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OP-ED: When Bad Ideas Happen to Good Neighbors – The False Promise of Trickle-Down Rent Reduction

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By Linda ScottWatertown Resident

STOP! If you think that those living in Watertown who are low or middle class are just a drag on our community, this is not the letter for you. But if you are committed to a diverse and thriving Watertown community, complete with small businesses and diversity of age, income, race, religion, language, etc., please read on. First, I’d like to take us to California, where this madness seems to have begun in this country, with a serious housing crunch. Then came the “solution,” building as many “market rate” (aka very expensive) apartments as possible.

Around Town

Five Affordable Apartments Available in Watertown Square

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The City of Watertown sent out the following announcement:

With the new 166 Main Street development expected to open in May 2024, the developer just launched marketing for the five affordable apartments. Two of the units will be rented to households with incomes at or below 65% of area median income and three units will be rented to households with incomes at or below 80% of area median income. There is an information session on March 19, an application deadline of April 16, and a lottery on April 30. See more detail about this development, as well as the application form. Please forward this email to anyone who might be interested, including any groups that include individuals that might qualify for the income thresholds for this affordable housing.

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LETTER: Watertown Affordable Housing an Inside Story, Part Three

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Has Watertown already fully or partially complied with the MBTA Law? How can I get involved in making Watertown Square a more attractive and vibrant city center? Watertown has been a leader, along with Boston, Cambridge and Everett in permitting more than half the multifamily housing units in the Greater Boston area, according to “Greater Boston Housing Report Card”…The Boston Foundation. Watertown is cited in a 2019 Boston Globe article entitled “NIMBY? Not These Cities and Towns.” As a matter of fact, Watertown may have already complied with its housing zoning mandate for the MBTA Law, because, in reality, that is the point of the MBTA Law … to zone for more housing.

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LETTER: Housing Need + Empty Storefronts = Opportunity

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To the editor of Watertown News. There is clearly a profound shortage of affordable housing nationwide and here in Watertown. At the same time there is a huge number of empty storefronts everywhere. What is being done to convert at least al portion of those vacant commercial properties into residences? It seems an obvious solution — most storefronts are in areas served by mass transit so would suit individuals or families who can’t afford or don’t want cars.

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LETTER: Watertown Affordable Housing an Inside Story, Part Two

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By Linda ScottWatertown Resident

Is There Any Other Way? – What other Strategies can we use to add to Watertown’s housing stock? People, there just has to be a better way or a combination of better ways for us to provide affordable housing and grow our community. Here are just four possible approaches:

1) One way that we could add significantly to affordable housing units in Watertown would be by banning STR’s (short term rentals … AirB&B’s) in Watertown. There are hundreds of them in Watertown.

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LETTER: Watertown Affordable Housing, an Inside Story, Part One

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By Linda ScottWatertown Resident

I have a quick transcript from a Watertown Affordable Housing Trust meeting, where Brett Buehrer, Senior VP of O’Connor Capital Partners (New York) is discussing plans that his company has for a very large apartment building on Main Street, where the Post Office is currently located. There is an initial discussion with the Trust. Buehrer comes back a few minutes later to discuss something that he “forgot.”

Affordable Housing Trust Meeting October 16, 2023:

Brett:We’re making progress with the Post Office. I was wondering if you guys would be willing to write a letter to the Post Office in support of affordable housing. We’re working to relocate them and hopefully bring them back into a new building.

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WestMetro HOME Holding Public Hearing on Annual Performance & Evaluation Report

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The following information was provided by WestMetro HOME Consortium:

Since 1992, the City of Newton has received over $35 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s HOME Program through the WestMetro HOME Consortium for the development of affordable housing in Newton. Because Newton is not individually eligible to participate in the HOME Program, in 1991, the City spearheaded an effort to form a consortium under the newly enacted Program. Brookline, Waltham and Watertown joined Newton in this effort. Since that time, the Consortium, through Newton as the lead member, has received and distributed over $35 million in HOME funds to its members. The Consortium has provided grants and loans of HOME funds to for-and non-profit developers and directly to low-income households to create over 550 units of affordable housing.

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Watertown Housing Authority Director Elected President of State-Wide Group

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Watertown Housing Authority Executive Director Michael Lara. Michael Lara, the executive director of the Watertown Housing Authority, has been voted as the president of a statewide affordable housing organization. In this role, he will advocate for preserving, protecting, and expanding public and affordable housing in Massachusetts. Lara has been leading the Watertown Housing Authority since July 2019, after former Executive Director Brian Costello retired. Lara has served on the board of MassNAHRO (National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials) since November 2020, and in June, he was elected as the organization’s 31st President.