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. Questions — Who is the garage for? City employees? Employees of the surrounding businesses? Tenants in the complexes being built in the Square area that have minimal parking requirements (0.5 space per unit as I recall)? Commuters who park in Watertown for the day and access public transportation into Harvard Square or Boston? Any other takers? As to the apartments, who will they serve? Single people, couples, families? Is anyone else put off by the idea of combining cars (noise and gas fumes) and open apartment windows? Or will only EVs be allowed to park there?
We are told to bring our questions to the meeting as there will be no Zoom link. As you mentioned, hard to formulate questions in the absence of any concrete information. Why is our City Manager as well as some of our committees, boards, and commissions still failing to follow the consistently excellent example set by our City Council — if something is to be discussed at a Council meeting, the info is provided ahead of time so people can reflect on the actual issues to be discussed and voice their concerns in public forum or at a public hearing. Is this so difficult?
Do I need to raise the issues of our empty storefronts, our treasured small businesses that have suffered given the reconstruction of Mt. Auburn Street and those that will be impacted by the new street scape construction in the Square? Then let’s add-in the war with Iran plus the dark, chaotic economic, political, and environmental storm clouds that are raining down on our country, our state, and our community. The daily stressors in our community are climbing rapidly — rising utility costs, gas prices, tariffs, job insecurity, loss of medical care, costly childcare, personal safety, and the potential high property tax increases (18% +/-) if Watertown’s Home Rule petition is denied. And I haven’t even touched on the very personal issues folks have shared with me as those are private conversations.
Honestly, I haven’t gotten this many calls since the COVID years. A common theme that has come up again and again – our town-ish city seems to be more concerned about bringing in lots of new people with little concern for the people who have contributed to our community for years. Why is that?
If you, my fellow residents who treasure our community, have any thoughts on all this, I and others would love to hear them. And if you have any potential solutions please share them. I want you to know you are not alone. Let’s show up, hang in there together, and try to try to figure out what’s next.
I ask you to reread Linda’s op-ed and attend the April 6th meeting at 6 p.m. at the Watertown Free Public Library. Thanks for your time.
With warm regards,
Elodia Thomas
Watertown Resident
We Are All Watertown
Thank you Elodia for providing further details about the meeting on Monday the 6th.
You’re welcome Sharon. I am hoping more info will be forthcoming at the meeting about the whole area behind the WFPL, the old police station, the Tresca’s building and the parking lots behind CVS parking lot and the Santander building. Of course 6PM for folks with family and/or work obligations is tough and there is no Zoom option.
Not gotten enough attention?!?!?! Hundreds of Watertown residents and business owners participated in the Watertown Square Area Plan process, which extended over a year. I went to almost every meeting. I repeatedly watched the 1950’s crowd, representing about 25% of participants, try to reduce the amount of new housing baked into the Plan. They were outvoted, so they are trying again. They will lose again. Most residents want a MODERN Watertown and we actually like Arsenal Yards. We want new housing built in Watertown, and we don’t need to know the identities of future residents before they move into our city. (smells like racism) No person who lives here, for a few months or a lifetime, has the right to KEEP NEW PEOPLE OUT.
I believe the quality of housing is more important than quantity. I would like that all new housing to have bedrooms with at least 2 full size windows for light and ventilation.
Living space and dinning space should also have this amenity as well.
Warehousing people just so they can be in Watertown or next to work should be avoided with all effort. Curious, what are your thoughts on buildings that warehouse people?
Will all this new development make living in Watertown more affordable?
More building means the cost of housing increases. Why? because new housing always charge more and that drives up the cost for everyone.
“Most residents want a MODERN Watertown” I disagree. Most people want a good quality of living in Watertown. “Modern” is not always that.
I don’t think anyone wants to keep people out. It’s just that We who have chosen to live here for some time did so because we like a place that is not so crowded. We like a place that is safe, smaller, Less complicated.
Elodia, you raise some very valid points regarding this planned meeting with no plans for us to review in advance.
I questioned in Linda Scott’s OP-ED on March 30 if, in these challenging monetary times, it is wise to be spending millions of dollars for land that is functioning well for us right now. Wouldn’t we be better served by just adding some trees and doing some other minor improvements to the area? We already have so much construction happening that is disturbing our small businesses. I posed more questions in my comment to WN on Linda’s article.
One of my ongoing concerns with EVs being housed and/or charged in close proximity to housing is the possibility of fires generated by them. If a fire would happen in a building combining parking for EVs and cars and housing, cars could be destroyed along with people’s housing. EVs have been in the news many times for having fires that are very difficult to extinguish and take a long to accomplish with huge amounts of water.
You mention the changing climate of our ‘town’ city with the addition of many new people who don’t always contribute to our community. They are often here for just a few years and move on after they have voted for their preferences and we are left with their preferences, which may or may not be ours.
So many people I talk to say they don’t want to be another Somerville with all its congestion. They moved here for a little quieter and less busy city and now fear that the Somerville creep is here. As tax paying citizens it sometimes feels as if we don’t really have a say in what should happen here, that the Manager shouldn’t have as much control.
We don’t have a plan to review prior to the meeting, so we can’t really send questions in prior to this meeting. We are using our precious time to speculate and we’ll be unprepared to ask intelligent questions at the meeting until the presentation is over. There should be a better process in place for such a critical matter.
I wonder if there will be any discussion at the meeting of possible tax hikes in our future if it is decided to go forward with the development plans for this area and garage. I’m hearing possibly 18%!
As I said in Linda’s OP-ED, heroes come in all walks of life and they step up when it’s important to help the people around them. Will all of you step up to present your views at the April 6 meeting?
Just a clarification, the tax increase is not related to the proposed development. It is possible if the State Legislature does not approve a Home Rule petition from the City to allow for more of a tax shift to commercial and industrial property. See more details in the latest step in that process: https://www.watertownmanews.com/2026/02/03/watertown-city-officials-join-state-reps-on-beacon-hill-to-ask-for-residential-tax-relief/
I can’t believe there is no Zoom option! I hope they haven’t already decided to do this and therefore not wanting community feedback! I wouldn’t be surprised if they did!