Development

LETTER: Group Concerned About Future of Arsenal Street After Planning Board Vote

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TO: Michael J. Driscoll, Town Manager; Steven Magoon, Director of Community Development and Planning; Honorable Town Council; Planning Board, and Zoning Board of Appeals
FROM: Concerned Citizens Group, Inc.
DATE: 6/18/14
It is disheartening to hear the recommendation on 6/11 for current Cresset-Hanover-WS plans to move forward to Zoning Board of Appeals for consideration. After many public discussions about “learning from Pleasant St” and not wanting homogeneous, long corridors, canyonization, and projects disconnected from the surrounding contexts, etc , in addition to all the good work put into drafting a new Comprehensive Plan, we are in disbelief. Concerned Citizens Group “CCG” continues our appeal for a coordinated effort between developers/owners, Planning/Zoning, and the neighbors. As you are aware, as part of our ongoing appeal to Town, we completed a vision statement for our neighborhood four years ago (see attached). By following a similar process modeled by Athena-Boylston Properties efforts on the Arsenal Overlay Development District, an overlay for the Watertown Square end of Arsenal St corridor could also be accomplished in short order.

Development

Planning Board OKs Seven Story Parking Garage at Arsenal on the Charles

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The Planning Board gave the go ahead to the owners of the Arsenal on the Charles to build a parking garage that will be 90 feet tall. 

The parking structure will have seven stories, which will reach the maximum height of 79 feet, and then will have a “green” roof with grass or other things growing on it. This roof will increase the height to 90 feet. The roof is needed so the top floor does not have to be plowed when it snows. The garage will have about 1,800 spaces, and will allow owners athenahealth to remove the same number of spaces from ground level in the complex that stretches along Arsenal Street, said Larry Beals, architect with Beals Associates Inc. which is designing the garage and other changes in the Arsenal. When completed 94 percent of the parking will be in garages, compared to 58 percent now. Residents worried about the size of the structure.

Development

Residents, Business Owners Say Pleasant Street Zoning Changes Go Too Far

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The Planning Board got the first public input Wednesday night on proposals to change the Pleasant Street Corridor zoning rules and heard from a lot of business owners and residents who do not like the proposals. Some did not like the restriction of uses proposed by creating three different zones in the area. Others said the new rules to make the area less “canyon-ized” with tall, long buildings close to the street makes some parcels unbuildable. The Pleasant Street Corridor came into existence several years ago when the Town Council sought to redevelop unused or underused former industrial properties in the Westside of town. In the last couple years development has taken off, but virtually all have been residential, and mostly large apartment buildings.

Development

Major Arsenal Street Project Gets OK from Planning Board, Moves Onto ZBA

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The proposed apartment complex, market and restaurant got a grudging approval from the Watertown Planning Board, and now needs a vote from the Zoning Board for full approval. The project proposed by the Hanover Company and Cresset Development, includes a four-story residential building with nearly 300 apartment units (about 2/3 of which are one-bedroom units), space for a market, a restaurant and other retail along Arsenal Street. Located at 202-204 Arsenal Street and 58 Irving Street, the project got a 3-1 vote of approval from the Planning Board, with some conditions. Planning Board member Neal Corbett voted against the project. Changes

After the first Planning Board meeting, developers were asked to try to break up the look of the east side of the project to stop it from appearing like one big wall.

Business

Small Retail Kiosks Approved at Arsenal on the Charles

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A set of three retail kiosks with rotating tenants will soon go up at the Arsenal on the Charles complex. New owners of the complex, athenahealth, went to the Zoning Board of Appeals on Wednesday night for approval for what they hope are the start of turning part of the area into a retail corridor. The board approved it unanimously with conditions. The three kiosks will have rotating offerings, including food, drink and other items such as jewelry, said Bridger McGaw, a spokesman for athenahealth. “Someone could come for coffee on Monday, then go to the Clover Food Truck on Tuesday and realize he should come back on Thrusday because they have sushi,” McGaw said.

Development

Town Seeks Comments on Draft of Watertown Comprehensive Plan

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A draft of the master planning document that will influence the way Watertown will be built up (or not) has been created and town officials seek input from residents. The document is a long one, with 220 pages and hundreds of recommendations. The plan has sections on land use, transportation/circulation/parking, housing, economic development, open space/recreation, natural resources, historical/cultural resources, public services/facilities, energy and implementation of the plan. Work started more than a year ago on the document, and the consultants – Vanasse Hangen Brustlin – held public forums to get input on what kind of Watertown people want to see in the future. The Town Council’s Economic Development and Planning Subcommittee recently discussed how to get input and a schedule for approving the plan.

Business

Owner of Arsenal Project Buys Another Property in Area

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Boylston Properties, one of the owners of the Arsenal Project, has purchased property down the street from the mall. The group has agreed to purchase a 10-acre parcel at 480 Arsenal St., according to a report on Banker & Tradesman. It is currently used by biotech company 480 Biomedical, but it could be rezoned for residential use, Boylston Properties President William McQuillan told Banker & Tradesman. Along with the mall, the group has purchased the former Charles River Saab dealership and has plans to build a six-story Residence Inn by Marriott hotel in that location. (See details here).

Development

Council Shooting to Approve Comprehensive Plan by Fall

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The Comprehensive Plan – the major planning document that will shape Watertown’s future – will likely be approved this fall. 

The Town C0uncil’s Economic Development and Planning Committee discussed how they want to unveil the latest draft and collect input from town officials, town residents and others this week. The whole process will likely stretch into the fall. The Comprehensive Plan not only covers zoning rules and development, it also has recommendations for public transportation, bicycle and pedestrian issues, parks, and open space. Councilor Susan Falkoff did not like the idea of having the draft go to town department heads before the general public got to see it. The subcommittee agreed that the document should be published online so all can take a look.