After a flurry of activity during the planning stages for Watertown Square, there has been a lull in the process. City officials said the action will begin again in the near future but the shovels won’t be hitting the ground for up to two years.
Watertown’s Director of Community Design Erika Jerram provided an update on the status of the Watertown Square project during the Watertown Business Coalition’s coffee connect at Watertown Savings on July 16.
The City Council and Planning Board approved the Watertown Square Area Plan in July 2024.
“It’s a beautiful vision for Watertown square, and it includes a big transportation component, as well as some forward thinking around some of these empty parcels, some of these underutilized parcels,” Jerram said. “And where we can go next with Watertown Square to really make it vibrant.”
A big part of the plan was meeting the MBTA Communities Law housing goals. The Council approved zoning changes for the area in and around Watertown Square in November.
The next step is designing the Square, including the main intersection, redeveloping the municipal parking lots behind the Watertown Library and CVS, and other areas. Jerram said the City is taking a two pronged approach, and will hire consultants to assist with the design process.
“The first consultant will work on an Urban Renewal Plan. That’s a scary word for people, but really it just means looking at all of the land and what it could become; all of the vacant lots behind the library that the City owns, and figuring out a way forward with those properties,” she said. “So it includes land value, and it includes an urban design vision — what can we actually build here — and then what infrastructure is going to be needed. Then we can start having conversations with the private sector and with the state about how to fund all this and how to move these projects forward.”
The second prong involves designing the roadway.
“We’re not going to start digging up the streets right away. It’s a really big process to get that vision, that’s conceptual, on the plans,” Jerram said. “The Four Corners Plan is what we call it, which makes Waterhouse Square into a four way intersection, which is a big deal, and there’s a lot of little pieces that will make that work. But a lot of stuff still needs to be figured out so we are going to be hiring an engineering firm, shortly, to undertake that work and really bring that project to the point where we can start construction.”
The City will be looking for input from various groups, Jerram said, including the business community.
“There are going to be a lot of opportunities to engage, and there’ll be a lot of conversations with the business community, you guys will be integral in that, and really making sure that we are holding that vision, and as we go on we don’t lose sight of the big picture and the vision that we all that we all agree on,” Jerram said.
To keep people up to date with what is happening with the Watertown Square planning, the City has created the Watertown Square Area Plan website: https://watertownsquareimprovements.com/
Tyler Cote, the City’s Community Engagement Specialist, will be heading the communication effort, and said that he hopes to keep people involved.
“We had about 120,000 engagement touch points in the planning process,” Cote said. “That is, from my perspective, a massive success as to what public process looks like, which is fantastic, but it’s also just the start of what this is going to be.”
The website has not changed a lot since the housing plan was approved, but Cote said people will soon see fresh content in the “next handful of weeks.” Cote also hopes to hear from the public about the project.
“Now we’re getting into those details. The details are where we’re going to ask you all to come along with us as we identify what those details are, share what those details are,” he said. “And when we are looking for insight, looking to gather questions or answer any questions that you have, we’re going to make that abundantly clear in all of our City channels.”
“It’s a beautiful vision for Watertown square, and it includes a big transportation component…”
As the transportation component is my biggest concern, is there anything new on that front? I see a lot about housing in the accompanying documents, but nothing about how thousands of new residents will have access to the world beyond Galen and Main Streets. I’m a bore on the subject, but would happily be silenced by more details. Huge supporter of the development as a whole.
A question came in about where people will park if the lot behind CVS is developed. The proposal includes constructing a parking garage on the site.
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