Letters

LETTER: Prioritize Affordable Housing Over Parking

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(UPDATED April 20, 2026, 9:20 a.m.: The authors corrected the percent of renters and homeowners “burdened by unsustainable and rising home costs.”)

Last Monday night, City Manager George Proakis presented a draft proposal to redevelop the parking lot behind CVS in Watertown Square. There was a lot to like. 

Redevelopment of the parking lot, along with several adjacent private parcels of land, would add 200-300 new units of market rate housing, including 30-45 new deed-restricted affordable units through our inclusionary zoning ordinance. And it will add a new public space to the Square in the form of a park or plaza. But this proposal also spends one of our city’s most precious resources — public land — on a construction project that doesn’t make residents’ lives more affordable, doesn’t make financial sense for the city, and that the city’s own reporting says we don’t really need. Housing for Cars Watertown? 

The centerpiece of the Manager’s proposal is a parking garage on city-owned land that contains roughly two hundred metered spaces over first-floor retail.

Government

LETTER: City Government —Trust, but Verify

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(Updated April 13: the number of units allowed in the Watertown Square Zoning was corrected to 4,423 (from 3,701) after confirming in the approved Watertown Square Area Plan)

By Linda ScottWatertown Resident

After attending the April 6th meeting on potential changes to Watertown Square and reviewing comments to my Watertown News Letter entitled “How Honest is our Development Process?”, I decided to tackle the issue of government honesty and transparency head on, with real life, current examples. First, I’d like to thank commenters for your thoughtful takes. And for. those who’ve served on City committees like the Watertown Charter Review Committee, I give a special thanks! The few months that I spent on the Watertown Blue Ribbon Commission were enough to convince me that this is a lot of work!!

Letters

LETTER: How Honest is our Development Process?

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Dear Watertown Residents:

Have I written enough about the April 6th meeting at the library? Perhaps, but when has that ever stopped me before?? I received a comment to my last Op-Ed entitled “Calling All Everyday Citizen Heroes for the Watertown Square Meeting.”

See:

OP-ED: Calling All Everyday Citizen Heroes for the Watertown Square Meeting

A reader responded:

“Of all the components of the MBTA Act/Watertown rezoning issue, the urge of some to protect a parking lot and to view construction of a garage as a threat to our way of life makes no sense to me. Building housing and parking in a central spot — and in a currently unattractive downtown area — is a good path forward. (I like Tresca’s by the way; hopefully, they can re-locateto somewhere nearby — the ground floor of the new building going up where the post office was?)”

And here’s my response:

Hi,

I was prepared to write one of my signature long responses to your comment, but then I thought, you’ve cut to the heart of the matter.

Letters

LETTER: The Plan for Watertown Square Has Not Gotten the Attention It Deserves

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I am writing this in response to Linda Scott’s detailed and well researched op-ed (click here). Linda, your deep dive into our community’s issues certainly speaks to many of the concerns people have raised with me. Thank you so much for kicking off this discussion. I urge all residents to read your op-ed, pass it on to family members, friends, and neighbors, and then discuss it together. I’ve spoken to multiple people who told me that there is a proposal for a five-story building of 200 +/- units plus a garage wrap similar to a complex at Assembly Square Mall in Somerville which admittedly I have yet to visit.

Charity

LETTER: Thank You for the Support for the Hockey Fundraiser for a Rare Genetic Condition

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The Watertown and Belmont community came together on March 28 for the annual Dally Cup Hockey game, raising more than $13,000 in honor of Grace Garabedian to benefit CFC International. The event, supported by the Belmont Police and Fire Departments, the Belmont Youth Hockey Association, and local friends and families, highlighted the strength and generosity of the community while bringing awareness to Cardiofaciocutaneous Syndrome (CFC), a rare geneticcondition. Grace Garabedian was born with CFC, a disorder that commonly affects the heart, facial features, and skin. She has faced ongoing challenges related to growth, development, and a demanding schedule of medical appointments. Funds raised from the Dally Cup will directly support research, education, and resources for individuals and families impacted by CFC.

Letters

LETTER: More Safety Precautions Needed for Large Gatherings, Like No Kings Rally

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Thanks to our new Councilor Theo Offei, I was able to attend the “No Kings Rally” in Watertown Square this past Saturday, March 28th.  There was over 1,000 people in attendance.  Conspicuously absent was the City Manager George Proakis, Council President Mark Sideris and Public Safety. Police Public Safety; Traffic Details, are common for an event of this size and common sense would tell you that a significant number of residents would be gathering in the Square. 

We have seniors, people with disabilities and residents from the Perkins School for the Blind and there were no safety procedures in place to ensure their safety. Councilor Vinnie Piccirilli had to serve as a traffic monitor, undertaking the task of getting people safely across Galen Street. Watertown is in the final stages of a major study of the Square — an area where current conditions already raise serious safety concerns for residents, pedestrians, and drivers. When a large public gathering takes place in that environment, my question is whether the future is more important than the current safety of people in the Square today? Given the safety concerns, the Town Manager has a responsibility to be physically present during high‑visibility events such as Saturday’s rally.

Letters

OP-ED: Calling All Everyday Citizen Heroes for the Watertown Square Meeting

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If Past is Prologue …

Big Development Plans for Watertown Square on April 6th! By Linda ScottWatertown Resident

Calling All Everyday Watertown Citizen Heroes! Well, it’s that time of the month in Watertown again … the time that the next large development plan will be hauled out and introduced, but this one’s been a long time in the making. Put the Library on April 6th at 6 p.m. in your calendar, because this promises to be a doozy! And what is “this” you ask?

Letters

LETTER: Chamber Encourages Council to Adopt Local News Day Resolution

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The following letter was sent to City Council President Mark Siders by the Charles River Regional Chamber:

Dear Council President Sideris,

On behalf of the Charles River Regional Chamber, I write to urge the Watertown City Council to designate April 9 as Local News Day. Local media play a pivotal role in our community — reporters hold municipal leaders accountable, spotlight neighborhood concerns, celebrate local achievements and keep residents informed in ways no national outlet can. Without strong local journalism, civic life suffers. Waltham’s City Council recently passed a resolution joining a national movement to recognize April 9 as Local News Day, reconnecting residents with trusted local outlets, and sustaining local journalism for generations to come. Watertown should do the same.