Development

New Apartment Complex on Arsenal Street Opens its Doors, Retail Coming

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Gables Arsenal Street, one of the new apartment complexes in Watertown, has opened its first phase, and will eventually add more buildings, including a commercial area which could have a small market. 

The complex, located at 204 Arsenal Street, opened on Oct. 15, and several of the luxury apartments have already been occupied, said Makrina Ormond, Community Manager for Gables Arsenal Street. Gables Arsenal Street will eventually have 296 units, but the first phase has 84 units, Ormond said. There is a mix of one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments and one townhouse. The complex is pet friendly – cats and some dogs – and offers amenities such as a pool, a patio with a barbecue and a fire pit, a movie theater style media room, a fitness center and a yoga and spin room, Ormond said.

Arsenal Mall

Developers Reveal the Arsenal Mall’s New Name, Coming Before Town Soon

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The Arsenal Mall will not only be renovated and redeveloped, but owners Boylston Properties will also rename it Arsenal Yards. Bill McQuillan, principal of Boylston Properties, revealed the new name in an article in the Boston Globe. The project has been presented to the Planning Board once, but developers will be back in Town Hall on Dec. 14 at 7 p.m. to discuss traffic and transportation. The board may vote on the project that night.

Development

LETTER: Neighbors Say Athenahealth ‘Can Do Better’ With Construction, Parking, Lights

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Dear Athena,

Have to say, we are wondering when Athenahealth is going to live up to their last few years of lip service about being good neighbors and communicating with the town. Since garage construction was recently approved, right now would seem to be a good time to start sending notices in the mail, opening up a webpage, and sharing contact info for community concerns about construction issues. Searching through all related documents and emails, we could find only one person to contact. Apologies, Mark Blair for sending our first email only to you, but we had no other contact information. Please forward to other appropriate contacts at Athena.

Arsenal Mall

Developers Show Plans for Renovating Arsenal Mall, Residents Say Project is Too Big

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After more than a year of planning developers presented their vision for the renovation of the Arsenal Mall to the Planning Board, but some residents said the proposal would be too big for Watertown. The major overhaul of the mall would remove some portions of the current mall, leave the historic buildings and adds new buildings. The project calls for 503 units of housing, some of which would be in a 12-story residential building. Three of the new buildings planned to go in the current front parking lot would have retail on the bottom floor and four or five stories of housing on top. Some of the new features include a movie theater and possibly a bowling alley.

Development

Planning Board Will Hear Arsenal Mall Renovation Plans Thursday

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The long awaited plans for the renovation of the Arsenal Mall will be presented to the Watertown Planning Board on Thursday night at 7 p.m. in Town Hall. 

While the master plan will be presented by developers from Boyslton Properties, Planning Board Chairman John Hawes said the staff report will not be completed by Thursday. The Planning Department’s report will presented at a future Planning Board meeting and a vote can happen then. There will be opportunity for the public to comment on the plans, said Assistant Town Manager Steve Magoon. Because the project sits in the recently created Regional Mixed Use District (RMUD) the Planning Board gives the final approval for the master pan. Most projects need approval from the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Affordable Housing

Planning Board Supports Increasing Affordable Housing Requirements for New Developments

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The Planning Board voted to support a zoning change that would require developers building medium and large housing projects in Watertown to include more affordable housing. 

Last Thursday, the Planning Board discussed the zoning amendment and voted unanimously to recommend that the Town Council adopt the changes. The proposal was brought to the Town Council by the Watertown Housing Partnership. It was considered first by the Economic Development and Planning Subcommittee and then by the full Council, before being sent to the Planning Board to sign off on it, said Andrea Adams, senior planner in the Watertown Community Development and Planning Department. The town has a requirement that projects of 6 more units have 12.5 percent of units be rented or sold at an affordable rate. When the Town Council approved the Regional Mixed Use District (RMUD) for the section of east Arsenal Street earlier this year, the affordable housing requirement was increased to 15 percent for that area, Adams said.

Development

First Phase of Arsenal Renovation Approved, Including Large Parking Garage

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The first phase of the renovation of the Arsenal on the Charles, including a garage with more than 1,300 spaces, was unanimously approved by the Planning Board last week.  
The first phase of athenahealth’s master plan to expand and upgrade the Arsenal Complex consists of the new west parking garage, along with a new building on Arsenal Street and a pocket park along North Beacon Street. The new garage will have it has 1,390 spaces and is expandable to 1522 if stackers are put on the bottom floor of the garage, said Bob Corning, principal with Stantec. Using the stackers, one car will be put on a lift, raised up leaving space for a second car to park underneath. Some of the goals of athenahealth’s master plan is to make the campus more permeable for pedestrians, and accessible and inviting to the public, said Mark Blair, director of athenaenvironment. 
One way they are doing this is by widening the sidewalk in front of the new commercial building on Arsenal Street, near School Street. Landscaping and places to gather will be installed in that area.