Development

LETTER: Patio at La Casa de Pedro at Risk in Athenahealth Plans

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Editor,

The developers of the Athena Health property on Arsenal Street propose to eliminate the patio in front of the west entrance to La Casa de Pedro Restaurant.  This very popular patio fronts a broad vista of sunlit green lawn with a fountain, the Arsenal Center for the Arts, and shade trees on the opposite side. The developers’ plan proposes removing this patio and installing a new patio on the north side of the building, next to heavily trafficked Arsenal Street. What a loss that would be for Watertown! The patio in its current location provides exceptional beauty, comfort and utility, IMO the best outside restaurant seating in the whole of Watertown. There’s a delightful view over the wide green lawn from every patio table.

Arsenal Project

Future of Arsenal Mall Comes Into Focus on Tour of Site

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Interested residents got a firsthand look at where the buildings at the Arsenal Mall will be going in the newly renovated mall. Wednesday evening, the folks designing the mall led a walking tour of the area to try to give people a better idea of how the new project will look. There will be some major changes, including three buildings in what is now the main parking long in front of the mall. Also, a residential tower at least 12 stories high. Some familiar things will remain – the two long historic brick buildings that date back to the time when the property was part of the Watertown Arsenal.

Around Town

Tour the Arsenal Mall Property to See Where the New Buildings Would Go

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The owners of the Arsenal Mall invite the public to take a tour of the property to see exactly where the new buildings are proposed to go in the renovated mall. Picturing exactly what changes are being discussed for the Arsenal Project can be tough, with new buildings planned where parking lots, or even current buildings now sit. Also, some current buildings will remain. For instance, looking at the picture above, the old building on the right, where Marshalls is located, will stay, but the pedestrian area and the new building (in white) will sit in space now occupied by the section of the mall added to connect the two historic buildings. The owners and designers of the new mall will lead a tour on Wednesday, June 1 at 6 p.m. The group will meet at the Innovation Space, inside the mall, near the Old Navy entrance.

Arsenal Project

See Designers Vision of What the New Arsenal Mall Could Look Like

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Thursday night, the owners of the former Arsenal Mall showed their first drawings of their vision for the renovated mall, which will have buildings with retail and residential units and tall one large one with just residential units. Buildings along Arsenal Street would be close to the street with retail on the bottoom, and would be six stories and 70 feet tall. The taller buildings – a six story, 84 foot building and a 12 story 129 foot building – will be father off Arsenal Street. “As you step back from Arsenal Street that’s the appropriate place for a tall building,” said Mark Eclipse of PCA, one of the architects designing the project. Two of the buildings in the middle of the site will be “C” shaped, and will come together to form a central square area where people can gather and events can take place, Eclipse said.

Arsenal Project

LETTER: Where Will Families, Seniors Go to Eat and Play in New Mall?

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Dear Editor:

One of the hallmarks of Watertown was that it was a sleepy, safe, family friendly place. I know that The Old Country Buffet went out of business due to bankruptcy and it looks like Friendly’s lease is about to expire soon but The Old Country Buffet was a place that working families could  take their kids out to dinner because it was affordable. There were plenty of choices and let’s just say it was far from swanky so working families could go in their sweats and their kids could be a bit noisy without too many people being offended. Senior Citizens on a fixed income used to take advantage of their all you could eat buffet and eat enough for lunch and dinner. I know The Old Country Buffet isn’t coming back and I’m not saying we should have something exactly like it but it would be nice if we did reserve some space for restaurants that don’t charge approximately $35 for a roasted chicken. While a nightclub like bowling alley may bring in more profit and tax revenue than a traditional bowling alley, its not family friendly nor is it family affordable.

Arsenal Mall

Owners of Arsenal Project Want to Modernize Mall, Embrace Surroundings

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The new Arsenal Mall will have smaller buildings, try to create inviting public spaces and celebrate the natural areas around it, including Arsenal Park. The owners of the Arsenal Mall – now the Arsenal Project – discussed some of their ideas for their grand renovation of the mall on the East End of Watertown in the first of a series of public meetings on Wednesday night. The mall and the Arsenal Park, right behind it, could use some upgrades, said Tom Wilder, principal of Wilder Cos., which operates the mall. “When we got the Arsenal property it was not functioning well. Folks hadn’t been here for a years,” Wilder said.

Development

Councilors Interviewing Planning Board Nominee Same Night as Meeting on Arsenal Mall Project

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A Town Council subcommittee will interview a nominee for an opening on the Watertown Planning Board on the same evening that redevelopment of the Arsenal Mall will be discussed across town and the nominee is a familiar face around the mall. 

The Committee on Economic Development and Planning will interview Janet Buck for an opening on the Planning Board. The board will have the final approval of projects in the Regional Mixed Use District, of which the mall makes up a significant portion. Buck currently serves on the town’s Stormwater Advisory Committee. She is also volunteer coordinator for HATCH, the Watertown Free Public Library’s makerspace that uses space in the Arsenal Project (formerly the Arsenal Mall). The interview will take place at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 18 at 6 p.m. in the Town Council Office on the second floor of Town Hall.