Around Town

OP-ED: Decouple Sections of the Watertown Square Plan from the State Housing Requirement

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By Linda ScottWatertown Resident

Part Four: “Great things are done by a series of small things done together.” – Vincent van Gogh

Part One: We looked at the results of the June 13 joint meeting of the City Council and Planning Board and why public input is so important. Part Two: We looked at our City’s failing public communication system and how, for some, this might be politically advantageous. Part Three: We looked at my experiences meeting with Watertown residents and looked at the one part of the Watertown Square Area Plan with a deadline: The MBTA Law Compliance (zoning for 1,701 State mandated housing units). Today, in Part 4, we’ll look at the other components (topics) of change (with no deadline, but which are being forced into one plan and one quick deadline by the City). These topics would benefit from a slower, more thorough and nuanced approach.

Around Town

Save the Date for the Next Watertown Square Area Plan Meeting

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The City of Watertown provided the following information:

Save the Date: The Joint Hearing to discuss the Watertown Square Area Plan will continue on June 27, 2024 at 6pm in the Watertown Middle School Auditorium at 68 Waverley Avenue in Watertown. This is a continuation of the Joint Hearing held on June 13 in the same location. We encourage everyone to visit the project website to learn more, and to access the plan document (PDF). This Hearing will be a hybrid meeting, meaning you have the opportunity to join virtually on Zoom or in-person. You will also be able to watch the Hearing live online on WCA-TV.

Business

Housing Secretary Tells Chamber Crowd That MBTA Communities Act is Key to a Strong Economy

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Ed Augustus, Massachusetts Secretary of Housing & Livable Communities, spoke at the Charles River Regional Chamber’s Spring Business Breakfast. (Courtesy of Charles River Chamber)

NEEDHAM — Building more housing is key to maintaining the local economy and preventing people from leaving the state, the Massachusetts Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities told the audience at last week’s Charles River Regional Chamber’s Spring Business Breakfast. Secretary Ed Augustus urged people at the event held at the Needham Sheraton to support the MBTA Communities Law in their communities, as well as pushing the Legislature to support the Governor’s Affordable Homes Act. He cited the example of a 24-year-old woman who moved home with her parents to save money while getting her graduate degree, and still has not been able to move out — despite having a degree and a good job — because she can’t find a place that she can afford. “Now this woman’s story might be simply unfortunate, if it was unique, but it’s not.

Government

Watertown Square Meeting Thursday Night, Kids Activities Available

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The City of Watertown provided the following information:

The Watertown Square Area Plan will be discussed at the upcoming Joint City Council and Planning Board Hearing on June 13 at 6 PM in the Watertown Middle School Auditorium. The Hearing will include a presentation from the Project Team, followed by an opportunity for public comment. You can access the full agenda for the Joint Hearing here. 

You can access the plan document on the project’s website or in the above agenda packet to learn about the Draft Plan. This Hearing is a hybrid meeting and you can give public comment either in-person or virtually. To join virtually, you can access the Hearing on June 13 by using this Zoom link, which can also be found on the project’s website and in the agenda above. The City of Watertown’s Recreation Department will also be hosting a “kids-space” during the Hearing for kids ages 5-12 in the Middle School Cafeteria to accommodate those attending! 

Printed copies of the Plan Document can be found at the Watertown Library and Senior Center. You can learn more about the project at the Watertown Square Area Plan website, where you can also reach out with any questions about the Joint Hearing.

Government

Date and Venue for Next Watertown Square Area Plan Meeting Announced

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The City of Watertown provided the following announcement:

The Watertown Square Area Plan will be discussed at the Joint Hearing on Thursday, June 13, 2024, at 6:00 PM in the Watertown Middle School Auditorium at 68 Waverley Avenue in Watertown. Please note the updated date and location. The Joint Hearing will be to discuss the plan document submitted to the City Council and Planning Board prior to the Hearing. This plan document will also be shared on the Project Website, on the City of Watertown’s website and social media prior to the Hearing on June 13, 2024. The online participation information will be released closer to the event, along with the Public Hearing’s agenda and the plan document.

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.

Around Town

What to Expect at Next Watertown Square Meeting, Manager Will Also Discuss Zoning on Prior Day

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The redesign of Watertown Square will be discussed on June 12. (Photo by City of Watertown)

(NOTE, May 24, 2024: They day and location of the Watertown Square meeting has changed and has been updated in this article)

The draft of the Watertown Square Area Plan will be discussed at a meeting on June 12, but prior to that City Manager George Proakis will delve into the topic of zoning during a live and interactive show on Watertown Cable. Watertown Square Meeting

The meeting focused on Watertown Square will take place on Thursday, June 13 beginning at 6 p.m. It will take place at the Watertown Middle School Auditorium. Present at the meeting will be both the City Council and the Planning Board, said City Council President Mark Sideris. He said it may be the first of multiple meetings on the Watertown Square Area Plan, which includes not only the redesign of the main intersection, but also where the City will allow housing to be built by right to meet the requirements of the MTBA Communities Law, as well as form-based zoning which will determine how future developments will look.

Around Town

LETTER: Looking Back, Moving Forward in Watertown Square

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We often talk about “The Good Old Days” and the nostalgia of how things were better in the past. While Watertown’s past had great things, “The Good Old Days” had the same issues we face today. For instance, The Historical Society of Watertown has a fantastic resource: Watertown Newspaper Headlines from 1880-1941. Below is a sampling of 20 headlines along with the dates they appeared:

7/14/1880 “Galen St Dangerous for ladies after dark” 

11/8/1882  “What Watertown Needs Most – housing for rent” 

10/21/1892 George E. Priest said he had heard that the Newton & Waltham Street Railway desires to extend its Watertown-Waltham line to Mount Auburn

8/1/1893  “controversy between horse drawn vehicles and electric cars between Cambridge and Watertown” 

1/6/1893 “Plans for electric railway cars from Watertown to Newton up Galen Street” 

11/1/1901  “Cyclists warned not to ride between streetcar tracks, dangerous”

7/4/1902 “Horse and buggy accident between Mr. & Mrs. James Milmore and 2 men on horseback – Fred Rankins and Frank Haynes”

9/26/1902  “Another suggestion for improving the center (illustration and map of a proposed new Watertown Square)”

12/9/1904 “Save the trees”

3/17/1905 “Arsenal streetcar route extended to Scollay Square”

12/15/1905 “New Plans for Galen Street Bridge and Delta”

7/19/1907 “Watertown murder case: Charles Reed shot by Antonio Zeccolo”

7/30/1909 “10,000 riot at band concert near Watertown Square”

1/20/1911 “ Progress Being Made on High School Building (East Jr.)”

2/7/1924 “Common Street Widening meets great protest”

12/24/1933 “Town votes $135,000 for addition to High School, $35,000 for Main Library”

11/8/1934 “Subway tunnel proposed for Watertown Square (to relieve traffic!)” 

12/26/1935 “Arsenal Street most dangerous piece of road in town” 

9/4/1941 “ Watertown Starts to Abolish Worst Traffic Bottleneck (widening Watertown St. at Galen”

6/29/1945 “Mt.