Around Town

Eastside Neighbors Holding Meeting to Discuss Proposed CVS

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Neighbors from East Watertown will gather to discuss the CVS proposed to go into Coolidge Square. The Coolidge Square Neighborhood Group send out the following announcement about the meeting:
The Coolidge Square Neighborhood Group has called a Community Meeting for Monday January 12 at 7 p.m.  The meeting is intended to discuss a neighborhood response to the proposal to build a 14,000 square foot CVS at the corner of Arlington and Mt. Auburn Streets that is presently under consideration by the Zoning Board of Appeal. The gathering is intended to provide residents with information and a forum to air their concerns.  Many residents feel that the project is out of scale with the rest of the Coolidge Square Business District and will generate too much traffic.

Development

UPDATED: Developers of Proposed East Watertown Hotel Holding Meeting

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Developers who plan to propose a hotel on Elm Street will host a community meeting to talk about the project and get feedback. Elm Hospitality LLC seeks to build a hotel with over 100 rooms on Elm Street, behind the Target at the Watertown Mall. See more information on the project here. The meeting about the proposal for 80 Elm Street – the former Atlantic Battery site, will be held on Jan. 20 at 7 p.m. at the auditorium at the Apartments at Coolidge School, 319 Arlington St. in Watertown.

Development

Learn About Greystar’s Plans for Arsenal/Irving Streets

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The developers of a major project at Arsenal and Irving Streets in Watertown will discuss the latest details of the residential and commercial proposal. Representatives from Greystar Real Estate Partners will hold the meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 6 from 6-9 p.m. at the Watertown Free Public Library. Greystar is working with local partners Oak Tree FX, and the project is a test case for the town’s new design guidelines and standards being developed to shape how Watertown will look in the future. “This is an opportunity to view the project as currently envisioned and consider changes suggested by the ongoing design guidelines and standards being developed by the town,” the meeting notice reads.

Business

Subcommittee Recommends Locations for New Liquor Licenses

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Watertown could be getting 15 more liquor licenses for restaurants, and a group of Town Council subcommittees designated where they could be used. The members of the joint committees of the Rules & Ordinances, Economic Development & Planning, and Public Safety voted to send a proposal to the full Town Council. The town currently has more than 30 licenses, awarded by the state based on the town’s population. These can be sold and transferred by the holders. The new ones would be linked to a particular address and business, and would be leased out by the town, so they cannot be transferred or sold.

Development

See Drawings of the Latest Hotel Proposal in East Watertown

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Developers have come forward with preliminary plans for a hotel off of Arsenal Street, behind Target in Watertown. Elm Street Hospitality LLC has requested a developer’s conference with the town’s Planning Department to discuss the hotel proposed for 80 Elm Street – the former Atlantic Battery building. The spot is just down Elm Street from the recently approved Residence Inn by Marriott at the corner of Arsenal and Elm streets. According to engineering documents submitted to the Planning Department the hotel would be five stories tall and cover about 12,000 square feet of the 36,000-square-foot parcel.The total floor space would be 66,604 square feet. The documents were drawn up by Bohler Engineering of Southborough.

Development

Residents Wonder if East Watertown CVS Project is Being Rushed

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The CVS proposed for East Watertown had its first hearing in front of the Zoning Board of Appeals Wednesday and residents said they worry that the approval of the project is being rushed. The project has met resistance since it was proposed, both from residents and the town boards. Last week, the Planning Board voted 3-1 against supporting the proposed 13,000-square-foot project at the corner of Mt. Auburn and Arlington streets. Neighbors and residents expressed the same concerns as they did during the Planning Board hearings – about lights, noise and most of all traffic.

Development

Town Looking to Buy Small Piece of Land in Watertown

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The Town Council approved purchasing a small piece of former railroad property near Arsenal Street that could be key to nearby new developments. 

The Council approved spending $35,000 for the 3,300-square-foot parcel located at the end of Phillips Street. The state got the first right of refusal when the Pan Am Systems/Boston & Maine Corp. placed the right-of-way for a the former Watertown Branch of railroad up for sale. On Dec. 2, the town received a letter saying that the state did not intend to purchase the land, and notified officials that “The Town of Watertown has been designated as the purchaser for the [railroad] parcel.”

Business

Planning Board’s Vote a Blow to East Watertown CVS Proposal

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The East Watertown CVS proposal did not pass muster with the Planning Board, but the Coolidge Square project is not dead. Wednesday night, the Planning Board heard from developers about changes made to the proposed 13,300-square-foot pharmacy at the corner of Mt. Auburn and Arlington streets. Architect Kevin Patten of BKA Architects showed drawings of the new facade which included a scaled down front entrance that would not protrude as much above the roofline, and the glass split up by glazing so they do not look like such large panes of glass. Another alteration was the addition of more landscaping and a wall that curves to “blur the line” between what is CVS and what is the public sidewalk, Patten said.