Around Town

LETTER: Grassroots Housing Group Hosting Launch Event

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It’s becoming harder and harder to remain a member of this community. 

Every year, rising rents force more working families out while middle class and even affluent neighbors can’t afford to purchase a home, nevermind expand their families. Those looking to downsize after retirement, or hoping to age with dignity in the city they love, can’t find homes that work for them. Young people driven away, families in financial distress, longtime residents exiled from their hometown: this is the face of the housing crisis in Watertown. It is a dilemma that threatens our well-being, economic futures, and our community. It is also a challenge that we can rise to overcome, together.

Around Town

OP-ED: MBTA Law Part 4 – Possible Strategies for Watertown to Meet the Mandate

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Linda ScottThe Elan Union Market apartment building on Arsenal Street. By Linda ScottWatertown Resident

These scenarios are meant to mitigate some of the stress put on Watertown by the MBTA Law. One or more of these added to some thoughtful re-zoning, for me, seems ideal. Please note that because of Watertown’s overall housing density and availability to transit, there are even more options than I’m listing. In fact, there are enough to account for the entire 1,701 units plus 200 housing units more!

Around Town

OP-ED: The MBTA Communities Law Part 2 – What It Is, What It Isn’t

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mass.gov

By Linda ScottWatertown Resident

What the MBTA Law (MGL 40A Section 3A of the Zoning Act) is:

A zoning plan to address building multifamily housing in areas where there is public transportation. What it is for Watertown:

A zoning plan for 1,701 housing units in the form of three family structures or more. These units must be non-exclusionary, meaning without any age restrictions, and suitable for families with children. Why 1,701? Because that’s about 10 percent of the housing we have right now.

Around Town

OP-ED: MBTA Communities & How it Could Impact Watertown

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By Linda ScottWatertown Resident

Part 1

In January 2021, surrounded by some very happy building tradespeople, Charlie Baker signed the MBTA Communities Law into effect, and I missed it. Totally. Apparently, so did a whole lot of us! In August 2021, I was having lunch with a friend who lives in Boston. We were catching up.

Around Town

Virtual Fair Housing Month Workshop to be Hosted by West Metro HOME Consortium

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The following information was provided by WestMetro HOME Consortium:

The WestMetro HOME Consortium, which includes Watertown, is partnering with the Suffolk School of Law Housing Discrimination Testing Program to host a Fair Housing Webinar on April 26, 2022.  

With April being Fair Housing Month, this free webinar is an excellent opportunity for elected officials, municipal staff, property managers, landlords, tenants, and community members to learn about the history of Fair Housing, its impact today, and ways to mitigate implicit bias.  

It will be held on April 26, 2022 from 3:00–5:00 p.m. Webinar Registration – Zoom. There is more information about the webinar and fair housing on a webpage maintained by the City of Newton, which leads the WestMetro HOME Consortium.

City Council

City Wants to Change Location of Required MBTA Multifamily Zone

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Watertown City Hall

Legislation recently passed on Beacon Hill requires communities with MBTA service to create an area where dense housing projects would be allowed in locations near transit hubs. Watertown officials say, however, the area of the City designated by the state does not make sense and should be moved closer to the center of town. Each of the 175 MBTA communities must designate an area of at least 50 acres where multi-family projects with up to 15 units per acre would be allowed by right, so the City could not deny approval based on density. These zones are supposed to be within half-a-mile of a transit station. In Watertown’s case, the bus hubs in Watertown Square and the Watertown Yard do not qualify because they do not have a building available to passengers, acting Deputy City Manager Steve Magoon said at the Feb.

Affordable Housing

Watertown Given Protection from 40B Projects by Using Little Used Method

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The Town of Watertown has some protection from having dense residential projects allowed under the Chapter 40B law after being certified by the state that the Town meets a rarely used qualification. Under Chapter 40B, communities in Massachusetts have to meet certain level of affordable housing or else they must allow the construction of housing projects with 25 percent affordable housing. Watertown currently requires 15 percent of units to be affordable new apartment complexes. To qualify to avoid a Chapter 40B project, communities can get “Safe Harbor” by having 10 percent or more of its housing units sold or rented at affordable rates. Some communities have met that criteria, but Watertown does not (it has just over 7 percent).

Arsenal Yards

LETTER: Resident Supports Taller Tower in Arsenal Yards Project

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During my campaign for Library Trustee last year I talked with hundreds of residents about their concerns. The pace of housing development was by far the most popular topic of conversation. Some residents expressed reservations about the new development. They worried about increased traffic and possible strain on the schools, among other questions. Others — people on fixed incomes, working-class residents, and families eager to buy a home here but squeezed out of the market — were more worried about the cost of housing.