Business

Lt. Governor Visits Watertown Bearing Three Grants for More than $3 Million Aimed at Economic Development

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Charlie BreitroseLt. Gov. Karyn Polito spoke with Town Council President Mark Sideris during an event where she announced more than $3 million in grants to Watertown. The event was at the Hampton Inn & Suites at Arsenal Yards. Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito stopped by Watertown on Tuesday to celebrate the transformation of Arsenal Street and to give out more than $3 million in grants to help municipal officials continue the economic growth in the community. The event took place at the Hampton Inn & Suites, located in the biggest redevelopment project in Watertown — Arsenal Yards. Polito recalled how she used to visit the Arsenal Mall when she was a student at Boston College in the mid-1980s, when it looked very different.

Charles River

LETTER: Resident Would Like to See Russo’s Redevelopment to Bring Life to that Part of Pleasant Street

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Watertown will miss Russo’s. Tony has been a friend to many of us (and our dogs) and has worked to implement Watertown Local First, the single use plastic bag ban (in the days before the pandemic), and supported green issues in town. He also has taken it upon himself to organize cleanups of the public space beside his property to the river. We are sorry to see him sell, but I am most concerned about the land use between Russo’s and the river. Watertown has an important role to play in saving our long riverfront for access by the public.

23 Elm St.

Life Science Building in East Watertown Approved by Zoning Board

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Elm Street PartnersA rendering of the new life science lab building approved to be built at 23 Elm St. The building to the right is the Residence Inn by Marriott hotel. Months after it first appeared before the Zoning Board of Appeal, a three story life science lab building at 23 Elm Street got approval to be constructed on Wednesday night. The proposal first came before the ZBA in February, at a meeting where board members expressed their concerns about the amount of parking for the then 78,000 sq. ft.

Development

Hearing About Future of Arsenal on the Charles, Plan for Trees on Campus Continues Monday

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Alexandria Real Estate EquitiesAn overhead view of the Arsenal on the Charles complex, with the new buildings proposed by Alexandria Real Estate Equities shown in blueish-grey. Arsenal Street runs along the top of the map, and North Beacon Street is the road the curves toward the bottom. Alexandria Real Estate Equities discussed their master plan for the Arsenal on the Charles complex at last Wednesday’s Planning Board meeting. The group will continue the discussion at a special Planning Board meeting on Monday, June 14. The group purchased the property located at 311 Arsenal St.

Development

LETTER: In Support of Modification of Plan for Arsenal on the Charles

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We would like to voice our support for the modification of the Masterplan for the Arsenal on the Charles site which was submitted by Alexandria Real Estate (ARE) to the planning Board on June 9th. 

For many reasons, we believe that the ARE submission is far superior to the current Master Plan. 

The proposal brings economic development that is consistent with Watertown’s comprehensive plan, bringing excellent job opportunities in growing fields. It features state of the art carbon reduction strategies for its buildings, aggressive targets for reducing its overall carbon footprint and increased publicly accessible open space. 

ARE has previously worked in Watertown and has a demonstrated track record as a developer that engages with neighbors and contributes to the community.  Responding to citizen concerns, ARE modified its earlier landscaping plan to address the community’s recognition of the importance of trees for a healthy environment.  The plan that was presented to the Planning Board calls for 129 more trees than are currently on the site. ARE has developed a comprehensive plan that will maintain more of the larger trees on the site, transplant some existing trees to new locations and plant many new trees, paying careful attention to selecting species most suited to the Intended use. We have seen many transformations of the Watertown Arsenal over the years.  The community had important feedback for ARE. The developer listened and responded, leading to an excellent proposal for a sustainable and attractive project that will make the thriving Arsenal property even better than it is today.

Alexandria Real Estate Equities

OP-ED: Resident Concern About Loss of Hundreds of Trees During Redevelopment Project

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Samatha Rao VuppalaShade trees in the Arsenal on the Charles complex. (The following piece was submitted by Sharon Bromberg-Lim, a member of Trees for Watertown)

A large real estate equities firm arrives in a small New England town. Based in California, the firm has rolled into many towns before, bought up properties big and small, and plunked down buildings. This project is just one of many investments that the firm owns. The firm says it must cut down more than 200 trees to put up its buildings.

Around Town

Deal to Sell Watertown Mall Closes, Purchased by Owners of Arsenal on the Charles

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The Watertown Mall — home to Target and Best Buy — has been sold for $130 million to the owner of other major properties in Town. The sale by Watertown Mall Associates Limited Partnership and New York-based Rosen Associates to Alexandria Real Estate Equities closed on Thursday, according to a story on Bisnow Boston which reported the closing of the deal. Alexandria has become a big player in biotech in Watertown. It also owns the Arsenal on the Charles and the former Mount Auburn Club. 

The future of the property is not clear, with Target having a lease through 2033, according to Bisnow.com. Other tenants of the Watertown Mall include the Registry of Motor Vehicles, Joyful Garden restaurant, Miss Maria’s School of Dance, Carter’s and Work N’ Gear.

Development

Zoning for Central Business District Changed to Allow Labs, Light Industry in Historic Buildings

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The Town Council approved a change to Watertown’s Zoning Ordinance that would allow life science labs as well as light industrial uses in the downtown area near Watertown Square, but only in structures built 84 years ago or before. The amendment was proposed by Berkeley Investments, the new owners of the building now occupied by Sasaki at 64 Pleasant St., which plans to create life science lab space and preserve the historic mill building, said Assistant Town Manager Steve Magoon. The Zoning amendment changes allowable uses for structures built before the Zoning Ordinance was adopted in 1937, and would allow light industry, non-nuisance manufacturing, laboratory/research, and renewable research. It only applies to the Central Business (CB) zone, which is around Watertown Square. The uses would be allowed by right in the qualifying buildings under 4,000 sq.