Letters

OP-ED: Thoughts on the Proposed Updated Noise Ordinance

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(NOTE: The City Council’s Committee on Rules and Ordinances will discuss the proposed updated Noise Ordinance. Tuesday, April 21, 6 p.m. City Hall in the Lower Hearing Room and remote. See more info here). 

By Rita ColafellaWatertown Resident

Last year, I opposed the adoption of the COVID era (2019-2024) noise ordinance draft. That same framework has resurfaced in discussions of the 2026 proposal. The core problem with the earlier draft was its reliance on vague, subjective standards like “plainly audible,” where violations do not depend entirely on objective measurement. This invites arbitrary enforcement where everyday sounds, from a humming air conditioner to a child’s birthday party, can trigger citations simply for being heard next door.

Letters

LETTER: Numbers, Numbers and is a Parking Garage Coming to the Square?

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By Linda ScottWatertown Resident

Is a Parking Garage in Watertown Square’s Future? But first, a Development Timeline, or watch the “magic numbers” grow

If you have already read my previous letter, “City Government – Trust, but Verify,” this letter might seem superfluous. What I’ve tried to do here is reason through what happened to the numbers in the Watertown Square Plan. Then I tie it into plans for a parking garage. Follow along, if you’re interested.

Letters

LETTER: Prioritize Affordable Housing Over Parking

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(UPDATED April 20, 2026, 9:20 a.m.: The authors corrected the percent of renters and homeowners “burdened by unsustainable and rising home costs.”)

Last Monday night, City Manager George Proakis presented a draft proposal to redevelop the parking lot behind CVS in Watertown Square. There was a lot to like. 

Redevelopment of the parking lot, along with several adjacent private parcels of land, would add 200-300 new units of market rate housing, including 30-45 new deed-restricted affordable units through our inclusionary zoning ordinance. And it will add a new public space to the Square in the form of a park or plaza. But this proposal also spends one of our city’s most precious resources — public land — on a construction project that doesn’t make residents’ lives more affordable, doesn’t make financial sense for the city, and that the city’s own reporting says we don’t really need. Housing for Cars Watertown? 

The centerpiece of the Manager’s proposal is a parking garage on city-owned land that contains roughly two hundred metered spaces over first-floor retail.

Government

LETTER: City Government —Trust, but Verify

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(Updated April 13: the number of units allowed in the Watertown Square Zoning was corrected to 4,423 (from 3,701) after confirming in the approved Watertown Square Area Plan)

By Linda ScottWatertown Resident

After attending the April 6th meeting on potential changes to Watertown Square and reviewing comments to my Watertown News Letter entitled “How Honest is our Development Process?”, I decided to tackle the issue of government honesty and transparency head on, with real life, current examples. First, I’d like to thank commenters for your thoughtful takes. And for. those who’ve served on City committees like the Watertown Charter Review Committee, I give a special thanks! The few months that I spent on the Watertown Blue Ribbon Commission were enough to convince me that this is a lot of work!!

Letters

LETTER: How Honest is our Development Process?

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Dear Watertown Residents:

Have I written enough about the April 6th meeting at the library? Perhaps, but when has that ever stopped me before?? I received a comment to my last Op-Ed entitled “Calling All Everyday Citizen Heroes for the Watertown Square Meeting.”

See:

OP-ED: Calling All Everyday Citizen Heroes for the Watertown Square Meeting

A reader responded:

“Of all the components of the MBTA Act/Watertown rezoning issue, the urge of some to protect a parking lot and to view construction of a garage as a threat to our way of life makes no sense to me. Building housing and parking in a central spot — and in a currently unattractive downtown area — is a good path forward. (I like Tresca’s by the way; hopefully, they can re-locateto somewhere nearby — the ground floor of the new building going up where the post office was?)”

And here’s my response:

Hi,

I was prepared to write one of my signature long responses to your comment, but then I thought, you’ve cut to the heart of the matter.

Letters

LETTER: The Plan for Watertown Square Has Not Gotten the Attention It Deserves

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I am writing this in response to Linda Scott’s detailed and well researched op-ed (click here). Linda, your deep dive into our community’s issues certainly speaks to many of the concerns people have raised with me. Thank you so much for kicking off this discussion. I urge all residents to read your op-ed, pass it on to family members, friends, and neighbors, and then discuss it together. I’ve spoken to multiple people who told me that there is a proposal for a five-story building of 200 +/- units plus a garage wrap similar to a complex at Assembly Square Mall in Somerville which admittedly I have yet to visit.

Charity

LETTER: Thank You for the Support for the Hockey Fundraiser for a Rare Genetic Condition

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The Watertown and Belmont community came together on March 28 for the annual Dally Cup Hockey game, raising more than $13,000 in honor of Grace Garabedian to benefit CFC International. The event, supported by the Belmont Police and Fire Departments, the Belmont Youth Hockey Association, and local friends and families, highlighted the strength and generosity of the community while bringing awareness to Cardiofaciocutaneous Syndrome (CFC), a rare geneticcondition. Grace Garabedian was born with CFC, a disorder that commonly affects the heart, facial features, and skin. She has faced ongoing challenges related to growth, development, and a demanding schedule of medical appointments. Funds raised from the Dally Cup will directly support research, education, and resources for individuals and families impacted by CFC.

Letters

LETTER: More Safety Precautions Needed for Large Gatherings, Like No Kings Rally

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Thanks to our new Councilor Theo Offei, I was able to attend the “No Kings Rally” in Watertown Square this past Saturday, March 28th.  There was over 1,000 people in attendance.  Conspicuously absent was the City Manager George Proakis, Council President Mark Sideris and Public Safety. Police Public Safety; Traffic Details, are common for an event of this size and common sense would tell you that a significant number of residents would be gathering in the Square. 

We have seniors, people with disabilities and residents from the Perkins School for the Blind and there were no safety procedures in place to ensure their safety. Councilor Vinnie Piccirilli had to serve as a traffic monitor, undertaking the task of getting people safely across Galen Street. Watertown is in the final stages of a major study of the Square — an area where current conditions already raise serious safety concerns for residents, pedestrians, and drivers. When a large public gathering takes place in that environment, my question is whether the future is more important than the current safety of people in the Square today? Given the safety concerns, the Town Manager has a responsibility to be physically present during high‑visibility events such as Saturday’s rally.