Redesigning Watertown Square: Areas with Potential, Spots for Housing & Changing Roadways

While much of the discussion during the final presentation of the design charrette focused on the redesign of the main intersection in Watertown Square, the design consultants also looked at areas such as what people want to see in their downtown, where housing could be created, what properties could be redeveloped, and other roadways in the area that could be reconfigured.

The consultants remarked on the high levels of participation the Watertown Square project drew, compared to similar design efforts in other communities. Urban designer Jeff Speck said that per capita, Watertown had four times higher turnout than other projects he has worked on.

Over the three days, 230 people signed in to participate in at least one of the work sessions where they could hear from designers and give input on a variety of subjects. There were 467 total sign ins for the events from Tuesday night through Thursday afternoon, said Loren Rapport, a designer from the lead consultant, Utile.

Trends

During most of the sessions of the Watertown Square Charrette residents and other members of the public gathered around tables with a large map of the area to show what kinds of businesses and amenities, and the size of the buildings they would like to see, said Rapport, who added that a few trends emerged.

“‘Fun’ was a word that was heard a lot,” Rapport said. “Spaces for events, outdoor dining, and people watching.”

People also wanted to see a differentiation in the look and heights of buildings in and around the Square, Rapport said. Creating space for smaller retail businesses, including an incubator space for new businesses and pop up retail locations. Many also wanted to promote Watertown Square as a destination, with some pointing to the area’s history as a selling point.

Adding open space, particularly along the Charles River, was another common sentiment, Rapport said. Many also supported having wider sidewalks and more pedestrian and bike paths.

Housing & Redesigning the Square

One area where opinions of the participants diverged was housing, Speck said.

“Some want more housing downtown and some don’t want a lot,” Speck said.

Speck said that part of creating a more vibrant downtown is by having more people live there. The residents of the housing would shop and dine at local businesses, and would not have to drive so would not be adding more traffic to do so.

Looking at the area north of Main Street, Speck had some ideas for redeveloping the area, including changing roadways, adding housing where parking lots now sit, and replacing the surface parking with a garage. A couple of cities that have had similar redevelopments, Speck said, are Northampton and Frederick, Maryland.

Speck would also like to create a block layout for the area behind the City owned properties and commercial buildings on the north side of Main Street. This would include extending Winter Street and linking it to Baptist Walk (the block with parking between Mt. Auburn Street and Spring Street).

To incorporate more housing in the area, Speck showed a couple of drawings with the parking lots redeveloped to include residential buildings and a parking garage.

He noted that Watertown, like dozens of communities in Eastern Massachusetts, must comply with the MBTA Communities Zoning. The City must zone at least 24 acres of property to allow for at least 1,701 residential units to be built by right, and some areas can be designated as mixed use with ground-floor retail/commercial.

“If you don’t want to put (the housing units) downtown, where do you want to put them?” Speck said. “You probably don’t want it in your small residential areas.”

Speck also said he would like to redesign a couple of intersections near Watertown Square to make them easier to navigate.

“The Wedge,” as he called the fork created by Arsenal and North Beacon streets (just west of the gas station) would be replaced with an area with landscaping, as well as parking for the businesses on that stretch. Drivers getting on and off North Beacon street would make a dog leg turn and come to Arsenal Street at a T intersection.

The spot south of the river where California Street comes off Watertown Street also could change. The illustration shown at the presentation showed California take a dog leg and meet Watertown Street at a T intersection.

Currently there is a similar turn for cars going east from California onto Watertown Street, while drivers getting on the street heading west have a slip lane off Watertown Street. Speck said that sort of design invites speed, and since the roadway is right next to the Charles River Path it does not make it a pleasant place to walk or bike. The path and sidewalk in that area would be widened in this scenario.

Areas with Potential

City Manager George Proakis discussed some of the properties and areas that attendees of the design charrette identified as being ripe for something new.

The Galen Street Gateway, which Proakis called the “Welcome to Watertown moment” for people coming from the Mass. Pike, is an area which could use some sprucing up, and improvement to make it an area which is more pleasant to walk and shop.

Nearby, the MBTA’s Watertown Yard stood out to many. People said they would like to see something besides the aging bus barn and wide open concrete near the south bank of the Charles River. Proakis said people preferred housing to a biotech lab building. The land is owned by the State, however, which means Watertown cannot dictate the zoning or projects to be built there, but the MBTA has expressed interest in building a new bus garage and developing other parts of the land, according to design consultant Tim Love of Utile.

A piece of property the City does have control over is the former Police Station, located on Whooley Way behind the Fire Station and next to the Watertown Library. Suggestions included affordable elderly housing and parking. Proakis said he would like the City to look more into what the possibilities are, but noted that the building does not lend itself to reuse, so it will likely be torn down and replaced.

Watertown Square Ideas Include Rerouted Roadways, Shops on Expanded Delta, More Paths

Another nearby property, the building that was formerly home to Santander Bank, and the parking lot in the rear, also caught people’s eyes. Some sort of mixed-use building with retail on the ground floor and housing above was a common request, Proakis said, and more parking for the Watertown Square area. The lot is currently only for the businesses on the property.

A stretch of properties along the north side of Arsenal Street, near the Square, was also cited as an area with a lot of potential. Many businesses in the area are auto-related, but one thing that people did not want to lose was Wild Willy’s Burgers, Proakis said.

In the same area, the east side of Mt. Auburn Street was another area with potential. The section starts with the commercial development right on Watertown Square. Proakis noted that businesses have struggled to thrive in that location. Down the street there is a vacant lot next to the former New Yorker Diner. The area could have the potential for something grander if properties are combined, Proakis said, such as was done for the 104 Main Street project recently approved by the Zoning Board of Appeals.

See the slides from the final night of the Watertown Square Area Plan design charrette presentation by clicking here. Find out more about the project at watertownsquareimprovements.com

First Drafts of Watertown Square Redesign, Changes to MBTA Discussed at Design Workshop