Arsenal Street Corridor

UPDATED: Department of Transportation Hosting Meeting on Arsenal St. Corridor Study

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Please join the Massachusetts Department of Transportation for a Public Information Meeting on the Arsenal Street Corridor Study. The meeting will be held Wednesday, February 24, 2016, from 6-8 p.m., at the Watertown Middle School Auditorium, 68 Waverley Ave., Watertown. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is studying the Arsenal Street Corridor in Watertown. This study will develop and analyze alternatives that are intended to improve transportation conditions on Arsenal Street between Watertown Square and Birmingham Parkway. The study will focus on bus service along Arsenal Street and locations where the bus service ties into other crossing bus routes.

Elections

LETTER: Town Councilor Backs Candidate for Democratic State Committee

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To the Editor:

When I vote in the Democratic Primary on March 1, I will be happy to vote for the presidential candidate of my choice and also to support our own Steve Owens’ bid for election to the Democratic State Committee. Steve cares about Democrats and he cares about the democratic process and he has brought new life to Democratic politics in Watertown. As chair of the Democratic Town Committee, Steve has energized old members and welcomed newcomers. He has earned the respect of Democrats statewide and this has allowed him to draw on a wide range of contacts to arrange speakers for the well-attended monthly meetings: office-holders, office-seekers, and experts on subjects of interest. Steve brought 21st technology to local campaigns and the local campaigns of state-wide candidates.

Development

Date and Location of RMUD Meeting Has Been Changed, Again

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Town Manager Michael Driscoll announced Tuesday that the meeting to discuss the Regional Mixed Use District zoning amendments has been changed. The original meeting date was cancelled due to snow. A joint public hearing on the Regional Mixed Use District Text and Map Amendment will be held with the Planning Board and Town Council on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 starting at 6 p.m. in the Watertown High School Auditorium, 50 Columbia Street, Watertown. The official meeting notice reads, in part:

BP Watertown Retail LLC submitted a petition request for a Zoning Ordinance Amendment and Map Amendment to create a new Zoning District, Regional Mixed Use District (RMUD), and further to amend the Watertown Zoning Ordinance (WZO). The amendments are intended to be in keeping with and implement the recently adopted 2015 Comprehensive Plan and the Future Land Use Map, which identifies an area for Regional Mixed Use. This request was reviewed by DCDP Staff and by the Planning Board and now includes amendments of, but may not be limited to:

Modified Definitions (open space),
Use Tables (mixed-use, cemeteries, assisted living, new/used vehicles for sale, light industry, heavy industry, and accessory uses) and Use Notes,
Dimensional Table (change of setbacks, coverage, impervious surface, minimum opens space, height)
Dimensional Notes (overall length and faced lengths),
new RMUD Section (intent, purpose, district delineation, dimensional criteria, authority, and procedure) – Creates a new Master Plan process and identifies the Planning Board as the permit granting authority
Site Plan Review (LEED and Energy Assessments requirements) and Parking, and updates to other sections as appropriate.

Development

Monday’s RMUD Hearing Cancelled, New Date Set to Discuss Zoning Changes

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{Note: The date and location of the RMUD meeting has been changed}

The much discussed Regional Mixed Use District zoning changes that would impact the area near the two malls will not be voted on until March at the earliest. The snow cancelled the RMUD hearing in front of the Town Council scheduled for Monday night. Town officials announced that a new joint public hearing on the RMUD Text and Map Amendment will be held with the Planning Board and Town Council on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 starting at 6 p.m. in the Watertown High School Auditorium, 50 Columbia Street, Watertown.

Government

Eversource to Start Pruning Trees Soon, See if Your Street is on the List

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Eversource will begin trimming trees in a few weeks and will be working on dozens of streets in Watertown. Most of the streets are in the west end of town, and maps of the areas to be pruned can be seen by clicking here. Watertown Tree Warden Christopher Hayward sent out the following announcement:

It is anticipated that starting on Monday February 29, 2016,  Eversource contracted tree pruning crews (Lewis Tree) will be starting their Spring 2016 circuit pruning.  The routes the crews will be pruning are advertised in map and list form on the Watertown Tree Warden’s web page at http://www.watertown-ma.gov/index.aspx?nid=352  A copy of the signed Tree Warden’s permit is also posted on the Tree Warden webpage. If you have any questions or concerns about this work, please contact the Watertown Tree Warden, Chris Hayward, at 617-972-6426 or chayward@watertown-ma.gov.

Here are the streets on the list for Eversource’s tree pruning in the spring of 2016

Wesminster Avenue
Bemis Street
Waverley Avenue
King Street
Carey Avenue
Cleveland Road
Morrison Road
Brookline Street
Webster Street
Warren Street
Bancroft Street
Edenfield Avenue
French Street
Homer Street
Myrtle Street
Middle Street
Purvis Street
Olney Street
Main Street
Oakley Street
Acton Street
Lexington Street
Howard Street
Waltham Street
Edward Road
Green River Way
Rutland Street
Evans Street
Bromfield Street
Pine Street
Jensen Road
Brandley Road
Falmouth Road
Puritan Road
Pilgram Road
Morrison Road
Morton Street
Olcott Street
Gilbert Street
Prescott Street
Longfellow Road
Whitman Road
Emerson Road
Partridge Street
Gleason Street
Stuart Street
Wilmot Street
King Street
Copeland Street
Hersom Street
Chapman Street
Grandview Avenue
Heather Road
Desmond Road
Highland Avenue

 

Government

Find Out if Your Road Made the List of Road Repairs for 2016

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The Council’s Public Works subcommittee approved a list of six Watertown roads to be repaired in 2016 on Thursday night. The Department of Public Works recommended the half dozen roads to be fixed using the $2.5 million budgeted for street and sidewalk repairs. The streets on the list are:

Edenfield Road, from Main Street to Warren Street
Hillside Road, from Belmont Street to Hillcrest Circle
Hillcrest Circle
Grenville Road
Merrill Road
Purvis Street

All of the streets will be completely torn up and repaved on top of a new foundation. They will also get concrete sidewalks with granite curbing, said Public Works Superintendent Gerald Mee. The streets also have undergone utility work, replacing either water or gas mains, or both, said Town Engineer Matthew Shuman.

Development

RMUD Ready for Public Hearing After Subcommittee Votes on Amendments

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The Regional Mixed Use District proposal is ready for the Town Council to weigh and vote next week after a subcommittee finished wading through dozens of proposed amendments on Tuesday night. The proposal would majorly overhaul of the zoning rules for the area near the east end of Arsenal Street, including the town’s two malls, along with other properties on Arsenal Street, plus parts of Elm Street and Coolidge Avenue. Basically, it would change the zoning form industrial to mixed use, which allows for residential, commercial and office project. Tuesday, the Economic Development and Planning Subcommittee finished its fourth meeting reviewing the proposal and debating which amendments to the zoning to recommend be adopted by the full Town Council. On Monday, Feb.

Government

State Sen. Will Brownsberger is Looking for State House Interns

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Senator Will Brownsberger announces that up to four part-time unpaid internships in his State House office will be available to students from his district for the summer of 2016. Internships are open to undergraduate college students and to high school students who will have completed their sophomore year. All applicants must have a permanent residence in the Senator’s district, which includes Watertown. Each internship will require a commitment of 8-10 hours a week in the office for a minimum of five weeks, with potential additional research work outside scheduled hours. The application deadline is Friday, March 4, 2016.