Development

Phase 3 of Arsenal Yards, with 7 Story Building, Approved by Planning Board

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The third phase of the Arsenal Yards project got the go ahead from members of the Planning Board on Thursday night. 

The latest portion of the former Arsenal Mall to be approved is Building F (see plans here), a seven story structure with ground floor retail, multiple levels of parking and topped by three stories of apartments. This is the building where a grocery store may be built, according to the design team, and will be located in the space where the bridge goes over the underpass in the Arsenal Mall parking lot. The size of the building was increased from what was proposed in the Master Plan, which required the Planning Board to approve an amendment to the Master Plan along with approving the site plan. The Board approved both unanimously. Originally the building was planned to have six stories, and be 83-feet, 6-inches tall, but the new height is 89 feet, 4 inches.

Development

Union Pushes for More Work from Watertown Developments, Help from Town Council

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Last week, a group of 40 or so carpenter union members gathered outside a construction site on Arsenal Street to make their message loud and clear – pay a living wage with benefits and follow state labor laws. Despite the building boom in Watertown over the past several years, many members of the New England Regional Council of Carpenters who live in Watertown have not gotten any work from these developments. They would like that to change, and point to cities like Cambridge and Somerville that have ordinance or resolutions pushing contractors to follow labor laws, and pay “prevailing wages” and health benefits for their workers. Not everyone believes that such an ordinance would benefit the town, however, and could dampen the hot development market. Former Watertown Town Councilor Stephen Corbett, who also develops small residential projects, said he worries that such a requirement would hurt the development market in Watertown.

Arsenal Mall

Phase 3 of Arsenal Yards Includes Residential, Retail and a Garage

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The third phase of the Arsenal Yards project will include the first of four residential buildings planned for the renovation of the Arsenal Mall. In July, Boylston Properties – the developers of the property – introduced plans for Building F (see plans here) during a Community Meeting. On the bottom floor will be restaurant and retail space, with a level of underground parking below and three levels of parking above. On top of the garage will be three floors of apartments. The design changed from the original proposal in the Master Plan Special Permit approved by the Planning Board.

Development

Find Out About Phase 3 of Arsenal Mall Project at Community Meeting

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A Community Meeting has been scheduled by Boylston Properties and Wilder Companies for Wednesday, July 26, 2017 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Innovation Space at the Arsenal Yards/Mall. The purpose of the meeting is to review the Phase III/Building F plans of the Arsenal Yards Master Plan. Building F is proposed to be a seven story residential building with 58 housing unites and 45,000 square feet of retail and/or restaurant space. The proposal has one more story and 23 more housing units than proposed in Master Plan passed by the Planning Board. The building would be located where the current bridge between to the two sections of the malls are located, and would be near the northeast corner of Arsenal Park.

Development

Second Community Meeting Planned for Project at 385 Pleasant Street

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A second community meeting about the proposed residential and commercial project on the long, thin property along Pleasant Street near Rosedale Road will be held on July 27. Developers  Amstel Heritage LLC will host the meeting about the mixed-use development which includes 58 residential units and 11,567 sq. ft. of commercial space planned to be built at 385 Pleasant St., Watertown. The meeting will be on Thursday, July 27, 2017 at 6:30 p.m. at the Watertown Police Station, 552 Main Street, Watertown.

Development

Planning Board Approves Hotel and Garage at Arsenal Yards

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After hearing complaints about the design of the proposed Hampton Inn & Suites hotel at Arsenal Yards, designers simplified the look and reduced the number of colors to be used. The Planning Board approved of the changes and voted to approve Phase 2 of the renovation of the former Arsenal Mall on Wednesday night. Phase 2 includes Building B which has retail space on the ground floor and above it a hotel on Arsenal Street with a garage as you go back from the street. When the drawings were first presented at a community meeting in May, people complained materials used were not the red brick of the historic Watertown Arsenal, and that too many colors and materials were used on the outside. Planning Board member Janet Buck said that she did not like the first rendering of the hotel.

Development

New Hotel Proposed for Arsenal Mall to be Discussed by Planning Board

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The Planning Board will discuss the second phase of the Arsenal Yards project, which includes a hotel to be added in a new building planned for what is now the parking lot of the Arsenal Mall. 

Phase 2 focuses on Building B, which is on the west sided of the site, next to the Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates offices. Along with the retail space on the ground floor there will be a hotel and a parking structure (see architectural drawings here). Developers Boyslton Properties announced they plan to build a Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton with 150 rooms. The six-story hotel replaces the 79-unit residential building originally planned for Building B. It will have a garage with six levels, including an underground level. The plans got mixed reviews from the public during a community meeting held in May. See the documents submitted to the Town can be seen here (click on Phase Two Building B in the left column).

Development

Developers of Morse Street Project Go Back to Drawing Board Again

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The developers seeking to turn the commercial building that used to be home to a massage school into an apartment complex will go back to the drawing board for a second time in hopes of getting approval from the Watertown Zoning Board of Appeals. The 101-103 Morse Street project shown to the ZBA on June 28 changed from the initial proposal submitted to the ZBA in April. The number of units was reduced from 44 to 40. Three pairs of one-bedroom units were combined to make three two-bedroom units, while two more one-bedrooms were combined to make a three-bedroom unit, said owner and developer Kamran Shahbazi. 

Other changes include: adding four feet to the width driveway to make it 22 feet in total, moving the garbage dumpster from next to an abutting property to against the building, and moving air conditioner condensers from ground level to the roof of the building, said architect Gary Hendren. Board members said that they have concerns about the quality of the proposed apartments.