Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/category/business/development/page/27/)
The Town Council will be discussing proposed zoning changes that would create a Regional Mixed Use District (RMUD) in the area near the Arsenal Project, Watertown Mall and other parts of East Watertown. They will also take public comment. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 1, at 6:30 p.m. in the Town Council Chamber of Town Hall, 149 Main St. in Watertown.
Athenahealth’s latest draft of its campus master plan includes fewer buildings, but slightly more parking in its new multi-story parking garage, which concerns nearby residents. Tuesday night, athenahealth officials presented the master plan during the first of two planned community meetings on the project. The company owns the Arsenal on the Charles Complex and plans to add more office buildings, create a large glass enclosure over the “finger” buildings near the Arsenal Center for the Arts and remove much of the surface parking to make way for more open space and storm water management systems.
Along with making the campus big enough for it to be the healthcare technology company’s headquarters, the plan calls for making it more welcoming to residents, said Larry Beals, of Beals Associates, who has been hired by the company. “For years it was an Army facility with iron fences around it and entry by the public forbidden,” Beals said. “(athenahealth President and CEO) Jonathan Bush would like to do the opposite.
A group of residents have joined with the town to try to come up with a way to prevent Watertown’s neighborhoods from being changed drastically and overbuilt, while at the same time not creating “design police.” During last week’s “Preserving Our Neighborhoods” forum at Watertown Middle School, some in attendance wanted to look for ways to control the teardown of smaller homes and replaced with larger ones. Others did not want any new rules that limit what they can do on their property. David Gamble, a consultant hired by the town to come up with the Residential Design Guidelines – ways to control the development in residential neighborhoods. He said there must be a balance.
The Planning Board gave their OK to changes to zoning in the area of the Arsenal Project and Watertown Mall which could lead to a major project with commercial, residential and/or office elements including taller buildings. The issue is now in the hands of the Town Council. Residents at last week’s Planning Board meeting about the Regional Mixed Use District (RMUD) brought up several concerns about how a new complex at the Arsenal Mall site could impact the town and the nearby Charles River, and said the taller buildings would be too big for Watertown. The RMUD impacts a much larger area than just the Arsenal Project. It also includes the area on the other side of Arsenal Street where the Watertown Mall and Target are located, most of Elm Street and about half of Coolidge Avenue.
To the Editor:
Mr DiMascio’s letter that posits Residential Design Standards as a property rights issue and a function of big, bad government is a Red Herring. What is a Red Herring? It is a distraction, a false lead. I’d guess that the rest of us are happy that drivers, doctors, and restaurants are licensed; that zoning won’t allow a drive-through eatery on a row of two family houses; that dogs have to get rabies shots; that day care centers are inspected. It’s a trade-off when we choose to live in community, on streets with neighbors, and share civic space with others.
Watertown residents are invited to attend “Preserving Our Neighborhoods: A Community Forum Tools Available to Preserve Neighborhood Character” on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 6:30 p.m. at Watertown Middle School, 68 Waverley Ave.
The forum will include a panel discussion, a slide presentation, Q&A time and next steps. The event is sponsored by the Town of Watertown and the Neighborhood Advocacy Group. The town sent out the following announcement:
Our Comprehensive Plan identified preservation of the architectural heritage, character and fabric our residential neighborhoods as an important focus for Watertown’s longterm vision. In this Forum we will talk about key issues facing our neighborhoods, elements that contribute to neighborhood character, and tools available to manage residential growth and change, including: residential design guidelines, architectural preservation districts, ordinances, and zoning.
The first community meeting about athenahealth’s Campus Master Plan for the Arsenal on the Charles will be held on Nov. 19. The Community Development and Planning Department announced that the meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 19 at 6:30 pm. in the Community Meeting Room at the Watertown Police Station, 552 Main St.
The developer of the hotel project rejected by the Watertown Zoning Board of Appeals has taken the town to state Land Court to appeal the decision. Cherag Patel, the head of Elm Hospitality LLC, filed the appeal in Land Court on Oct. 28, and named as defendants the members of the ZBA: Melissa SantucciRozzi, Christopher Heep, David Ferris, Neeraj Chander and Kelly Donato. Patel is being represented by attorney Curtis Dooling of Pierce & Mandell of Boston. The appeal claims the ZBA wrongfully denied the special permit for the 104 room hotel project at 80 Elm Street when it made its ruling on Sept.