Arsenal Street Corridor

State Study Finds Buses Overcrowded, Traffic Slow on Arsenal Street

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The buses that serve Arsenal Street are overloaded at peak times, and are delayed by traffic gridlock in Watertown Square and going over the bridge into Brighton. 

These are a couple of the findings of a study of Arsenal Street currently being done by the Massachusetts Department of Transit (MassDOT) in an effort to improve the corridor that will add many more jobs, housing units and retail stores in the next several years. The area is served by the MBTA’s 70 and 70A buses. MassDOT officials recently came to Watertown to present their preliminary findings (see the presentation here). The Arsenal Street Corridor is served by the 70 and 70A buses and includes 5,710 residents, 2,740 households and includes 6,630 jobs, according to the study. The study looked at commuting patterns, and found:

Watertown residents commute to: Boston (27%) Watertown (18%) Cambridge (11%) Waltham (6%) Newton (5%)
Those working on the Arsenal Street Corridor come from: Watertown (17%) Boston (16%) Waltham (8%) Newton (4%) Cambridge (4%)

Buses
In prior public meetings about the area, many have complained about crowded buses and transit running behind schedule.

Arsenal Street Corridor

UPDATED: Department of Transportation Hosting Meeting on Arsenal St. Corridor Study

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Please join the Massachusetts Department of Transportation for a Public Information Meeting on the Arsenal Street Corridor Study. The meeting will be held Wednesday, February 24, 2016, from 6-8 p.m., at the Watertown Middle School Auditorium, 68 Waverley Ave., Watertown. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is studying the Arsenal Street Corridor in Watertown. This study will develop and analyze alternatives that are intended to improve transportation conditions on Arsenal Street between Watertown Square and Birmingham Parkway. The study will focus on bus service along Arsenal Street and locations where the bus service ties into other crossing bus routes.

Development

Town, Citizens Group Hosting Meetings on Zoning Changes Near Malls

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The proposal to change the zoning for the area around the malls on Arsenal Street has sparked much concern and many questions, and both the town and citizen group Sustainable Watertown will host meetings to discuss the proposed Regional Mixed Use District (RMUD). During Monday night’s Watertown Inauguration Ceremony, Town Council President Mark Sideris announced a pair of meetings about the RMUD hosted by the town and to be held at the Arsenal Project. Both meetings will be held on Saturdays from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., the first will be on Jan. 9 and the second on Jan. 16.

Arsenal Street Corridor

One End of a Watertown Street May be Closed to Traffic

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Residents of a small street between Arsenal and North Beacon streets want one entrance to their street closed to traffic. On Tuesday, the Town Council heard the first reading of the proposal to shut off traffic coming onto Beacon Park off of Arsenal Street. The street has two other entrances onto North Beacon Street. Residents of the street told the town they worry about Beacon Park becoming a cut through from the Arsenal Street, said Assistant Town Manager Steve Magoon. The Arsenal Street entry to the street is directly across from the new apartment complex going up at 202-204 Arsenal Street.

Government

State Transportation Officials Start Study of Arsenal Street Corridor

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The Mass. Department of Transportation (MassDOT) began looking at ways to improve the Arsenal Street Corridor with a stakeholder meeting last week. Working with Watertown-based engineering firm, VHB, MassDOT will evaluate existing and future multimodal transportation conditions along the Arsenal Street corridor in Watertown and also regionally, according to Town Councilor Cecilia Lenk, who attended the first meeting. The study will develop alternatives to improve transportation conditions with a primary focus on the bus service along Arsenal Street. Transportation alternatives will also be examined and evaluated, Lenk added.

Development

Planning Board Approves Office Complex, Worries About New Entrance

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The renovation of the Verizon facility on Arsenal Street received approval from the Planning Board, but not without concerns for how the project would impact the nearby neighborhood of Coolidge Square. The proposed project, called Linx Watertown, would have 185,000 square feet of office space, featuring a two-story atrium lobby with a cafe. It would have a significant amount of green space and would be located along the Watertown Community Path so developers hope it some employees will ride their bicycles to work. Developer Boylston Properties also believes the location close to Coolidge Square will help attract companies, which they believe will relocate from areas such as Kendall Square in Cambridge and Rte. 128.

Development

Mixed Reactions to Hotel Proposed for Eastside of Watertown

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The Zoning Board of Appeals heard a split view of the hotel proposed to be built on Elm Street, with most of the those opposing the project living on or near the East Watertown street. The five-story hotel which would have more than 100 rooms would go right next to the back of Target in the Watertown Mall. The layout of the hotel on the property has changed so at the building now sits near the street, instead of having a parking lot in front. Also, some of the parking has been put underneath the building. Also part of the project would be removal of contaminated soil from the site, which used to be home to Atlantic Battery Company and had been a hazardous site monitored by the state Department of Environmental Protection.

Development

ZBA Approves Major Apartment Complex, Park Must Be Planned

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The major apartment complex with a retail section on Arsenal Street at Irving Street received final approval from the Watertown Zoning Board of Appeals, but a small park remains to be designed with the help of the community. Known as Elan, the project being developed by Greystar will have 282 apartments and more than 10,000 square feet of retail space. The retail will be on the west end of the complex, and face other stores in the next-door apartment/retail complex being constructed by Hanover/Cresset across a shared driveway. Developers made a few changes to the plans approved by the Planning Board in May. The project features a glassed-in bridge connecting the east and west buildings.