Watertown City Council President Mark Sideris recently wrote a letter to the Boston Globe asking for recognition of the City’s effort to allow housing, going above and beyond the state’s requirements.
The letter was published by the Globe on Dec. 14. He wrote it in response to an article the paper ran about how Lexington met the requirements of the MBTA Communities Law and has about 1,000 units in the pipeline to be constructed. Sideris noted that he had not seen similar coverage of the zoning changes in Watertown.
“We recently went through a planning process with many public meetings and discussions about reimagining what Watertown Square could be,” he wrote. “Then we rezoned the area not only to comply with this law but to make it so that we can redevelop the square into a vibrant destination, with many places to visit and in which to live and recreate. We are serving residents and visitors alike, with accessibility by public transportation, walking and biking, or personal vehicle.”
Sideris added that Watertown was required to allow 1,700 housing units to be built by right, but the final plan allows for more than 4,000.
“This was a long and difficult process, but we have gone so far above what is required that I would challenge you to find a community that has done what we did,” his letter reads.
See the letter by clicking here.