Government

Council Rejects 2 Resident Petitions, Ideas Remain Alive in Zoning Discussions

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Watertown City Hall

The City Council did not pass two citizen petitions seeking to change Watertown’s zoning rules, but Councilors said they heard the frustration expressed by the supporters and signers and said they support many of the ideas contained in the petitions. The first petition called for reducing the floor area ratio (FAR) allowed for new buildings in the Watertown Square area, while the second called for more protections for residential neighborhoods located next to areas where large commercial or residential projects could be built.

While the Council rejected the petitions — the first not going to a vote after receiving no second, and the second unanimously voted against — City Council President Mark Sideris said he has heard the signers of the petitions concerns. “I want to take a moment to thank the 600 people who signed the petitions because I think there is some frustration — and we noticed that this evening — with the process. I think we can always do a better job with process, and I think the Manager’s FY24 budget had proposed additional ways that we can communicate with the citizens and we approved that, ” Sideris said. “There is clearly a sense of frustration and I am not sure that any actions that we are going to take are going to satisfy those frustrations until, as somebody pointed out, that we come together and talk about things comprehensively.” 

Petition 1: Watertown Square Building Size

The Council heard from people supporting and opposing the petitions.

Government

Reorganization of City Government Includes Changes to Planning, DPW and Other Departments

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When the City Council approved the Fiscal Year 2024 budget, they also approved a reorganization of Watertown’s municipal government. Some changes impact who directly reports to the City Manager or the Deputy Manager. Other positions have been moved into new departments, and some departments have been split into divisions. One department with new divisions is Community Development and Planning, which will have Planning and Building Divisions and a third for community events and the Commander’s Mansion. The Planning Division includes a Current Planning Group and a Planning Director to oversee long-range planning.

Government

City Releases Draft of the Watertown Comprehensive Plan

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The City has been working on updating Watertown’s primary planning document, the Comprehensive Plan, for months. This week, the City released the draft of the plan to be considered by the City Council. See the plans and more details about the process on the Comprehensive Plan website,  www.watertown-ma.gov/comp-plan. “This draft is updated based on input from the spring Open House and Online Survey. The formal approval process with the City Council and Planning Board is the next step,” the City’s announcement said.

Government

Zoning Board Wants More Changes to Main Street Project

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A view of the revised plans for the 104-126 Main Street project. The sixth floor has been scaled back and would not be seen from Main Street. (Illustration by Icon Architecture)

Developers of the six-story mixed-use project on Main Street reduced the number of apartments slightly and increased the landscaping along the public walkway along the building, but that did not satisfy some members of the Zoning Board of the Appeals. The hearing for the project at 104-126 Main Street, which stretches to Pleasant Street and Cross Street, was continued for a second time after some Zoning Board members said on Wednesday night that they did not think the project met the requirement to provide public amenities. Meeting that requirement is necessary to get the additional height to allow the sixth story.

Government

This Week: Main Street Project, Traffic Commission Discusses Changes for High School at Moxley Field

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A view of the project proposed for 104-126 Main St. viewed from Main Street. (Illustration by Icon Architecture)

The fate of the proposed six-story mixed use project on Main Street may be decided by the Zoning Board of Appeals on Wednesday, and the same night the Traffic Commission will discuss the plans to accommodate the temporary high school at Moxley Field. The City Council and School Committee will also meet this week. The Zoning Board of Appeals will continue its public hearing on the project proposed for 104-126 Main St., the six-story mixed use project on Main, Pleasant and Cross streets.

Government

UPDATED: See Who’s Decided to Run in the 2023 Watertown City Election

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In November, Watertown voters will elect City Councilors, School Committee members and Library Trustees. The deadline for submitting candidates papers is July 31, and more than a dozen people have already pulled papers. Thus far, all nine members of the City Council have pulled their candidate papers to run for re-election. In addition, the two of the three School Committee members up for re-election have pulled their papers, and a third candidate has submitted her papers. Two of the three Library Trustees whose seats are up for re-election this fall have also pulled papers.

Government

Council President Mark Sideris to Receive Award from Solar Energy Group

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Mark Sideris, City Council President. Watertown City Council President Mark Sideris will receive an award from the Solar Energy Business Association of New England on June 21. Sideris will receive the 2023 Solar Leadership Award (Local) at the fourth annual Summer Solstice at the Rooftop@Revere. Details about why he was selected will be announced at the event. During Sideris’ time as Council President, Watertown has built the first two net-zero energy elementary schools in the state, and have designed and approved a net-zero energy high school — the second in the nation.

Government

City Negotiating Trash & Recycling Contract in Topsy Turvy Solid Waste Market

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Photo by Watertown DPWCurbside composting toters, like the one on the left, have been added to the Watertown trash and recycling program. The economics of trash and recycling has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride in recent years, which means the City of Watertown’s new waste disposal contract will not be as immune to price changes, and will have to pay contractors to take the recycling, rather than being paid for the products. The City Council voted to allow City Manager George Proakis to negotiate a five year contract with Republic Services, which deals with trash and recycling for most homes in Watertown and runs the Recycling Center. Approval from the Council is needed for any contract longer than three years. The City is not in as favorable a position in negotiating the solid waste contract compared to prior years, Proakis said.