Around Town

Watertown News Poll: People Most Concerned About Traffic, Development

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Residents are most concerned about traffic/transportation and development, a poll conducted by Watertown News at Saturdays Faire on the Square found. 

People were asked “What concerns you most in Watertown Today,” and participants could check one or more of these five issues, and could write in their own issue:

Schools
Development
Traffic/transportation
Heroin/opioids
Property Taxes
Or, add their own write-in issue

A total of 28 ballots were cast at Saturday’s Faire on the Square, and the top issue, with 19 votes, was Traffic/Transportation. A close second was Development, which received 16 tallies. Next was Schools, with 11 votes. Heroin/Opioid use in Watertown received 9 votes, and Property taxes got 8 votes. Four people wrote in their own issues: Open Space/Recreation, Public Events, Gentrification and the Elderly.

Development

Second Community Meeting Planned for Project at 385 Pleasant Street

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A second community meeting about the proposed residential and commercial project on the long, thin property along Pleasant Street near Rosedale Road will be held on July 27. Developers  Amstel Heritage LLC will host the meeting about the mixed-use development which includes 58 residential units and 11,567 sq. ft. of commercial space planned to be built at 385 Pleasant St., Watertown. The meeting will be on Thursday, July 27, 2017 at 6:30 p.m. at the Watertown Police Station, 552 Main Street, Watertown.

385 Pleasant Street

Loss of Trees, Traffic Impact of Pleasant Street Project Worry Residents

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Residents living near a proposed mixed use project on Pleasant Street were upset about the prospect of removing a long berm and the trees on top of it. Traffic and the position of the driveways also concerned residents at Monday night’s Community Meeting at the Watertown Police Station. The developers, Amstel Heritage Watertown LLC, want to turn what is now a parking lot and the former Fields Company building into townhouses, condos and commercial office space. The lot is long and thin – more than 1,000 feet long and as narrow as 55 feet – and the back of the site includes the berm where railroad tracks used to run. The project includes 58 units, including 3 studios, 5 one-bedrooms, 14 one-bedroom lofts and 36 two bedrooms. The housing includes 30 townhouses in three 3-story buildings on the east side, 14 units in the existing brick building and another 14 units in a five story building west of the brick building.

Arsenal Mall

Residents Want to Talk Taxes, Traffic & New Hotel at Recent Arsenal Yards Meeting

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Residents received more information about the hotel planned for the renovated Arsenal Mall and the rest of phase 2, and gave it mixed reviews. The 155 room Hampton Inn & Suites is planned to go in Building B, along with retail on the ground floor and a six level parking garage. While Wednesday’s meeting focused on the plans for the second phase of the Arsenal Yards project, residents brought up other concerns, including the taxes that the project would pay to the town. Developers have requested a tax assurance from the town that would cap the tax rate for the project. Tom Wilder, of mall management company The Wilder Cos., said the tax estimates are still being calculated but it will be discussed at a later date. “We want to have a forum on that when the information is available,” Wilder said.

Development

Council Stresses Importance of Transportation Planner, Worried About Development

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The position of Transportation Planner has been discussed for years and the town has searched for someone to fill the role, but has struggled to find someone qualified to do the job. Tuesday night the Town Council stressed to Community Development and Planning Department Director Steve Magoon that they want the position filled. 

The Transportation Planner would deal with issues such as traffic, public transportation and the planned Watertown shuttle. Magoon appeared before the Council for his budget hearing. During the discussion, Councilors also worry that the Planning Department has enough resources to deal with all the development in town. Filling the Transportation Planner position has been high on Magoon’s list.

Letters

LETTER: Councilor Believes New Developments Not Causing School Overcrowding

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I want to preface this article by saying that there will always be more work to do when it comes to improving our schools and class sizes in general. I don’t believe there is a definite line we could ever reach where I would say there is no more work to be done. I think that is simply true as we are part of an ever-evolving and changing world.  With that being said, the standards I use to measure our class sizes and school population are both comparative and historic. I write this because almost every action taken by the Town and/or School Committee comes back to a widely held belief that our schools are overcrowded and class sizes are too high. Part of that belief is that development in town is the main cause of this.

330-350 Pleasant Street

Mixed Retail/Residential Project on Pleasant Street Near River Approved

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{NOTE: A correction was made at 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 14 about when the Planning Board can debate the design of the project.}

After much debate, the Planning Board approved a mixed-use project on Pleasant Street that will include retail stores, a restaurant near the Charles River and apartments. Last week, developers of 330, 350 Pleasant Street – called Water Mills at Bridge Point – appeared before the Planning Board for the second time. The team representing developer Mark Coppola of World Realty and Development Ltd. had made some minor changes to the planned 18,445 sq. ft.

Development

Developers Looking to Turn Former Massage School into Apartment Building

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A commercial building on the Southside of Watertown could be turned into an apartment complex with nearly 50 units, but some residents were skeptical about the plans. 

On Wednesday night, developers from FSL Associates of Newton presented their plan for the property at 101, 103 Morse Street. The plan calls for building a four-story apartment building with 48 units on the property that most recently was home to the Cortiva Massage School. The proposal calls for a mix of unit sizes: 6 studios, 31 one-bedrooms, 10 two-bedrooms and one three-bedroom. The building would not exceed the existing footprint, and some of the asphalt parking area will be turned into green landscaped areas. In their application, developers argue there is little demand for an isolated commercial building in the area that is predominantly residential.