Around Town

OP-ED: Watertown Backs Public Housing Revamp, Addition of Affordable Housing

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The Watertown Housing Authority will team with Preservation of Affordable Housing to renovate the Willow Park complex. (Courtesy of the WHA)

By Mark Pickering

Watertown is again taking the lead in addressing the Massachusetts housing crisis. The city’s goal this time is to rebuild Willow Park’s public housing and add affordable units to the project. Since Watertown OK’d the development, our neighbor to the south has taken steps to add more all-affordable housing as well. The Boston Planning and Development Agency has OK’d a 63-unit all-affordable project and a 52-unit one, both in Roxbury.

Around Town

Housing for All Watertown Hosting Panel Discussion on 100% Affordable Housing

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The following announcement was provided by Housing for All Watertown:

Housing for All Watertown (HAW) would like to invite all to the “What Will It Take to Build 100% Affordable Housing in Watertown?” forum on Sunday, Feb. 23. The purpose is to gain an understanding of Watertown’s Affordable Housing situation and the possibilities for change. There will be presentations followed by a panel discussion of developers and planners. Panelists:

Madeline Lee, Senior Project Manager, Just A Start

Mel Miller, Project Manager, Preservation of Affordable Housing

Laura Weiner, Housing and Planning Consultant

Sara Barcan, Executive Director, HRI

The forum will be in the Watertown Savings Bank Room at the Watertown Free Public Library, 123 Main St., from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

To RSVP click here:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/what-will-it-take-to-build-100-affordable-housing-in-watertown-tickets-1244250961119

Government

City Council Approves Seed Money for Willow Park Affordable Housing Development

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A rendering of the Willow Park Housing development. The first new public housing building in Watertown to be constructed in Watertown in decades took a significant step forward when the City Council approved spending Community Preservation Act funds on the project at Willow Park on Tuesday night. The development will create 138 units on the site of 60 that currently has units. On Tuesday, the Council approved the Community Preservation Committee’s recommendation to spend $4 million in CPA funds on the project. Councilors also approved money to cover the cost of the restoration of historic paintings that hang in the lobby of City Hall.

Government

Tweaks to Watertown Square Zoning Map Discussed by Planning Board, Council

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The City Council and Planning Board got down to the details of the proposed new Zoning Map for the Watertown Square Area on Tuesday night, suggesting some changes to the proposal including allowing taller buildings in some spots, more modest ones in others, and keeping the Delta “green.” The third night of hearings included an extended discussion of the zoning map by the Planning Board, as well as continuation of questions from the City Council and some public comments. The City Council finished their question time, but the Planning Board will continue its hearing Wednesday, Oct. 30 at 6 p.m in City Hall with remote participation (Click here for the agenda and links). They will make a recommendation that will be considered by the City Council at its hearing on Nov.

Around Town

OP-ED: Housing for All Group Seeks More Affordable Housing in Watertown Square Area Plan

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Photo by Mark Pickering

By Mark Pickering

At a recent meeting of the Housing for All Watertown group, speakers touted the group’s success in its effort to deliver “the most ambitious MBTA Communities Act plan in the state.” Now the group is shifting gears to focus on getting more affordable housing as part of the plan. In Watertown, the YIMBY (Yes In My Back Yard) movement is alive and kicking. Members of the grassroots group say that the next step is to bring a greater number of affordable units into Watertown Square. Communities served by the T are required to submit rezoning plans (under the 2021 MBTA law) that would allow for building multifamily housing. 

To that goal, the Watertown group has come up with an “affordable housing bonus plan.” The idea is to increase the incentives for developers to build up if their plans meet certain affordable housing guidelines. As it now stands, the Watertown Square rezoning lacks robust incentives for including affordable housing in new buildings.

Around Town

Hear About Funded Projects & How to Apply at Community Preservation Act Public Hearing

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The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:

SAVE THE DATE for the Community Preservation Act (CPA) Annual Public Hearing, hosted by the Community Preservation Committee (CPC). Watertown City Hall in the Lower Hearing Room, Thursday, June 27, 2024, at 7 p.m.

Or join remotely via Zoom: https://watertown-ma.zoom.us/j/91525442843. Don’t miss this event for your chance to:

Hear more about the recently funded CPA Projects. Find out about the next steps for the Old Burying Ground and Common Street Cemeteries and the Commander’s Mansion Cultural Landscape projects. Tell us about your open space, outdoor recreation, community housing, and historic preservation priorities.

Around Town

LETTER: Watertown Housing Group Supports Proposed Watertown Square Area Plan

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As advocates for housing availability and affordability in Watertown, we have closely followed the Watertown Square Area Plan process since its kickoff last Fall. Throughout the kitchen table conversations, online surveys, and countless community meetings that we’ve participated in, we’ve watched a plan emerge that manages to balance a wide range of perspectives. As a result, the core elements of the plan garner support from two-thirds of recent survey respondents. Supporting the Plan

While we believe that significantly more work needs to be done to address the housing crisis, this plan represents an important step toward allowing more housing in our city. We strongly urge all who support more housing, a more walkable and bikeable community, and a more vibrant downtown to attend this Thursday’s meeting at the Middle School and speak in support of it.

Around Town

LETTER: A Resident’s Comments on Proposed Rezoning of Watertown Square

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To the Editor:

I’ve been impressed by Manager George Proakis’ initiative, effort and community involvement process for the Watertown Square Area Redesign. In terms of the streetscape, it’s terrific that the manager is trying to create a plan that insists that our Square is first and foremost the center of our community, not just an intersection to drive through as quickly as possible. It is in terms of zoning that the draft plans have led to more disagreement. Unlike some municipalities, we are choosing to obey the new MBTA Communities law and join in the region-wide attempt to increase the supply of housing by changing the zoning in the Square. The need for more housing units at lower rents and/or purchase prices is clear.