Development

Arsenal Street Hotel Gets Final Approval from Zoning Board

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Watertown will be getting a six-story hotel on Arsenal Street after the Zoning Board of Appeals approved the project Wednesday night. The 148-room hotel will be a Residence Inn by Marriott, said Bill McQuillan, the principal of developer Boylston Properties. Rooms in the hotel, which is aimed at business travelers, will cost about $175 a night, but prices fluctuate higher or lower depending on demand, McQuillan said. A number of Town Councilors applauded the project. “Some of us, including myself,  have been anxiously looking to bring a hotel to the Watertown community for the number of benefits it could bring,” said Town Council President Mark Sideris.

Development

Sideris Calls for All Developers in Town to Come Talk About Their Plans

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Town Council President Mark Sideris wants to get developers of all projects planned for Watertown to come and tell residents what they have planned for their property. Tuesday night the Town Council declined to approve a moratorium on developments on Arsenal Street, but decided to fast-track creating design standards and design guidelines for all developments in town. Sideris said he ran the idea past Director of Community Development and Planning Steve Magoon, who advised against having a developer summit. “I am not going to listen to him,” Sideris said. “All people with projects in the East End, the West End and the rest of town will come and talk about what they want to bring forward.

Development

Town Council Rejects Moratorium, Will Fast Track New Design Guidelines

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The proposed moratorium that would have temporarily halted development on Arsenal Street was rejected by the Town Council Tuesday night, but instead voted to quickly develop guidelines and standards for how projects can be built across town. A group of residents petitioned the Council to put in the moratorium, and Tuesday’s special Town Council meeting was scheduled to address the issue. Community Development and Planning Director Steve Magoon advised the Council that a moratorium would send the wrong message to developers. “It can send the message we are a community closed for business and not a place to invest in,” Magoon said. In addition, the moratorium can take time to go into effect.

Development

Council, Planning Board Worry Comprehensive Plan is Too Specific

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As they started to delve into the draft of the 200-plus pages of the Watertown Comprehensive Plan, members of the Planning Board and Town Council said some of it has too many details that could lock the town into something that does not make sense. The group, made up of the Planning Board and the Council’s Economic Development and Planning subcommittee, looked at the vision statement and the Land Use portion of the plan on July 14. Some of the things that worried them was that some of the goals had specific numbers for how to change zoning or building requirements. Planning Board Chairman John Hawes said he is not comfortable the statement in the Arsenal Street Corridor section saying that residential projects with frontages right on the street should be allowed, as well as the statement that the setback should be reduced from the current 25 feet. “I think that needs more discussion,” Hawes said.

Development

Zoning Board Approves Major Arsenal Street Project

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The major residential and retail project at 202-204 Arsenal Street received final approval from the Zoning Board of Appeals Wednesday night. 

The project includes a four-story, 297-unit apartment building (with 30 affordable rate units), as well as an 80-seat restaurant and a 33,000-square-foot market on Arsenal Street, a little east of Irving Street. The Zoning Board gave its approval after a lengthy discussion and with certain conditions, said Watertown Community Development and Planning Director Steve Magoon. Among the conditions that were already recommended by town Planning staff were that the developers contribute to a transportation management association (TMA) to provide additional public transit to the area. Also, the project will also make improvements to the Community Path along the length of the project. Tuesday night the Zoning Board added some conditions, Magoon said.

Development

Residents Want Developments to Take Account for Nearby Neighborhoods

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With developments along Arsenal Street coming closer and closer, residents have requested that new projects take into account the residential areas near where they will be built, and get that these areas get the some of same protections as the Charles River. Many projects focus on the front of the development and the look from the street, but residents at the Comprehensive Plan Review meeting said their homes should also be taken into account. “Developments need to be blended into the fabric of the neighborhood,” said resident Rena Baskin. She suggested having rules about where green space should go so that developers know what to expect. “They should have green space, not in the middle of the building but near the neighborhood or on the river,” Baskin said.

Development

LETTER: Welcoming SMART Development in Watertown

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First off, I would like to say that no one I have spoken to about a moratorium is anti-development. I do not feel that this is a black and white issue; on the contrary, I feel this is an exciting opportunity for the town—if done well. Whether it’s a moratorium, or hiring a dedicated consultant to help us get the Comprehensive Plan in place, we need to do something fast before it’s too late. Let’s face it: developers need a strong incentive to do the best for the town. Unless we have a good vision, codified into our laws, we negotiate with all developers from a position of weakness and rely on their mercy for our requests.

Development

Town Council, Planning Board to Begin Examining Comprehensive Plan

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The Comprehensive Plan will get a thorough examination by the Planning Board and a subcommittee of the Town Council beginning Monday, July 14. The joint meeting of the Planning Board and the Economic Development and Planning subcommittee will be held at 7 p.m. in Town Hall inside the Council Chamber. The meeting is the first of three scheduled to go over the details of the document that will help shape the future of Watertown. Other meetings will be held July 21 and August 18, and will also be in Town Hall. The first meeting does not have a set agenda, Planning Board Chairman John Hawes said during a board meeting last week.