Development

City Hosting Walks & Bikes with Staff to Get Input to Shape Watertown’s Future

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Residents can join City staff on walks and bike rides around Watertown to take a look at the City’s major business areas, and get input about what they should look like in the future. The information gathered will be used in the process to update Watertown’s Comprehensive Plan. The series covers a number of areas where development has and will continue to occur, including Watertown Square, Pleasant Street, Coolidge Square, and the bike path near Arsenal Street that runs through East Watertown to Fresh Pond. Assistant Director of Planning Gideon Schreiber said the tours provide another way for people to give input on the Comprehensive Plan. “I’ve been on the Live Well Watertown committee for 10 years, and we’ve done these walks and often times when I’m doing the walk with residents they have questions, they have ideas, they have thoughts, and we thought that it would be a good opportunity to mix it up and do something different,” Schreiber said.

Arsenal Yards

Vitality Bowls Opening New Location at Arsenal Yards

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Vitality Bowls

The following announcement was provided by Arsenal Yards:

Vitality Bowls, which specializes in açaí bowls – a thick blend of the Amazon’s antioxidant-rich açaí berry, topped with a variety of superfoods, announced the anticipated opening of its café at Arsenal Yards in Watertown on June 10. Under the ownership of local entrepreneur, Tim Johnson, the new Arsenal Yards café marks the brand’s breakthrough entrance into Massachusetts. “I’m incredibly eager to bring the Vitality Bowls experience to Massachusetts, and specifically the Watertown community. I couldn’t be more excited to open our first MA location at Arsenal Yards” said Johnson, who previously served as a C-suite executive in the tech industry for several years before venturing into entrepreneurship with Vitality Bowls. “There is something for everyone on the menu and I know that the café will be a great place for people to enjoy delicious, clean food they can feel good about.”

The new café will be conveniently located at 113 Bond Square, in the Arsenal Yards neighborhood, which offers shopping, dining, fitness and entertainment, along with residences, a hotel and life science space.

Business

Watertown’s Express Tire Looks to Bring Back Old Time Gas Station

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Darren CummingsExpress Tire & Auto has given the gas station next door a new look. There’s a new feel at a Watertown gas station, where the new owners want to bring back the experience of an old-time fill-up station. Express Tire & Auto took over the gas station next door on Main Street in ealy May, and owner Darren Cummings gave it a makeover and a new attitude. “I’m trying to bring back the old-fashioned gas station feel,” Cummings said. “You pull in, a gas attendant is there, he is going to wash your windows, greet you with a smile, be accommodating, fill your washer fluid no charge.

Business

Italian Eatery With Spots in Brookline & Newport Moving Into Watertown Square

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Newport Restaurant GroupBar ‘Cino is slated to move into the space previously occupied by Stellina Restaurant. An Italian restaurant will be taking over the space previously occupied by Stellina Restaurant in Watertown Square. Bar ‘Cino (pronounced “chee-no”) is part of a the Newport Restaurant Group that includes other locations of Bar ‘Cino in Brookline and Newport, R.I., the Papa Razzi restaurants in Wellesley and Concord, as well as the Castle Hill Inn in Newport. The Brookline menu includes pizzas, pastas, entrees, bruschetta, and salads, among other dishes. The restaurant will be located at 47 Main St.

Development

City Wants Input on Comprehensive Plan, Providing Multiple Opporunties

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City of WatertownA screenshot of the interactive map where people can leave ideas for what they would like to see in Watertown. It is part of the process for updating the Comprehensive Plan, the City’s key planning document. The process of updating Watertown’s key planning document, the Comprehensive Plan, has begun, and people who live and/or work in the City can give their input in a variety of ways. City officials held a community forum on Thursday, but those who were unable to attend can still give their opinions and ideas, said Watertown’s Assistant Director of Planning Gideon Schreiber. The City adopted the Comprehensive Plan in 2015, and now the document is being updated.

104 Main Street

Possible Main St. Project Has Restaurant Owners Worried About Future

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Crown CafeDiners enjoy a meal at Crown Cafe on Main Street. The future of the restaurant is uncertain because a development has been proposed that includes the restaurant’s property. The new owners of the Crown Cafe invested tens-of-thousands of dollars into the space on Main Street and the restaurant began serving food in January. Just a few months later they worry whether their investment will be for nothing, and the space where their business sits may be demolished to make way for a proposed five-story mixed use development near Watertown Square. One hope for the owners may be a grassroots effort started to try to stop the development by making the area a historic district.

Bud's Goods

Bud’s Goods, Watertown’s Second Cannabis Dispensary, Opening Soon

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Bud’s GoodsBud’s Goods, Watertown’s second marijuana dispensary, will soon be opening on Pleasant Street. Watertown’s second recreational marijuana dispensary will open soon on the west side of town. Owners want it to have a homey feel and it will be the only “small cannabis” operator. Bud’s Goods is slated to open on May 20, according to the store’s social media. The dispensary is located in the mixed use development at 330 Pleasant St.

Business

Watertown Restaurant a Finalist in National Contest for “Serving Their Community”

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Watertown’s Ritcey East has chosen as one of five finalists in a contest run by Toast for restaurants who make a difference in their communities. The winner will received $10,000, and voting is now open. The restaurant on Waverley Avenue, is “serving up a safe place for the LGBTQ+ community and a fresh take on comfort food,” according to Toast. Ritcey East was nominated by a fan of the restaurant because it is “a small, queer-owned biz that kept all their staff during the pandemic and continues to partner with local charities.” Say hello to our Built for You $10k Contest Finalist, Ritcey East!