westside of Galen Street.
Definition of Family/Household
At the first Watertown Square Zoning meeting, residents brought up the question of how many people are allowed in a home, and why there is a difference for a family vs. unrelated people. The current City zoning allows for up to 10 related people, while no more than four unrelated people can live in a home.
On Thursday, Magoon presented a proposal to change the definition of Family to be changed to include both Family and Household, and it would read: “Residential occupancy of a building or portion of a building in a dwelling unit by any number of people living together as a single housekeeping unit.”
Councilors and Planning Board members said they liked the change of the definition.
Accessory Dwelling Units
Currently, Watertown does not allow Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU), sometimes called in-law units, but City officials added an amendment to cover Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) to the Watertown Square Zoning. Watertown, like all communities in Massachusetts, must add language to their zoning ordinance to allow ADUs by right in single family zoning districts by Feb. 2, 2025 to comply with a new law passed by the State Legislature.
The proposed language would allow ADUs in any zone where single-family houses are allowed, and they are only allowed when the primary use is single family.
The City Council could consider expanding where ADUs are allowed, and Magoon said that discussions about how to adjust the zoning are planned early next year with the Watertown Affordable Housing Trust and Watertown Community Conversations.
Next Meeting
The Watertown Square Zoning discussion will continue on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, at 6 p.m. in the City Council Chamber at Watertown City Hall, 149 Main St., with remote participation. The Council and Planning Board will continue to ask questions and the public will be able to comment. If another meeting is required it will take place on Oct. 30 at 6 p.m.
Access the hearing agenda which also includes the hybrid Zoom link and an email to submit public comment.
See the hearing materials and videos, read the proposed zoning amendments and the zoning package and the proposed zoning map, by going to the Watertown Square Project website.