Business

New Watertown Restaurant Brings a Taste of South of the Border

By |

A trip to Watertown’s newest restaurant will be like taking a trip South of the Border, with authentic Mexican dishes, margaritas and real tiles and decorations from Mexico. 

Ixtapa Mexican Grill & Cantina will take the spot at 18 Mt. Auburn Street in Watertown that was occupied for many years by Verona Restaurant. It is part of a local group of family restaurants that started in Lunenberg in 2005, said Jillian Canavan, director of marketing for Ixtapa Grill. Ixtapa is modeled after a cantina in Guerrero, Mexico, Canavan said, and the experience will be “like walking into a real Mexican hacienda.” “All the recipes, the food, are all homemade, family recipes,” Canavan said.

Development

After Long Process, Watertown’s Comprehensive Plan Nears Completion

By |

The Town Council, and the Planning Board gathered with residents at the Watertown Middle School this week to put the final touches on the town’s long anticipated Comprehensive Plan. The Council and the Board presented the plan during a joint conference Wednesday, May 6. The comprehensive plan outlines the town’s goals through 2025, and is the town’s first since 1988, according to the town comprehensive plan website. The plan calls to “reinforce Watertown Square as a town center” transform Arsenal Corridor into a “dynamic mixed-use-corridor.”

The town original aimed to have the plan completed in 2013, but the process took longer than expected, Steve Magoon, Director of Planning and Development said. The Planning Board and the Town Council will vote on the proposed plan at upcoming meetings.

Real Estate

Two Colonials and a Cottage Among This Week’s Open Houses

By |

Check out the 11 open houses around Watertown this week. $375,000 – 290 Pleasant St. Unit 208, 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom mid-rise condo, Open House: Saturday 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m.

$679,900 – 177 Common St., 4 bedroom, 1.5 bathroom colonial, Open Houses: Saturday 2-3:30 p.m. Sunday 12-1:30 p.m.

$467,500 – 87 Watertown St. Unit 87, 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom 2 family, Open Houses: Saturday 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday 2-4 p.m.

$569,000 – 24 Edenfield Ave., 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom colonial, Open Houses: Saturday 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Sunday 2-4 p.m.

Story Sponsored by:

$369,000 – 16 Charles St. Unit A, 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom 2 family, Open Houses: Saturday 1-2:30 p.m. Sunday 1-2:30 p.m.

$629,000 – 21 Warwick St., 2 unit, 11 total room, 5 total bedroom, Open Houses: Saturday 12-1:30 p.m. Sunday 12-1 p.m.

$399,900 – 251 Common St.

Business

Find Out When Food Trucks will Return to the Arsenal Project

By |

May means the return of food trucks to Watertown! Several will be showing up at the Arsenal Project every Wednesday. 

The Arsenal Project sent out the following announcement about the food and other fun coming this year:

The Arsenal Project is pleased to announce the return of the popular weekly food truck program, Food Truck Wednesdays, kicking off May 20. Five of Boston’s best gourmet food trucks will be rolling into the center’s parking lot this spring, summer, and fall. Food Truck Wednesdays at The Arsenal Project will offer a variety of food during lunchtime, providing a convenient, fun and delicious option for those living and working in the area. “We are thrilled to be able to bring this well-received program back to the community for another great year,” said William McQuillan, President of Boylston Properties, co-developer of The Arsenal Project.

Business

See the Winning Pictures from the Watertown Savings Photo Contest

By |

The winning shots have been selected in the 2015 Watertown Savings Bank Neighborhood Photo Contest. For many years, WSB has held an annual photo contest for local high school students. This year, they decided to open the competition up to amateur photographers of all ages. The bank received 120 photos were submitted from 53 different photographers and 12 winners were selected. The winning photographs will appear in WSB’s 2016 calendar, available to bank customers each December.  A panel of judges composed of WSB staff selected the winners, according to the announcement from Watertown Savings Bank.     

Boston resident Bill Damon was awarded First Place for his photo Moody Street Dam, Waltham, which will appear with December in the 2016 calendar. Damon was also awarded an Honorable Mention for Ducks in Flight, Moody Street Bridge, Waltham, which will be the February photo. Previous two-time high school photo contest winner Jay Sullivan from Newton is this year’s Second Place winner for his photo, Heron Taking Off from the Charles, which will appear with July. The August photo will be Charles River, Watertown, taken by Watertown resident Chuck Dickinson. He was awarded Third Place. Nine Honorable Mentions were also awarded to: Watertown residents Ralph Holmberg and Joe McLaughlin for their photos, Waverley Oaks, Belmont, and Beaverbrook Reservation, Belmont, appearing in the 2016 calendar in January (Holmberg) and March (McLaughlin); Lexington resident Divya Jain for Lexington Minutemen, which will appear with April; AnneMarie Reynolds of Framingham, who will have her photo Early Morning Charles River Walk, Waltham in the June spot; Waltham residents Emma Magliarditi and Shouvik Gangopadhyay for their photos Leaves and Ladders and Cemetery in Autumn, which will appear with September and October respectively; Eleanor Kharasch of Newton, for her photo Fisherman, which will appear with November; and Mariah LaVache of Woburn, for her photo Watertown Fire Department, which will appear with May.  
The winning photos will also be featured on the digital screens in all WSB branch lobbies throughout the summer. For more information, please call WSB’s marketing office at 617-928-2336.

Design Guidelines

Planning Board OKs Design Standards, Debates Which Projects it Should Cover

By |

The Planning Board gave its endorsement to Watertown’s design standards and guidelines, but made some changes to what size residential projects the to apply the new rules for what can be built in town. Thursday evening, the Planning Board held the second public hearing on the design standards, and voted 3-0 to approve the new rules. Members of the town’s Planning Department made some changes to the original proposal which was discussed on March 31 (click here to see the new draft). One of the proposed changes was to a apply the rules to residential projects of 10 units or more. The original proposal called for applying the rules to projects of four units or more.

Real Estate

Two Townhouses and a Colonial House Sold This Week

By |

This week a townhouse condo in the near westside of Watertown sold. 

$715,000 – 220 Edenfield avenue Unit 1, 7 room, 3 bedroom, 3 full & 1 half bathroom, Townhouse condo

$789,000 – 11 Elton Ave., 8 room, 5 bedroom, 2 full & 2 half bathroom, Colonial single-family home

$351,000 – 56 Duff Street Unit 56, 6 room, 2 bedroom, 2 full bathroom, Townhouse condo

Story sponsored by: