Development

Draft Plan for Watertown Sq. Project Had 2 Options; Both Have Multi-Story Garage, 247 Housing Units & a Park

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A view of the area proposed to be redeveloped in Watertown Square, including the parking lot behind CVS, Baptist Walk, and some privately owned parcels. (City of Watertown)

Detailed plans for redeveloping Watertown’s Municipal Parking Lot in Watertown Square, behind CVS, are included in the City’s draft plan for the Demonstration Project. The 163-page document outlines two options, both of which include a multi-story parking garage, a multi-story residential building (both with retail on the ground floor), and a public green space. City Manager George Proakis gave an overview of the redevelopment of the lot, which would require buying or taking by eminent domain of several properties, at a packed meeting in the Watertown Free Public Library. The presentation did not include many details, however the draft plan includes a ream of information about the options, the cost, and the timeline.

Around Town

LOCAL MEDIA DAY — Chamber: We’re Lucky — Let’s Not Take it for Granted

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April 9 is the inaugural Local Media Day, and the Charles River Regional Chamber reminded members of the role that news sites covering community news provide. Charles River Chamber President and CEO summed it up well in his message in the Chamber’s newsletter on Thursday morning. Watertown has not only the online news source, Watertown News, but also local cable news produced by Watertown Cable Access Television Corp., with newscasts Thursday evenings, along with coverage of City meetings, sports, and other events around town. If you don’t have cable, you can still watch live and on-demand online at wcatv.org. Watertown News depends on the support from advertisers, as well as donations from readers (including Patreon members).

Entertainment

Watertown Gallery’s Yard Art Exhibit Features Several Artists

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From April 4-25, Watertown art gallery Storefront Art Projects is hosting Yard Art 2026, and attendees of the opening reception enjoyed art as well as a musical performance. The gallery hosted a reception on April 4, which included a performance from the Brass Band from New England Conservatory. Gallery director Ellen Wineberg said the musical accompaniment was an unplanned addition to the reception. “Paul Cary Goldberg who is in the show and lives in Gloucester was in his early morning Caffe Sicilia when the whole band walked in,” Wineberg said. “They had been scheduled to give a concert in Rockport, but there was a roof leak at the venue and it was cancelled.

Development

First Details of Redevelopment of Watertown Square Parking Lots Revealed, Including Garage & Residential Project

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Watertown City Manager George Proakis gave some details about a possible Demonstration Project on the Municipal Parking Lot in Watertown Square. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Monday night, the public got the first glimpse of a possible future for the parking lot behind CVS, the Armenian Museum of America and other businesses in Watertown Square, and it may include a multi-story garage built by the City and a residential building constructed by a private developer. City Manager George Proakis spoke to a packed room at the Watertown Free Public Library. He discussed a variety of topics, including how the Watertown Square planning got to Monday’s meeting, designing the new look intersection, and the main event: the Demonstration Project that would be built on the Municipal Parking Lot. Due to constraints, such as the City of Cambridge’s water supply line that runs under the parking lot, Proakis said the likely layout would be to put the garage on the area in back of the Armenian Museum of America.

Around Town

Watertown’s First Human Services Director Shaping New Department, New Home for Food Pantry

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Jenna Bancroft

Watertown’s first Human Services Director came to town after working for more than four years in Newton, but it was a homecoming of sorts. In her first several months on the job she has been in charge of not only establishing a brand new City department, but also creating a new home for the Watertown Food Pantry. In Newton, Bancroft served as the assistant director of Social Services, and became the director of that program. Those were her first jobs on the municipal side. Immediately prior to that she worked at the Wayside Multi-Services Center in Watertown, where she worked as a Social Services Resource Specialist (SSRS) for four years.

Real Estate

A Dozen Homes Sold in Watertown This Week

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Watertown’s home sales included half a dozen condos, two single families, a pair of townhouses, a two family and a three family home. 38 Brandley Road #0, $1,004,000, 3 bedroom 2 bathroom 1,630 sq. ft. Condo

172 Westminster Ave. #172, $1,825,000, 4 bedroom 5 bathroom 4,469 sq.

Around Town

UPDATED: Watertown Representatives Help Mark 250th Anniversary of Important Event in American Revolution

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A replica of one of the cannons hauled from Ft. Ticonderoga, New York, to Boston, through Watertown, in 1776. (Photo by Marilynne Roach)

Marilynne Roach, president of the Historical Society of Watertown, and State Rep. Steve Owens recently joined the reenactment and commemoration of an event that helped turn the tide of the American Revolution. In February the anniversary of Henry Knox and his “Noble Train of Artillery,” when cannons were hauled from Lake Champlain in New York to Boston, was celebrated and Roach took part in parts of the nearby celebration. The commemoration started in Upstate New York in December.