Development

Most of Town Council Seeks Tweeks in New Pleasant Street Zoning

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The majority of Town Council liked most of the proposed changes to the Pleasant Street Corridor District zoning, but wanted time to think about some of the details. The lone councilor who wanted to pass the changes at Tuesday night’s special meeting was Westside Town Councilor Ken Woodland, whose district includes most of the Pleasant Street area. The area – most of Pleasant Street and side streets off that street – has uniform zoning created to encourage the redevelopment of unused and underused industrial buildings. The change was made in 2008, but the development that resulted has been almost all large residential complexes. The biggest change in the proposed new Pleasant Street Corridor District into three different zones:

PSCD-1 continues to allow the existing mixture of residential, retail, and/or industrial uses
PSCD-2 would allow a maximum of 25 percent of the square footage to be residential
PSCD-3 would allow only retail, commercial, and light industrial uses with no residential allowed

A large portion of the PSCD-3 zoning will be along the river in the southwest corner of the district.

Development

Armenian School Worried About Impact of Proposed Development

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The proposed Linx project has an address on Arsenal Street, but the redevelopment of the Verizon Building could impact residents and others in Coolidge Square, including the St. Stephen’s Armenian School. Last week, developers of the building, Boylston Properties, discussed the plans to turn the warehouse that serves as home to a fleet of Verizon trucks, into a 185,000 square foot space for companies that may in the past looked to be in Kendall Square in Cambridge. Details were first revealed during a meeting at the site in February (see details here). The 8.5-acre site will have a 37,000 square foot green space for employees to take breaks or work outside.

Around Town

Learn About Diabetes from the Watertown Health Department

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The Watertown Health Department will host a free lecture about diabetes at the Watertown Mall. 

Join Public Health Nurse Wil van Dinter RN on April 17 at 10 a.m. and learn about the types of diabetes, most common signs and symptoms of diabetes, tests and diagnosis for diabetes, and ways to control your diabetes. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 9.3 percent or about 29.1 million people in the U.S. have diabetes. From those about 8.1 million are undiagnosed. Undiagnosed and untreated diabetes can cause eye, nerve, and kidney complications. This free health lecture will be held in the Old Country Buffet. In addition, from 10 a.m.-noon, free blood pressure screenings will be provided by St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center.

Business

Rep. John Lawn Working to Make Pleasant Street Part of New District

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The west end of Watertown has undergone a building boom, but lacks some services, so State Rep. John Lawn is working to bring that part of Watertown together with nearby areas of Newton and Waltham to create the Charles River Mill District. 
Lawn spoke about the effort during the Watertown Belmont Chamber of Commerce’s State of the Towns Breakfast on April 2. His district includes precincts in all three communities, and Lawn has met with leaders in each one. Lawn has been in discussions with Watertown Town Council President Mark Sideris, Newton Mayor Setti Warren and Waltham Mayor Jeannette McCarthy about the new district. The area would include the Pleasant Street Corridor in Watertown, the Chapel Street are of Newton and River Street to Moody Street in Waltham, Lawn said. “We want to promote the area for business and create a stronger voice for state assistance for maintenance and MBTA services,” Lawn said.

Government

Watertown’s Kaprielian as Head of Regional Federal Department

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Former Watertown State Rep. Rachel Kaprielian continues to rise higher in government, with her latest post as head of the Northeast Regional Office of the Federal Department of Health and Human Services. In her new post, Kaprielian will be based out of Boston and will oversee the HHS in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont, according to a report in the Boston Business Journal. “Rachel’s work in state and local policy will surely be an asset to our Region I office,” said Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell in a release. “We look forward to Rachel joining her fellow Regional Directors as they continue their work delivering impact in communities around the country.”

Most recently, Kaprielian served as the state’s Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development under Gov. Deval Patrick, but was replaced when Charlie Baker took office. Prior to that she severed as the Registrar of Motor Vehicles.

Development

Planning Board Gets Look at New Rules for Developments in Watertown

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After several months work, the Planning Board got to look at the new rules that could shape how future building projects will look in Watertown. The design standards will not just determine what is built inside the box that makes up a building, said Assistant Town Manager Steve Magoon, it will also impact how it influences surrounding areas and environments. The proposed design standards were presented to the Planning Board Tuesday by the consultant hired to come up with the alterations to the town’s zoning, David Gamble of Gamble Associates. “Planning works and this is what should be doing,” Gamble said. “You are ahead of the game compared to other towns not under development pressure.”
The Town Council requested the design standards after the town went through development booms on Pleasant and Arsenal streets.

Elections

Watertown Man Honored for Role in Passing State Ballot Question

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Watertown’s Steve Aylward and his two campaign received national recognition for their work on passing Question 1 which removed the link of Massachusetts’ gas tax to inflation and faced a well-funded “No” campaign. On March 19, Aylward, a Republican State Committee member; Republican strategist Holly Robichaud; and GOP State Rep. Geoff Diehl of Whitman, co-chairs were honored by the American Association of Political Consultants with with the Ballot Measure Campaign of the Year for their work on Question 1. The ceremony was held in New Orleans

“Easily the biggest challenge was money,” Aylward said. “We were outspent 31-to-1.” While the No campaign had the support of big construction firms and other groups, the Yes campaign relied on small donations from individuals.

Government

Watertown’s Winter Parking Ban Ending Soon!

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The long winter is almost over for Watertown residents – the Winter Parking ban will be lifted on Wednesday, April 1. Watertown Police Chief Edward Deveau announced the enforcement of the ban of on-street parking overnight in town will end. He added, however, that keeping streets clear will help repairs and emergency access even after the ban ends. “The Department of Public Works, Police Department and Fire Department would like to remind motorists that keeping the streets clear allows for road repairs, street cleaning and easy access for public safety vehicles,” Deveau said. “To that end, all departments encourage residents to make full use of off street parking when it is available.”