Development

Design Firm Wins Architectural Award for Watertown Design Guidelines

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The firm that put together the Watertown Design Guidelines was honored for its work by being named a finalist for an award from the Boston Society of Architects. This month, the BSA announced the Watertown Design Guidelines has been chosen as one of the finalists for the Campus and Urban Planning Awards category. The awards will be announced at the BSA’s Design Awards Gala on Jan. 28. David Gamble, principal of Gamble Associates, put together the design guidelines after holding a series of community forums, as well as working with town officials and the developer of a major project on Arsenal Street.

Development

Changes to Pleasant Street Zoning Approved, Some Still Have Concerns

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Tuesday night, the Town Council approved some major changes in what kinds of developments will be allowed in the Pleasant Street Corridor. The changes to the Pleasant Street Corridor District Come just seven years after the area first got special zoning. Town Council President Mark Sideris said the original intent to provide a variety of new developments on unused or underused property did not turn out the way the Council had intended. Instead of a mix of properties, the town got several large residential projects. “Several members were on the Council when we put in the Pleasant Street Corridor District zoning,” Sideris said.

Development

Public Input Wanted on Proposed Changes to Pleasant Street Zoning

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The Town Council wants to hear from Watertown residents and others about proposed changes to the Pleasant Street Corridor District. A public hearing will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 18 at 6:30 p.m. to gather input from residents about the proposed changes. A number of changes have been proposed for the area on the Westside of town. The major change would be creating three sub-zones within the Pleasant Street Corridor.

Development

Arsenal St. Office Project Approved Despite Concerns About New Entrance

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The Linx office complex which has an Arsenal Street address but backs onto the streets of Coolidge Square received approval from the Zoning Board of Appeals. As part of the project, which will turn the underused Verizon building into a 185,000-square foot office building, a new entrance will be added on the north side of the site onto Nichols Avenue. This feature was a plus for some and a minus for others. Architect John Sullivan said the new entrance will help the office be part of the area. “It will reunite the site back into Watertown and tie it into Coolidge Square and Arsenal Street,” Sullivan said.

Development

Planning Board Approves Office Complex, Worries About New Entrance

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The renovation of the Verizon facility on Arsenal Street received approval from the Planning Board, but not without concerns for how the project would impact the nearby neighborhood of Coolidge Square. The proposed project, called Linx Watertown, would have 185,000 square feet of office space, featuring a two-story atrium lobby with a cafe. It would have a significant amount of green space and would be located along the Watertown Community Path so developers hope it some employees will ride their bicycles to work. Developer Boylston Properties also believes the location close to Coolidge Square will help attract companies, which they believe will relocate from areas such as Kendall Square in Cambridge and Rte. 128.

Development

Residents Share Ideas for Small Park on Irving Street

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Residents told developers of the half-acre park on Irving Street that they would like to see a nice green space where they can get outside, relax and perhaps play ball with their little kids. 

Representatives from Greystar, which is building the Elan apartment and retail complex at Arsenal and Irving streets, gathered ideas during the first of two meetings held to help design the small park. The park would be owned and run by the developers of the complex. Landscape architect Blair Hines of Blair Hines Design Associates, said the park is quite small. It could fit one full-sized basketball court, but he said that would likely not be the right use of the land. It sits across from the new apartments, and near existing homes on Irving Street.

Development

Design Standards and Guidelines Get Final Approval With Some Dissent

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After more than nine months of work, Watertown’s new Design Standards and Guidelines have been approved, but not without some concerns. Before Watertown began working on the design guidelines and standards, developers only really knew what they could not build on a piece of land, said Assistant Town Manager and Community Development and Planning Director Steve Magoon. The standards and guidelines were one of the recommendations of the town’s Comprehensive Plan, passed last week. They were also the result of a push for something to deal with the development boom in town. The new standards and guidelines will give developers an idea of what the town would like the project to look like, said David Gamble, the town’s consultant in drawing up the standards and guidelines.

Development

Mixed Reactions to Hotel Proposed for Eastside of Watertown

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The Zoning Board of Appeals heard a split view of the hotel proposed to be built on Elm Street, with most of the those opposing the project living on or near the East Watertown street. The five-story hotel which would have more than 100 rooms would go right next to the back of Target in the Watertown Mall. The layout of the hotel on the property has changed so at the building now sits near the street, instead of having a parking lot in front. Also, some of the parking has been put underneath the building. Also part of the project would be removal of contaminated soil from the site, which used to be home to Atlantic Battery Company and had been a hazardous site monitored by the state Department of Environmental Protection.