Around Town

Residents Share Their Desires for Watertown Square with City’s Economic Development Planner

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Residents on a tour of Watertown Square shared their vision for the area with Watertown’s Senior Planner for Economic Development Erin Rathe. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Two members of the City of Watertown staff who will be designing the new Watertown Square led a group of more than a dozen people on a walk through the area to get an idea of what residents want to see in the center of town. The walk, held on Sept. 5, was part of Live Well Watertown’s Walk N Talk series, and was led by Erin Rathe, the City’s Senior Planner for Economic Development. Joining her was the Director of Community Design, Erika Oliver Jerram.

Government

Final Watertown Square Area Plan is Out Now, See More Here

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The City of Watertown released the final version of the Watertown Square Area Plan, which was endorsed by the City Council and Planning Board. Read the full version, which includes all the amendments and additions added during the July 16 public hearing by clicking here, and see some of the highlights in the announcement provided by the City, below. The Watertown City Council and Planning Board held three Public Hearings between June and July to discuss the Area Plan. After discussions among themselves and hearing from the public, the Council and Planning Board officially endorsed the Plan on July 16, 2024. 

What is in this Plan Document? Click Here to Read the Plan

Much of this Plan Document remains unchanged from the initial draft released on May 30, 2024.

Around Town

Watertown Square Plan Approved by Council & Planning Board; Zoning & Design to Occur This Fall

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City Manager George Proakis addresses the City Council and Planning Board at the Watertown Square Area Plan hearing on July 16. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

After three meetings, and nearly 10 hours of discussion and public comment, the City Council and Planning Board approved the Watertown Square Area Plan on Tuesday night. The plan was amended by the Council, but retained the major goals of the version first discussed by the boards at the first meeting on June 13: a by-right housing unit capacity of 3,133; and the Four Corners reconfiguration of the Watertown Square roadways, which removes Charles River Road from the intersection. The details of the zoning and design to make the plan a reality will take place this fall, including some public meetings. During the public comment period, multiple people suggested the vote be postponed, and/or that the City should only allow for the minimum housing capacity required by the state, 1,701.

Around Town

LETTER: Open Letter to the Council on the Watertown Square Area Plan

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To: Watertown City CouncilorsFrom: Linda ScottSubject: Response to Councilor Gannon’s comments on Watertown’s History on June 27, 2024ATTN: Please include this letter in the record and read at the July 16th Joint Hearing

Dear John,

I am sending this to all of the City Councilors, but I’m addressing it to you, since I am responding to the comments that you made about the history of Watertown at the June 27 Joint Meeting of the City Council and the Planning Board. Your comments gave me food for thought. I thought about how circular the path of Watertown has been … large, broken down factories replaced with office space. That gave way to Bio Tech labs. It’s been a pattern in Watertown’s history to go all-in on one thing.

Around Town

LETTER: A Look at Recommended Amendments to Watertown Square Area Plan

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By Linda ScottWatertown Resident

As I was perusing my e-mail on Friday, late afternoon, I saw this:

Subject Line: Watertown Square: Continued Joint Hearing on 7/16 at 6 PM & Kids Space! Oh, I thought. That’s the announcement of this Tuesday’s meeting at the Middle School to have more resident input on the “Watertown Square Area Plan.” I didn’t think much of it, until a (really) alert resident actually opened this up to find pages of additions and corrections to the Square Area Plan document! Yes, I opened this message and saw a link entitled: “Recommended Amendments to the Plan”Click here to see the amendements to the plan. As I opened this link up, my first thought was, “This is a whole lot to dump on the Council, Planning Board and the public just a few days away from this very important meeting!”

I also thought, “What a confusing presentation!

Around Town

LETTER: Watertown Square Plan Decision Should be Made by More than Just Council & Planning Board

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Dear Editor,

It appears Watertown has had Comprehensive Planning Study after Comprehensive PlanningStudies. I served this fair city in a few elected positions for a number of years and am dumbfounded by what I see today. I have considered or prided myself in being a positive person or at least I strived to be. I know many people associate me with flipping burgers; however, before I was a Burger King Franchisee, I spent twenty-five years with the United States Public Health Service (PHS), principally working with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). My first assignment out of College was in Los Angeles, then Albuquerque, New Mexico then Boston.

Around Town

OP-ED: Fixing Deteriorating T Service Should Play Role in Watertown Square Redesign

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Cars driving through Watertown Square. (Photo by Mark Pickering)

By Mark Pickering

The former Watertown Square rotary was one of my big obstacles while I learned to drive a small delivery truck. Once through that wild intersection, I had to make my way past the trolley tracks still-embedded in Galen Street during the late ’70s. That’s why I enjoyed Councilor John Gannon’s remarks at the July special meeting on the Watertown Square Area Plan. I, too, remember learning how to drive through that rotary.

Government

Next Watertown Square Area Plan Hearing Set for July 16

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The City of Watertown provided the following information:

The Joint Hearing to discuss the Watertown Square Area Plan will continue on July 16, at 6 p.m. in the Watertown Middle School Auditorium at 68 Waverley Avenue in Watertown. This is a continuation of the Joint Hearing held on June 13 and June 27 in the same location. 

This Hearing will be a hybrid meeting, meaning you will have the opportunity to participate virtually on Zoom or in-person. You will also be able to watch the Hearing live online on WCA-TV. 

Access the Plan Document, Q+A Sheet, Hearing’s Recordings, and the June 13 Hearing’s Presentation

We encourage everyone to visit the project website to learn more and to access the plan document. Printed copies of the Plan Document can be found at the Watertown Library and Senior Center. The City of Watertown has also developed a packet of responses to questions about the Watertown Square Area Plan that have been collected from the previous Hearings. If you missed it, we encourage all to watch the recordings of the June 13 and June 27 Hearings, as well as access the slide presentation given by the Project Team about the Plan Document. For more information about the project, or to ask a question about the Joint Hearing, please visit the project website. 

You can also contact the City by dialing 311 in Watertown or by calling 617-715-8660. https://www.watertownmanews.com/2024/07/01/city-council-planning-board-weigh-in-on-watertown-square-area-plan