Letters

LETTER: Councilor Believes New Developments Not Causing School Overcrowding

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I want to preface this article by saying that there will always be more work to do when it comes to improving our schools and class sizes in general. I don’t believe there is a definite line we could ever reach where I would say there is no more work to be done. I think that is simply true as we are part of an ever-evolving and changing world.  With that being said, the standards I use to measure our class sizes and school population are both comparative and historic. I write this because almost every action taken by the Town and/or School Committee comes back to a widely held belief that our schools are overcrowded and class sizes are too high. Part of that belief is that development in town is the main cause of this.

330-350 Pleasant Street

Mixed Retail/Residential Project on Pleasant Street Near River Approved

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{NOTE: A correction was made at 10:30 a.m. on Feb. 14 about when the Planning Board can debate the design of the project.}

After much debate, the Planning Board approved a mixed-use project on Pleasant Street that will include retail stores, a restaurant near the Charles River and apartments. Last week, developers of 330, 350 Pleasant Street – called Water Mills at Bridge Point – appeared before the Planning Board for the second time. The team representing developer Mark Coppola of World Realty and Development Ltd. had made some minor changes to the planned 18,445 sq. ft.

Development

Developers Looking to Turn Former Massage School into Apartment Building

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A commercial building on the Southside of Watertown could be turned into an apartment complex with nearly 50 units, but some residents were skeptical about the plans. 

On Wednesday night, developers from FSL Associates of Newton presented their plan for the property at 101, 103 Morse Street. The plan calls for building a four-story apartment building with 48 units on the property that most recently was home to the Cortiva Massage School. The proposal calls for a mix of unit sizes: 6 studios, 31 one-bedrooms, 10 two-bedrooms and one three-bedroom. The building would not exceed the existing footprint, and some of the asphalt parking area will be turned into green landscaped areas. In their application, developers argue there is little demand for an isolated commercial building in the area that is predominantly residential.

Development

Approval of Arsenal Mall Renovation Delayed, Planning Board Wants More Info on Traffic

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The redesign of the Arsenal Mall will have to wait until next month for approval after the Planning Board told developers they wanted results of the traffic study to be approved by the town’s consultants. Representatives for Boylston Properties and The Wilder Cos. appeared before the Planning Board for the second time Wednesday night, focusing on the traffic impact of the project. The proposal includes removing some portions of the current mall, leaving the historic buildings and adding new buildings. The project calls for 503 units of housing, some of which would be in a 12-story residential building.

Development

Town Council Increases Requirement for Affordable Housing in New Projects

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Developers will be required to provide more affordable housing in most residential projects built in Watertown after the Town Council’s vote on Tuesday night. The Council approved changes to the Town’s Inclusionary Zoning Requirements, but there were questions about who would qualify to live in the affordable units. Previously the requirement was 12.5 percent of the units for most areas of town, but that amount was increased for projects of 20 units or more. The requirement for projects with 6-19 unit projects will remain at 12.5 percent. Also, the income requirements change for the projects that would have to provide 15 percent affordable units. For projects of 20 or more units, 10 percent of units in a rental project (or 2/3 of the affordable units) will be for people who meet the 80 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI) standard, and 5 percent of the units are for those meeting the 65 percent of the AMI threshold, which would be $63,800 for a family of four, according to the Boston Redevelopment Authority.

Development

Townhouses on Masonic Temple Site Get Approval from Zoning Board

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A five-townhouse development on the Watertown Masonic Temple site got the go ahead from the Zoning Board of Appeals on Wednesday. The project received unanimously approval from the ZBA, the final approval needed for the project to begin. The development, proposed by PNG LLC, will have two buildings, a three-unit one facing Church Street (across from the First Parish Church) and another two-unit building on the back of the property. ZBA member Jason Cohen said he liked the project, but he had one suggestion about the porches that run along the front of the building, undivided. “This is the kind of housing we are looking for in the town,” Cohen said.

Around Town

Watertown New Poll Finds Residents Most Worried About Development, Traffic

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The local issues that concern Watertown residents most are development and traffic, a poll by Watertown News found. 

During the Faire on the Square, people who stopped by the Watertown News table had the chance to participate in the News’ Poll and vote for issues of concern. People checked one or more of the five issues:

Schools
Development
Traffic/transportation
Heroin/opioids
Property Taxes
Or, add their own write in issue

After tallying up the 49 ballots, the top issue was development, with 30 votes. This has been a big issue for several years, as big projects went up first on Pleasant Street and now on Arenal Street, with more coming (athenahealth’s Arsenal on the Charles and the Arsenal Mall). “Too much building on every inch of land,” a person wrote. Another said a concern is the “impact and damage to trees and green space” due to development.

Development

2 Meetings on 2 Big Projects on Arsenal Street This Week

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Find out the latest on two big project that will reshape Arsenal Street this week during separate community meetings. On Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2016, a meeting will be held to discuss Phase One of the AODD Campus Master Plan – the renovation of the Arsenal on the Charles. The meeting takes place from 6:30-8 p.m. at 311 Arsenal Street, Watertown, in Building 311 in the complex (Athenahealth). The first phase includes a large new parking garage on the west side of the project, as well as a new building on Arsenal Street with retail and commercial spots, and community space. See more details here.