Development

Planning Board Approves Fourth Phase of Arsenal Yards, Including the Plaza

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The fourth phase of the renovation of the Arsenal Mall, which will create a plaza surrounded by restaurants and retail stores with apartments on top, got the approval of the Planning Board Wednesday night. 

The two main sections of Phase 4 of the Arsenal Yards project will be built around an area that will be shared by pedestrians and vehicles, and is designed to allow outdoor seating for restaurants that look out on the area. The whole area is designed to be blocked off to traffic and used for events such as a fair, a farmer’s market or other gatherings, the developers told the Planning Board. Building C will have 27,500 sq. ft. of retail and restaurant space on the ground floor, with 130 apartments on five floors of housing above.

Development

Watertown’s I-Cubed Application Still Being Analyzed by State

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The application for $25 million in infrastructure projects in Watertown, and on state lands in town, in return for more jobs and growth by Athenahealth, remains in the hands of State officials. 

The I-Cubed project, which is a partnership between Athenhealth, the Town of Watertown and the Department of Conservation and Recreation (which controls the areas around the Charles River), is being examined by the Department of Revenue (DOR), according to a memo sent to Town Manager Michael Driscoll. The memo sent in an email from attorney Stephen W. DeCourcey of Lynch, DeSimone & Nylen, who represents the Town in the I-Cubed project, reads:
“The Department of Revenue has not completed its financial analysis of the new tax revenues that are expected to be received as a result of Athena’s economic development project on the Arsenal site. This analysis is a prerequisite to the Commonwealth’s approval of the joint application. The DOR is expected to complete its analysis in the next few weeks.” The I-Cubed program is run by the Executive Office of Administration & Finance (A&F).

Business

Arsenal Mall Project Receives Major Investment from JP Morgan

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The owners of Arsenal Yards sent out the following information:
Boylston Properties and J.P. Morgan today announced a $109 million strategic investment from institutional investors advised by J.P. Morgan in Boylston Properties’ Arsenal Yards development, a mixed-use destination of the former Arsenal Mall in East End Watertown. With sitework currently underway and upon the first phase opening in 2019, the vibrant urban neighborhood will be more than one million square feet, including 250,000 square feet of shops and eateries, anchored by Roche Bros. and The Majestic Cinema, YardWorks (200,000 sq. ft. of new and existing office and lab space), Blvd & Bond (425 contemporary residences), a 150-room Hampton by Hilton, The Fitness Collection, and a revitalized Arsenal Park with expanded access to the Charles River.

Development

LETTER: Development on Arsenal Street is Changing the East End

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To the editor, and the Watertown community,

I think the thing that bothers me most about this, and many other developments going on around the Boston area, is the fact that none of what I see takes into account the existing residents. There is no thought about who already lives here, and how what they develop will affect the area. There is no thought of including any of the character, the history of the location, buildings, etc., which is very important to the knowledge of how our county was formed. No thought of the people who have made this area what it is … no thought of all of the cultures, especially in East Watertown, that already reside here.

80 Elm Street

Proposal for Self Storage Facility in East End Will be Discussed at Community Meeting

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The developers of a proposed self storage facility sent out the following announcement:

Please join 80 Elm Street Partners for a presentation of the plans and discussion of the new self storage facility it proposes to build at the former Atlantic Battery site located at 80 Elm St., Watertown, MA. 

DATE: Wednesday, June 20, 2018

TIME: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

PLACE: The Apartments at Coolidge School, 319 Arlington St., Watertown

For more information contact HDS Architecture, Inc.’s Hans D. Strauch at 617-714-5870

(See the schematic design drawings by clicking here.)

Town Council Votes Down Prohibiting Self Storage in Watertown

Development

Taller Building Heights at Arsenal Yards to be Discussed at Community Meeting

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The Watertown Planning Department announced the developers of the Arsenal Mall will host a community meeting about the proposed zoning change to allow a height increase in the Regional Mixed Use District. Developers sent out the following information:

Boylston Properties will hold a Community Meeting to review the proposed zoning change in regards to Building G located within Arsenal Yards. The purpose of this meeting will be to present and discuss the proposed zoning amendment which requests an increase the overall height of the building from its previously approved 130 feet to 197 feet. If approved, the height within the Regional Mixed Use District (RMUD) could be 197 feet by “Master Plan Special Permit within a defined Mixed-Use project, using adopted Design Guidelines provided the project includes a diversity of building heights and furthers the intent and purpose (§5.18.a) of the RMUD.” (From WZO) Building G will contain approximately 140 for-sale residential condominium units and 193,000 GSF (versus the previously approved 189,000 SF). Discussion will include the massing of the Building as well as the buildings location relative to the Charles River and Arsenal Park. The Meeting will be held on Monday June 18, 2018 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. The meeting will be held at the “Arsenal Yards Development Office” located within the Mall.

Arsenal Yards

LETTER: Resident Supports Taller Tower in Arsenal Yards Project

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During my campaign for Library Trustee last year I talked with hundreds of residents about their concerns. The pace of housing development was by far the most popular topic of conversation. Some residents expressed reservations about the new development. They worried about increased traffic and possible strain on the schools, among other questions. Others — people on fixed incomes, working-class residents, and families eager to buy a home here but squeezed out of the market — were more worried about the cost of housing.

Arsenal Mall

LETTER: Resident Concerned About Request for Taller Tower at Mall

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I wrote this letter in December 2016 but it is even more relevant today in lieu of the zoning amendment proposal to increase the RMUD height to 197 feet. To the citizens of Watertown, regarding the Arsenal Project MP/SP proposal, 12/19/16. In over a year of meetings the issue which I thought would have been a major concern to both the citizens of Watertown, the city councilors, and the city planning department employees was rarely discussed. The issue I am referring to is the development of a 12 story building (building “G”) approximately 100 feet from Greenough Boulevard. Now the reason the developer wants to build this building is obvious.