“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” George Bernard Shaw
To quote one of our Watertown residents in Watertown News regarding the survey for the (failed) city logo, “There is a FlashVote asking for input on which of 4 versions of this logo people prefer. Not sure why this project has continued without community input until – ‘which version of this logo do you prefer?’ The comments in this thread were clear, sensible and seemingly went completely unheard…”
This feels very familiar. How did we get to a place where we’re considering the fine points of a four or five story parking garage in the CVS parking lot before Watertown residents were even asked what, if anything, should be put in this space?
Have the Square businesses even been polled by our City Council (the people who represent them) about what they’d like to see? Now that the idea of this garage has been so strongly introduced, would they even feel comfortable speaking up? This would be a very important and necessary step, especially knowing that this garage is being touted as being good for business.
There was strong community opposition to a garage at the Watertown Square Meetings (as stated by both consultant Jeff Speck and City Manager George Proakis). Too bad that data was inconvenient and appears to have been swept under the rug. Wouldn’t polling the community at large have been the next step? Perhaps that would have garnered a more favorable result. Perhaps Watertown Square businesses could convince others of the garage’s value, if they in fact see any value. Too bad there has been no discussion.
To my mind, we’ve skipped this very important step once again, especially since the general complaint that I hear time and time again in Watertown is that things are routinely presented as a “done deal” before public input is given.
Saying that this garage is a “just a concept” is of no consequence. Actions speak louder than words, and the general feeling is: “Look at all of the work that the City’s put into this. They’re just going to do what they want, no matter what we say.” So saying that this is “just a concept” is missing the point entirely and is infuriating to the public at large.
I would want the Councilors to have a very strong hand in any of this, and with that, the responsibility for its outcome. That’s why we elected them. To my mind, even they were left out of the parking lot process until George and his consultants generally had things the way they wanted them. Make no mistake about this. So far, this has been the City Manager’s “show.”
I expressed my concern to Caroline Bays after her councilor meeting (the first brave soul to schedule one) about how public input has been manipulated. I used the Logo FlashVote survey as an example. That survey was totally misrepresented, and almost worse to me, being a former teacher, is that our young staff members are apparently being trained to operate in this manner. This ploy almost worked!! It was residents who pointed out the faulty logic, not councilors.
If that’s old news, let’s look at the Flock camera issue. The information was presented to the City Council by City Manager Proakis in a very non-transparent way in the year 2027 budget. It took some very alert citizens (not the Council) to uncover the details. The Council could have voted those cameras in without a sense of what was happening, thanks to how the budget was presented to them.
Council President Mark Sideris has assured us that the City Council will hold meetings to determine whether the public is in favor of this garage or not. Thank you, President Sideris. May I say, however, that this is after City Manager Proakis has spent considerable City time and taxpayer money on hyping his “development project”… the consultants, the meetings, the staff involvement, and I hear fancy displays are in the works.
Are lessons not learned in Watertown? The time and money spent on the failed City Logo alone should have been a wakeup call.
Linda Scott
Watertown Resident
Linda, thank you for writing this well-thought-out letter. I agree with what you said. I’m not sure how we, the citizens can get included in these decisions.
Marian Ferro
Watertown resident, homeowner, grew up here and went to Watertown High
Hi Marian,
The task of getting involved is a daunting one! It can sometimes feel like running to catch a moving train!
In an effort to get and stay informed the City will tell you that you have many sources. The problem is that those sources have their own problems. For instance, I just tried to open the City site to get Councilor information a few minutes ago, and the website is down.
The other day, there was a Zoning Board of Appeals meeting. The topic was the Watertown Mall and all of the changes that the new owner plans. When the Chair asked for any comments from zoom, she was told that there was only one person on Zoom, and he/she didn’t have a comment. Surprising, given the topic. It turns out that if you tried to go on zoom, you couldn’t, because someone in the City had mistakenly put another committee’s agenda and zoom link on the Zoning Board of Appeals site.
Here are a few things that you can do (I apologize if as a long-time resident this is info you know already). Maybe you can add resources that I’ve missed:
First, read Watertown News, which lists many of the upcoming meetings and events and fills you in on what has occurred.
Also, you can go on the City’s website and scroll down to the calendar section. Meetings will be listed (correctly I hope) with agendas so you know the topics that will be discussed. I have a friend who makes it a point to scroll down that list every weekend so she can plan what she’d like to attend (in person, on-line, or watch on cable tv). She then calls up her lazy friend (me) to make sure that I don’t miss anything. Here’s a link to the City’s website:
https://www.watertown-ma.gov/
City Council Committee meetings are a better bet for getting in on the ground floor of an issue, and the rules about speaking are relaxed (no two minute rule). Still, there’s no guarantee. For instance, this garage project was never discussed in the open in front of Watertown residents until now.
You can have the city’s on-line newsletter emailed to you every Friday. To sign up:
https://us9.campaign-archive.com/home/?u=13e6441b114c9591db39e39c4&id=9521f46284
You can also receive “notifications” of something coming up by signing up by topic. Here’s where to sign up:
https://notifications.civicplus.com/ma-watertown/lists
Another source is your friends and neighbors. Talk with them. On my street we recently got a pretty annoying problem fixed by working together.
There’s so much information that your head can swim at times, and yet, the topic of the garage, if available at all, was “hiding in plain sight.” I find that this is the case with many issues… mistake or not.
I, personally, would love to see issues that affect the whole community sent home in the mail. There are many people who may not consistently check their computers, but will always pick up their mail, if for no other reason than to empty their mailbox! There’s a great divide in how Watertown residents absorb information. If multiple ways are not used, a significant group of citizens is totally left out.
Another source of information is the newsletter that is sent to property owners with their tax bills.
And, last but not least, here are the Councilor’s telephone numbers and email addresses:
https://www.watertown-ma.gov/350/City-Council
This would be a good place to start letting them know your thoughts on this garage.
Again, I apologize if all of this is familiar to you, but if one or two people find this useful, my time spent was worth it!
Thanks, Marian. Try not to get discouraged. I appreciate your comment!
Linda Scott, resident
Hi Linda,
Thank you for your reply. I do know a lot of those things but I think I’m just tired and burnt out to do much right now. I used to be more involved. I knew several town Councillors and I was also on the Watertown Democratic Town Committee, Secretary for two terms (8 years).
I also get frustrated because it does seem like by the time the town invites the public to presentations and asks for feedback, it seems like the decision has already been made. My friend and I went to meetings for years about the Mt. Auburn St. complete streets plan. We were against it and expressed our feelings but it did seem like it was already decided.
Unfortunately, I can’t continue going to meetings and such because I currently walk with a rollator and need to get rides everywhere.
Marian Ferro
Watertown resident
This expresses my sentiments exactly. It is infuriating to see this happen with no apparent input from the people who live in here Watertown. My personal opinion is that having to park in a multistory garage in order to run into CVS or one of the other businesses or even the library would be very inconvenient, and is unnecessary.
Then there’s the issue of building more apartments on the site. The zoning plan appproved just last year allows private developers to build up to 3,000 new apartments “by right”. Why do we need to city itself to promote building even more apartments on city property. And what’s the urgency to add more residents and their cars to the city’s population?
Thank you, Linda Scott, for your clear and thoughtful epxression of what so many of us who live in Watertown think about this latest top-down plan.
Mike, How about taking your anger to the city councilors who can stop this project? I doubt that they are hearing directly from the silent majority of Watertown residents.
– A Watertown resident for 40+ years
Hi Mike,
Let me follow-up on Bruce’s thoughts. Below is a link to the phone numbers and email addresses for all of our City Council members. Your message can be as simple as: I do or don’t want a garage in the CVS parking lot: https://www.watertown-ma.gov/350/City-Council
But please don’t leave it there. Speak with friends and neighbors. I’ll bet most of the people that you know in Watertown are blissfully unaware of this development project.
Bruce wrote a wonderful blog post on the gravity of the financial decisions that our City Council is making right now, entitled “We Have Experts. Now We Need Heroes.”: https://thebattleforwatertown.blogspot.com/2026/05/we-have-experts-now-we-need-heroes.html. I highly recommend it.
And, on that note, here’s a Watertown News story on the upcoming budget meetings: https://www.watertownmanews.com/2026/05/01/council-to-discuss-watertowns-fy27-budget-at-3-public-hearings/. That might be an opportunity to speak up.
Make sure that you attend the City Council meetings and committee meetings in person or on zoom to weigh in on your views of things that interest you, and encourage others to do the same! (PS: you only have two minutes to say your piece at City Council meetings. There’s a later “Public Forum” at the end of the meeting…same deal…two minutes. It can be very awkward to get your thoughts out in this kind of rushed format, but it’s what we’ve got).
I think the only rule that the City has to follow in letting you know what these meetings are about is to give you 48 hours notice on-line. The agendas are also posted across from the Clerk’s Office in City Hall. That quick turnaround can be a challenge to fit into other things in your life, and/or require much less time than you need to research a topic.
Your voice doesn’t count if you don’t use it! I look forward to hearing more from you in the future!
Linda Scott, resident
Just one Watertown resident’s opinion, Linda, but isn’t the garage just a logical step in the government-by-crisis conga line? A “housing crisis” leads to a law overruling local opposition to new residential developments (regardless of preexisting population density, as I always feel obligated to point out). Said residential developments, with limited on-site parking, must cluster around transportation hubs to ameliorate a “climate crisis”. (It was news to me that the Watertown MBTA yard qualified as a “hub”. Since the Green Line A branch shut down in 1969—boy, we could use that now!—it’s been a parking lot with a couple of bus stops.) With anywhere from 1,701 to 3,000-4,000 by-right housing units (can I call them apartments from now on?) under consideration for greater Watertown Square, whaddya want, a “parking crisis”? Never mind that a five-story garage might lead to a “traffic crisis”; and never forgetting the near-certain “commuting crisis” of thousands of new residents with or without cars depending on the inadequate, to be kind, bus service, already at “crisis” level.
Watertown Square could sure use sprucing up, but for Watertown residents who will have to live through the sprucing. May we all live long enough to enjoy what benefits are to come, though I’m hearing a lot about a “longevity crisis” lately.
We cannot build even 1700 more housing units without better public transit. But there have been no promises on that front. Only threats if we don’t zone for massive growth. Not exactly well thought policy.
I am a 19 year East End resident.
Hi Joe,
You are absolutely on point, as usual, my friend, but I’m afraid that you’re one of a few voices crying into the wilderness. See my comment to Josh to see how I think our decisions are being made.
Linda Scott, resident
Hi Josh,
I see the way you’re approaching this. I have a simpler, “down home” approach.
Let’s say that you go to the grocery store to buy for a dinner you’re preparing without bringing a thought out “master” list. You proceed to buy everything that looks good to you, but when you get home, after spending lots of money, you still don’t have the ingredients for a healthy, balanced meal.
Linda Scott, Watertown resident
Thank you Linda Scott. I am a citizen of Watertown and have been for 54 years. This is where my daughters went to school. This is where I had a business and an office in Watertown Square for 35 years. I love this city. I am angry about this ‘demonstration project’ and how it is being pushed as a done deal. Nobody asked me what I thought about having a hideous five-story garage in the middle of the square. I DO NOT WANT THIS GARAGE!
We have nine elected representatives serving as members of our city council who are not hearing this message nearly enough. You should consider going before the council and delivering this same message at public forum. If you do it, others who think like you do – and there are a lot of us – just might follow in your footsteps.
– Watertown resident 40+ years
Hi Lynn,
You have voiced your concerns loudly and clearly! I wonder what your experience was like as a business person in the Square. What I’ve seen as a positive is all of the library activities in the evening and on weekends that attract residents and out-of-towners.
We also have a beautiful museum in the center of town (the Armenian Museum of America), something that a lot of communities can’t say. Many communities don’t have those advantages.
I also remember restaurants like the Talk and Stellina’s (which, by the way, started out in a humble building just across the river) that brought lots of people into the Square in the evening.
I’m guessing that none of these people who participated in these activities complained, because they couldn’t park in a parking garage.
Linda Scott, resident
Although I don’t disagree that the proposal to build a garage came from our City Manager it was made abundantly clear at the April 6th meeting by City Council President Mark Sideris that the City Council will hold public meetings and the Council would make the ultimate decision. We can also agree to disagree on whether George Proakis was hired in part for his planning and development skill set.
Let’s get to the more important question of whether Watertown needs a garage? The problem with Watertown Square is that it’s not a destination, it’s a drive through to get somewhere else. We don’t even have a post office anymore which I consider a must have convenience which attracts people to any City Center.
The fact is that when you look at pictures of Watertown Square from almost 100 years ago not much has changed. It’s mostly the same buildings with different names on them. (Yes I know the Salusti Buildings got torn down). That said, if you are fine with a City Center that looks like the 1930’s then you should absolutely oppose a garage.
One statement made by Mr Proakis which that struck the truth bell is that no individual developer in Watertown is going to ever voluntarily build a garage for the benefit of Watertown. The point is that “if” we ever want to see redevelopment in Watertown Square then people need to be able to park somewhere.
For more years than I can remember we were told that the Cambridge Aqueduct running behind the CVS parking lot precluded any meaningful development. On April 6th we learned that rumor may not be true. (How HG80, a private developer, knew enough to acquire all the rights to buy the properties including what we call the Registry Building and everything behind it up to Summer Street is a whole other multi page journalistic review for another day.)
For those unaware, another huge problem Watertown has it that the buildings in Watertown Square might look like one large building but many of these buildings actually have multiple owners with adjoining walls. The point is that getting everyone on the same page to redevelop anything will not be easy now or in the past.
In the 1990’s Watertown had a entity called the Watertown Economic Development Corp which was tasked with trying to help improve/redevelop Watertown Square by providing incentives and low cost loans to property owners generally in the square. This was when stucco work and matching awnings were installed on Mt Auburn St store fronts to create a more appealing aesthetic. Not much else happened with this initiative and it eventually faded into the sunset.
So, although I applaud the writers diligence in voicing concern about how decisions are made and money spent in our town-like City, I would suggest that the idea has to start somewhere. Let’s move on to answer the question whether Watertown can become a destination, rather than a drive-through intersection.
– Len Holt
Watertown Resident (68 years)
I appreciate your thought on this development in the Sq.
This seems to go unnoticed a lot – the City Council will hold public meetings and the Council would make the ultimate decisions.
So make you thought known to the counselors.
I think it is fair to say that most people would like to see improvements to the area.
Better transportation, more attractive buildings, more attractive landscape and most importantly, a reason to want to be doing things in Watertown Sq.
I like the idea of having a nice landscape with seating and art structures.
I like the idea of having an area above CVS and the restaurants to hang out to view the Sq. and have a place to socialize or to enjoy your food from the restaurants below.
I would like easy places to put my bike or electric transportation device. Having safe travel lanes are important. Having a parking facility seems to make sense for people who need to use cars and vans etc.
Quantifying what is an improvement is the challenge facing us. For some it’s a lot more people and more housing. For some it’s less people and their housing. Then there is the motivations of each one. These are not easy concepts to resolve when you consider all the adjacent issues like transportation and affordability.
It seems that maybe we need to have a decision structure that the counselors can use that will show our collective input. Any ideas?
Hi David,
I just love the way you think!! Totally out of the box! There’s an old expression by Abraham Maslow, an American psychologist:
“When the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.”
You, my friend, have many tools. I hope that whether it turns out to be a garage or not that your voice will be listened to. There are many ways to attract people to Watertown Square. A unique experience is a very compelling one.
Linda Scott, resident
Box? What box… 🙂
Thank you Linda for your kind words.
Finding time and energy to be more involved is a challenge for me but in a few more months I hope to have more time to start or join a Watertown citizens voices group that can help process some of the ideas and desires of the fellow local residences. It seems that a regular gathering to process these ideas may help though it would require someone skilled at groups process.
Hi Len,
Thanks for your well considered thoughts on the Square. Sorry, but the ends don’t justify the means. The “starting somewhere” would have been a whole city conversation. Coming in later in the process to stop something is a much heavier lift for the community, thus unfair to those who are expressing concerns about this “development project.” Our City Manager, who is a smart, strategic man, knows this. Planning and developing real estate are not his only skills.
Things to Consider/ Questions to Ask:
Some things to consider when thinking that this garage will make the Square a “destination”:
According to Watertown News, there are 267 parking spots in the current parking lot.
According to George Proakis, this garage will provide 100 to 180 more parking spots.
The developer will build around 240 new (market rate) apartments.
According to the new Watertown Square zoning (I doublechecked with Councilor Bays), they will be restricted to building 120 parking spots (.5 parking spots per apartment).
Question: How much pressure will the “rare developer building a parking garage for the City” bring to bear on this City if/when its tenants start complaining vociferously or they’re unable to rent the apartments without a parking spot? After all, they built the garage.
Question: What happens if the “unknown railroad stuff” (my quotes) that was referred to by the City Manager that was plowed over (basically encapsulated) to make the parking lot requires special treatment to clean up? Will the developer take on that cost, or will the City? The City, without the help of the “Feds,” by the way.
Are this City’s funds unlimited? We’ve been pretty spoiled over the last few years, but those days are over, at least for now. We haven’t received a decision on the Home Rule petition yet… you know, the one that will make or break many homeowners in Watertown and could raise their taxes by a whopping 18 percent. That homeowner tax raise is directly linked to us paying for more of the business share!
There are at least 250 more new apartments being built so far (125 without parking spots) that may be looking for places to put their cars in the Square as well.
The City is also touting this garage as a place for “excess” cars to use during the winter parking ban.
Our public transit is very limited and will make coming and going in the evenings to our new “destination” without driving a car a pain, to say the least, not to mention discouraging people without cars from moving here, putting this city in a double bind.
After upending the Square, and with all of the above demands, exactly how many spots will be available for people coming into town to enjoy the “destination” that it has become?
So, where is the tipping point? Will the public demand for parking spaces be so great that this garage, instead of drawing people to the Square, simply become a mundane car storage area for “homeless” Watertown vehicles, a problem of our own making?
Looking at Other Communities
I was curious, so I’ve looked at reviews of other similar developments that this developer has been involved with. A lot of people mention that despite density of population, the area around the development (retail and housing) is “very quiet” in the evenings.
I’ve personally visited the Somerville development (The Assembly Square Mall) with a friend on a busy Saturday afternoon. The development garage and businesses looked very quiet and empty. Across the street, at a smaller mall, the picture was quite different.
What was very obvious, with the Assembly Square Mall parking garage just across the street, the good people of Somerville were opting to do circles around the parking lot of the other mall instead of crossing the street to park in the garage.
If you simply visit across the river to Watertown Street in Newton, you’ll see a collection of old buildings on a fairly busy street that are homes to many successful and varied small businesses (and a post office), but no parking garage.
And before you say that this is because they’re imbedded in a dense, walkable Newton neighborhood, if you remember, I walked around Watertown Square for the MBTA Law and recorded all of the housing units that existed already that complied with that law. The number was 1,416 units in a half a mile perimeter (the distance considered walkable) of the Square. This didn’t count two family and single family homes, of which there were many. See: https://www.watertownmanews.com/2023/03/30/op-ed-mbta-communities-law-our-current-watertown-square-housing-situation/. So, it would appear that density alone is not the issue.
Recurring Square Problems
As far as the multiple owners of property in the Square sharing a wall, in the course of my research on another topic a few months ago, I accidentally “bumped into” a City list, dated 2023, I believe, where the adjacent properties in the Square were conveniently listed together with owner info…for the convenience of developers, I assume. Smart and strategic.
By the way, I agree with you about the Post Office. Where did that go, and how was the public in general informed? Not by some City post card that went out to their residences. For many, it was the public in general informed? Not by some City post card that went out to their residences. For many, it was when they walked up to it with parcels in their hands and saw a simple piece of paper in the window, stating “Closed”! One irate citizen added their own piece of paper stating, “Thank your City Council.”
The Square needs a lot of work, for sure. Just looking across the river, perhaps we don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Many communities have gone through this and have wisdom to share on how to turn a downtown around, without demolishing entire blocks.
Here’s a description of a successful Massachusetts community that shares many things in common with Watertown, including a similar land area (4.7 sq mis) (we’re 4.12 sq mis), a population of (29,817) we’re (35,270) and proximity to Boston as well as old nineteenth century architecture. Its MBTA housing mandate is 1892 units (ours is 1701 units) and it has a commuter rail station with a parking lot.
This Massachusetts community is described as “a charming, walkable New England central business district located about 7 miles north of Boston. It features 19th-century Victorian architecture, local boutiques, and a growing restaurant scene along Main Street. It functions as a historic, community-focused “garden city” hub with a bustling, safe, small-town atmosphere.”
Wouldn’t it be nice if Watertown Square could be described that way? And not one mention of a parking garage or a national chain store! We have two malls for those.
And would you agree with me and others that the rerouting of traffic in the Square needs to be tested out (like it was in Somerville) before it’s literally “set in stone”? This change promises to make or break the Square and the “built environment” around it. Let’s get this right the first time!
Losing loyal, longtime businesses that have become Watertown staples and go-to’s as well as this City’s historic identity would be an irretrievable loss. Let’s approach this with a slow and even hand and with all of our residents included in the process.
Linda Scott, resident
As a former Watertown resident, I still follow my hometown’s news (somewhat obsessively, some might say…and might be right!) The issue of citizen involvement isn’t unique to Watertown at all. I have lived and worked in multiple municipalities in Massachusetts and beyond and it’s the same everywhere. How can citizens get involved in the decisions being made in their communities?
And yet the answer is so simple…involve yourself. Writing letters to the editor or commenting on social media isn’t nearly enough. Call and meet with the people you elect to represent you. Attend public meetings on these subjects and weigh in with your opinions. Follow the activities of local boards and commissions. Volunteer to serve on one.
Most of all, consider running for office yourself. So many people complain about issues in Watertown but at election time there is little if any real competition, particularly at the district City Council level, where barriers to electoral access are the lowest!
I won’t weigh in on the proposal itself. As many like to point it, I don’t live in Watertown anymore. But I will always care about my hometown. Get involved, as I always have wherever I have lived – including where I live now!
Hi Paul,
Thank you for your gracious letter. You are right about civic involvement, but as I was explaining to Marian, to get involved, sometimes it’s like running to catch a moving train.
Issues have become more complex, as has our society, and getting involved can take quite a bit of time, tenacity and community connection. There’s also a steep learning curve involved.
I believe that the more people get involved, the more government will feel the need to respond. I’ve run into many people in Watertown who have just given up, having tried and thinking that what they had to say wasn’t viewed as important, that decisions are sometimes predetermined. And truthfully, sometimes they have good reason to believe that.
But getting involved is the only game in town, and not voting and not contacting your representatives and City staff with ideas and problems is not a solution.
Finding a friend or family member to get involved with can be quite rewarding. You’ll have a few laughs along the way. And, I’m that you’ve found this as well, a sense of humor is always a good thing to have when dealing with a bureaucracy!
Linda Scott, Resident