Comprehensive Plan

City Officials to Talk About Watertown’s Comprehensive Plan at Business Coalition Event

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Charlie BreitroseWatertown City Hall

Officials from City Hall will talk about the process of updating Watertown’s primary planning document, the Comprehensive Plan, during an event hosted by the Watertown Business Coalition. The networking event will be held at City Hall (149 Main St.) in the Council Chambers on Wednesday, May 18 from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

The City is updating the Watertown Comprehensive Plan, which was adopted in 2015. The document that lays out the vision for the future development in Watertown and includes economic development, land use, and transportation. 

Enjoy coffee and pastries will be provided by O’Some Café. Register by clicking here.

City Council

City Manager Finalists Discuss Why They Want to Come to Watertown

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Watertown City Hall

The three finalists for Watertown City Manager met with the public, and answered questions on Monday night. They shared some of their philosophies and approach to leadership, as well as why they want to become the City’s chief executive. Each of the finalists, John Curran, Norman Khumalo and George Proakis, spent an hour fielding questions from the public. Proakis, the Executive Director of Somerville’s Office of Strategic Planning & Community Development, has worked in Somerville for 12 years, and before that he worked in Lowell for seven years. He said that Watertown is a unique and excellent place.

Government

See How to Participate in the City Manager Finalist Public Forum

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Charlie BreitroseWatertown City Hall

The three finalists for Watertown City Manager will appear at a Community Forum Monday night, and the public will have the chance to ask them questions. The forum will be held in the Council Chamber in Watertown City Hall, 149 Main St., on May 9, 2022 at 6 p.m.

Each of the candidates will be interviewed for an hour. The finalists are: Norman Khumalo (Hopkinton Town Manager), John Curran (Billerica Town Manager), and George Proakis (Executive Director of Somerville’s Office of Strategic Planning & Community Development). Read more about the Finalists here. The meeting will be hybrid so members of the public can attend in-person or join remotely. Those participating by Zoom will be able to hear from the candidates and ask questions.

Government

Zoning Change Allows Businesses to Have Pick-Ups of Items Bought Remotely

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The City of Watertown’s Zoning Map. A Zoning change approved by the City Council will allow customers to drive up to local businesses and pick-up items purchased remotely. The amendment to the Watertown Zoning Ordinance allows businesses to allow the transfer of goods purchased remotely, and they will designate parking spots for these transactions. At the April 26 City Council meeting Council President Mark Sideris summarized what would be allowed with the change. “Basically, they order on the phone or computer, they drive up, tell them you are here, and they come out and give it to you,” Sideris said.

Environment

Watertown Receives Grant to do Inventory of Trees on Public Land

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These trees along the Community Path between Whites Avenue and Waverley Avenue are some that would be counted in the Urban Tree Inventory to be conducted by the City of Watertown. The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:

The City of Watertown was recently awarded a $38,500 grant with a 50/50 match by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation’s (DCR) Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Grant Program to support the City’s Tree and Potential Planting Location Inventory project. The grant is awarded annually to municipalities and nonprofits looking to improve and protect urban forests in an effort to help communities inventory, plant and maintain public trees. The City of Watertown will be contracting with PlanIT Geo, Inc. to conduct an Urban Tree Inventory. This project will provide a public tree inventory on streets, parks, and public property throughout the City.

Around Town

City Wants to Hear from Public on Changes to Watertown’s Major Planning Document

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The City of Watertown will be updating its Comprehensive Plan. This document guides what the City will look like in future, and covers topics such as economic development, land use, and transportation. The review will be an 18-month process that will be led by the Department of Community Development and Planning and a consultant team from Stantec in partnership with the Planning Advisory Committee. 

The first public meeting will be in the Hosmer School Cafeteria, 1 Concord Road, on Thursday, May 19 from 7-8:30 p.m. It will be held live and on Zoom. “This year, we are updating the city’s comprehensive plan which means that we want your feedback to plan for Watertown’s future,” said the announcement from the City. City officials want to hear from Watertown residents, property owners, business owners, and workers.

Government

Watertown City Manager Finalists to Appear at 2 or More Public Meetings

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The three finalists for Watertown City Manager will appear at public meetings at least twice in early May before the City Council makes its final decision. Wednesday evening the names of the three City Manager finalists were announced: George Proakis (Executive Director of Somerville’s Office of Strategic Planning & Community Development), Norman Khumalo (Hopkinton Town Manager), and John Curran (Billerica Town Manager). Read more about the Finalists here. City Council President Mark Sideris said a public forum and public interviews by the Council have been planned. The public forum will be held on May 9 at 6 p.m., and the Council interviews have been scheduled for May 12 at 6 p.m. Both meetings will be held in the Council Chamber in City Hall (149 Main St.), and also will be live on Zoom.

City Council

Three Finalists Named for Watertown City Manager Job

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The City Council was presented with the names of the three finalists for the City Manager position on Wednesday evening, none of whom are internal candidates. The finalists are: John Curran, Norman Khumalo, and George Proakis. The three will appear at a community forum on May 9 at 6 p.m. and interviewed by the City Council on May 12 at 6 p.m.

Curran currently works as the Town Manager of Billerica, and previously worked as Town Administrator of Maynard and as the mayor of Woburn. He also worked in the private sector as a senior systems analyst and before that as a senior fund analyst at Investors Bank & Trust. Khumalo’s position now is Town Manager in Hopkinton.