Government

Council Approves Watertown Square Zoning Changes With Increased Sustainability Requirements & Other Changes

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The zoning map recommended by the Planning Board on October 30, 2024. After nearly a year of planning, meetings and discussion, the Watertown Square Area Plan zoning changes have been adopted by the City Council. The updated zoning will meet the State’s housing requirements, even after trimming back some of the recommendations from the Planning Board, and the Council increased the green building requirements for new projects. Thursday night, the Council approved the Watertown Square Zoning unanimously. They included a majority of the changes recommended by the Planning Board on Oct.

Government

Planning Board Sends Recommends Zoning Amendments to City Council; Hearing Continues Nov. 14

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The zoning map recommended by the Planning Board on October 30, 2024. The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:

The Zoning Hearing is set to continue on November 14, 2024, at 6 PM with the City Council in the City Council Chamber at 149 Main Street. You can access the agenda, and you can join this hybrid meeting online by using this zoom link. What is the City Council Discussing at the Hearing? The Planning Board unanimously voted to recommend a package of zoning amendments to the City Council on October 30, 2024.

Around Town

Watertown Square Zoning Discussion Will Include Accessory Units, Household Definition & Neighborhood Mixed Use Zoning

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(Updated Oct. 29: ADUs are limited to single family properties in districts that allow them by right.)

When the zoning changes proposed to make the Watertown Square Area Plan a reality were presented last week, the City Council and Planning Board didn’t get to dig down on a few areas, including accessory dwelling units (i.e. in-law units), what constitutes a household for residential units, and the new Neighborhood Mixed Use zones. City Council President Mark Sideris said he would like to have more discussions about those areas when the public hearing on the Watertown Square zoning continues on Thursday, Oct. 24 at 6 p.m. in City Hall. Another area that Sideris wanted to have discussion about is what happens when a property falls in two different zones including one of the new Watertown Square zones.

Around Town

Watertown Square Zoning Changes Seek to Make More Vibrant, Bike/Pedestrian Friendly Area & Meets State Housing Requirements

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Wednesday night, the City Council and Planning Board began to dig into the details of the zoning that will make the transformation of Watertown Square a reality. The zoning includes areas where City officials seek to create areas with a vibrant street front, make the area more friendly for walkers and bicyclists, promote affordable housing, and a section where multi-story residential buildings will be allowed by right to comply with the state’s MBTA Communities Law. The two boards must approve the dozens of Zoning amendments in the Watertown Square Area Plan proposed zoning so that City officials can submit them to the State by December, said Assistant City Manager Steve Magoon. Added to the zoning changes are zoning to allow Accessory Dwelling Units by right, which would allow Watertown to comply with recently approved State legislation by the February deadline. See a bigger version of the proposed zoning map by clicking here.

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OP-ED: Housing for All Group Seeks More Affordable Housing in Watertown Square Area Plan

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Photo by Mark Pickering

By Mark Pickering

At a recent meeting of the Housing for All Watertown group, speakers touted the group’s success in its effort to deliver “the most ambitious MBTA Communities Act plan in the state.” Now the group is shifting gears to focus on getting more affordable housing as part of the plan. In Watertown, the YIMBY (Yes In My Back Yard) movement is alive and kicking. Members of the grassroots group say that the next step is to bring a greater number of affordable units into Watertown Square. Communities served by the T are required to submit rezoning plans (under the 2021 MBTA law) that would allow for building multifamily housing. 

To that goal, the Watertown group has come up with an “affordable housing bonus plan.” The idea is to increase the incentives for developers to build up if their plans meet certain affordable housing guidelines. As it now stands, the Watertown Square rezoning lacks robust incentives for including affordable housing in new buildings.

Government

City Won’t Need a Redevelopment Authority to Transform Parking Lots in Watertown Square

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The area of the Watertown Square Municipal Parking Lot, shown in grey and the adjacent yellow buildings, can be redeveloped under the powers given to the City Council in 1987. The graphic is from the Watertown Square Area Plan meetings. Watertown will be able to redevelop the municipal parking lot in Watertown Square without creating a Redevelopment Agency, City Manager George Proakis told the City Council this week. On Tuesday, Proakis confirmed that the City Council has been given the powers of a Redevelopment Agency (sometimes called Authority) through a special act of the Legislature. He first brought up the potential at a meeting of the Economic Development and Planning Committee on Sept.

Government

Watertown Square Zoning Meetings to Begin Oct. 16, See New Dates & Agenda

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The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:

The City Council and Planning Board Joint Hearings to discuss the Watertown Square Area Plan zoning amendment will begin on October 16, 2024 in the Watertown Free Public Library. NEW placeholder dates have been set in the case the Public Hearing is continued. Please see the updated dates below! When is the Joint Public Hearing on Zoning? October 16, 2024 at 6:30 PM in the Watertown Public Library at 123 Main Street.

Around Town

LETTER: A Plan to Spur Affordable Housing in Watertown Square

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Throughout the Watertown Square planning process, one concern was raised above all others: the urgent need for more affordable housing. We heard this again and again, in public remarks and written testimony, from residents across the political and socioeconomic spectrum. We have been calling for improvements to the Plan’s approach to affordable housing since the spring. With the unanimous passage of the Watertown Square Area Plan and the release of a draft zoning proposal from our city planners, Watertown’s elected officials now have an opportunity to address the primary concern of its residents. They have a directive to implement policies that can effectively and rapidly generate new affordable housing.