Development

Planning Board to Consider Marijuana Dispensary, Morse Street Apartments

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On Wednesday night, the Watertown Planning Board has two major agenda items – the medical marijuana dispensary proposed for Elm Street and the apartment complex on Morse Street. Two weeks ago, Natural Selections – the group seeking to open the marijuana dispensary – received a the vote it needed from the Town Council to move on to seek a special permit from the Planning and Zoning boards to open up a dispensary at 23 Elm Street in East Watertown. On Wednesday, April 12, the dispensary will appear before the Planning Board for the first time. According to the application submitted by Natural Selections, the dispensary would occupy 2,755 square feet of Building 2 on the site (behind A-Affordable Auto Insurance) and will have 22 parking spaces. Before the vote is taken by the Planning Board there will be an opportunity for resident to give their input.

330-350 Pleasant Street

Mixed Retail/Residential Project on Pleasant Street Near River Approved

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{NOTE: A correction was made at 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 14 about when the Planning Board can debate the design of the project.}

After much debate, the Planning Board approved a mixed-use project on Pleasant Street that will include retail stores, a restaurant near the Charles River and apartments. Last week, developers of 330, 350 Pleasant Street – called Water Mills at Bridge Point – appeared before the Planning Board for the second time. The team representing developer Mark Coppola of World Realty and Development Ltd. had made some minor changes to the planned 18,445 sq. ft.

Development

Developers Looking to Turn Former Massage School into Apartment Building

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A commercial building on the Southside of Watertown could be turned into an apartment complex with nearly 50 units, but some residents were skeptical about the plans. 

On Wednesday night, developers from FSL Associates of Newton presented their plan for the property at 101, 103 Morse Street. The plan calls for building a four-story apartment building with 48 units on the property that most recently was home to the Cortiva Massage School. The proposal calls for a mix of unit sizes: 6 studios, 31 one-bedrooms, 10 two-bedrooms and one three-bedroom. The building would not exceed the existing footprint, and some of the asphalt parking area will be turned into green landscaped areas. In their application, developers argue there is little demand for an isolated commercial building in the area that is predominantly residential.

Arsenal Mall

Planning Board Approves Master Plan for Renovating Arsenal Mall

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The new look for the Arsenal Mall, which includes added retail and hundreds of residential units, received the approval from the Planning Board Wednesday night. 

The Arsenal Yards, as the mall will be known, was in front of the Planning Board for the third time, and the board voted unanimously to approve the master plan. Many supported the plan, but some had questions about the traffic and the size of the building in the project. The project adds more than 100,000 sq. ft. of commercial or retail space, and 503 apartments or condos, some of which will be in a 12-story building.

Development

LETTER: Town Councilor Worries Mall Will Change Character of East End

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Dear Chairman Hawes and Members of the Planning Board,

To put this quite simply, Watertown has not seen a development of this magnitude in recent history; a city within a city with amenities galore for its prospective residents. The urban sprawl associated with this development will change the character of the East End of Watertown and community-at-large for generations to come. Due to a prior commitment, I will be unable to attend the Planning Board Hearing on Dec. 14, 2016, rescheduled from Nov. 29, 2016.  For numerous months, many residents and I have been sharing our thoughts, comments and many concerns at neighborhood meetings and at the Special Planning Board Hearing on Oct.

Arsenal Mall

LETTER: Tower at Arsenal Mall Too Tall, Will Loom Over Charles River

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To the citizens of Watertown, regarding the Arsenal Project MP/SP proposal,

As I sat in the audience of the Planning Board meeting of Dec. 14, 2016, I was again disappointed. In over a year of meetings the issue which I thought would have been a major concern to both the citizens of Watertown, the city councilors and the city planning department employees was rarely discussed. The issue I am referring to is the development of a 12 story building (building “G”) approximately 100 feet from Greenough Boulevard. Now the reason the developer wants to build this building is obvious.

Development

Approval of Arsenal Mall Renovation Delayed, Planning Board Wants More Info on Traffic

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The redesign of the Arsenal Mall will have to wait until next month for approval after the Planning Board told developers they wanted results of the traffic study to be approved by the town’s consultants. Representatives for Boylston Properties and The Wilder Cos. appeared before the Planning Board for the second time Wednesday night, focusing on the traffic impact of the project. The proposal includes removing some portions of the current mall, leaving the historic buildings and adding new buildings. The project calls for 503 units of housing, some of which would be in a 12-story residential building.

Development

Town Council Increases Requirement for Affordable Housing in New Projects

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Developers will be required to provide more affordable housing in most residential projects built in Watertown after the Town Council’s vote on Tuesday night. The Council approved changes to the Town’s Inclusionary Zoning Requirements, but there were questions about who would qualify to live in the affordable units. Previously the requirement was 12.5 percent of the units for most areas of town, but that amount was increased for projects of 20 units or more. The requirement for projects with 6-19 unit projects will remain at 12.5 percent. Also, the income requirements change for the projects that would have to provide 15 percent affordable units. For projects of 20 or more units, 10 percent of units in a rental project (or 2/3 of the affordable units) will be for people who meet the 80 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI) standard, and 5 percent of the units are for those meeting the 65 percent of the AMI threshold, which would be $63,800 for a family of four, according to the Boston Redevelopment Authority.