Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/tag/op-ed/page/2/)
Linda ScottThe Elan Union Market apartment building on Arsenal Street. By Mark Pickering
The bad news about the housing market in Massachusetts keeps piling in. “More 25- to 44-year-olds are leaving the state than any other groups,” concludes a new report. The top culprit: Housing costs are too high. The good news for Watertown: People from a range of incomes want to move here.
A continuation of “When Bad Ideas Happen to Good Neighbors”
By Linda ScottWatertown Resident
A news article just came out on March 17, 2024 in a real estate publication, Banker and Tradesman. Watertown is famous! Here’s why:
“In Watertown Square, consultants recommend zoning areas around the square for building heights ranging from three to five stories, with the tallest heights near the five corners intersection. The proposal could generate over 6,320 housing units at full buildout, compared with the 1,701 required by the state’s formula for Watertown.”
And here’s HAW’s official response in that article:
“You don’t hire those consultants if you just want to do paper compliance,” said Sam Ghilardi, a steering committee member of the Housing For All Watertown resident group that supports additional multifamily development. “We are thrilled with what has been proposed so far.”
By Clyde YoungerFormer Watertown Council President
On Tuesday, March 5, 2024 I attended the meeting of the Sub-Committee on Rules and Ordinances in support of a petition signed by over 200 residents. Those signing the petition were requesting consideration of adding One (1) additional minute on the two (2) Public Forums in order to allow a resident additional time, if required, to complete their plea. As an alumnus of the Watertown Council, I was dumbfounded to hear some of the discussion with one of the Councilors saying we give them four minutes when other communities give none. We do not give the people time; they give us the opportunity to represent them. Every Councilor I served with understood this.
MBTA buses operating in Watertown Square. (Photo by Mark Pickering)
By Mark Pickering
When it comes to MBTA service, residents in numerous Boston neighborhoods and abutting communities would love to say they have the worst. They’d be wrong. Watertown “wins” hands down. A Boston Globe article (“Missed connections at Nubian,” Feb.
By Mark Pickering
The Watertown Square study process offers a once-in-a-generation chance to begin to make the changes that we only daydream about now. If we follow a long-term plan, we can transform the square into a place we can point to in pride a magnet for recreation, entertainment and congregating. What I have heard people saying during kitchen conversations, official presentations and workshops is that residents want the area to become more like Davis Square, Somerville. Perhaps not exactly like that bustling Somerville square, but more like that. So, I’d like to lay out some of the ideas that I’ve gotten from listening to others at various Watertown Square meetings.
An MBTA Bus drives through Watertown Yard. (Photo by Mark Pickering)
By Mark Pickering
The city is out to revitalize Watertown Square and has set out a series of meetings aimed at getting feedback from the general public. The overall effort will look at making the square more attractive to walkers, merchants and developers looking to address the housing crisis. The issue of transportation is a key part of the package. Even our urban neighbors note that car traffic has taken over Watertown Square – which could be the worst such intersection in Greater Boston.
The following piece was written by Watertown Recycling and Sustainability Coordinator Anya Pforzheimer:
Why might I want to try composting? A few reasons to give the free Watertown compost pickup program a try:
• I keep running out of space in my trash every week. o This is a great reason to give it a try. o Recent research has shown that nearly 1/3 of the materials that we are throwing away in household trash could be composted. o Removing the food from your trash leaves space for other materials that we cannot recycle or compost.
A Google Earth image of the former Belmont Baptist Church, proposed by the author to turn into art studios and gallery space. By Joseph LevenduskyWatertown Resident
A Modest Proposal for 126-134 Templeton Parkway
One of my neighbors, who grew up on Templeton Parkway, has told me stories of a decrepit old mansion that stood on a large plot of land that extended from Belmont Street up to Woodleigh and over to the corner of Templeton and Belmont. There resided an old lady living out her final years. Out of curiosity, my neighbor and his friends would try to sneak into the mansion and would be chased away by the lady’s household help. That lady was Rosamond Coolidge of the fabled Coolidge family who played an important role in the history of Watertown.