Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/tag/watertown-square-area-plan/)
A view of the proposed mixed-use project at 9 Galen St. on the site of the former mill building. (From RMR Group Plans)
The large brick building facing the Delta in Watertown Square could be turned into a mixed-use building with six stories and 285 residential units and space for 6,000 sq. ft. of ground-floor retail.
A rendering of what could be built in and around the Municipal Parking lot in Watertown Square, including a garage and residential building on the parking lot. The image is from the City of Watertown’s virtual open house. One of the biggest topics of discussion around Watertown, these days, is the parking garage proposed to go on the lot behind CVS in Watertown Square. People ask how big, what will it look like, how much will it cost, who will pay for it? There is a key question that needs to be answered first, City Council President Mark Sideris and City Manager George Proakis said in a recent interview with Watertown News: Should the City build a garage?
Save the date for the Open House on Watertown Square Implementation on May 20, 2026, from 3-8 p.m. at 9 Galen St. See more details in the announcement from the City of Watertown, below. Join the Open House! The City of Watertown invites you on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, between 3-8 PM to 9 Galen Street for the Watertown Square Implementation Open House!Stop in anytime between 3-8 PM to visit stations that will inform you more about the Demonstration Project and the Urban Revitalization Plan.
Topics that you can engage with at the Open House include:
A detailed outline of the drafted Demonstration Project Plan, as presented by City Manager Proakis in April. Guided tours of Demonstration Project area with members of the project team.
Watertown City Manager George Proakis gave some details about a possible Demonstration Project on the Municipal Parking Lot in Watertown Square. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)
Monday night, the public got the first glimpse of a possible future for the parking lot behind CVS, the Armenian Museum of America and other businesses in Watertown Square, and it may include a multi-story garage built by the City and a residential building constructed by a private developer. City Manager George Proakis spoke to a packed room at the Watertown Free Public Library. He discussed a variety of topics, including how the Watertown Square planning got to Monday’s meeting, designing the new look intersection, and the main event: the Demonstration Project that would be built on the Municipal Parking Lot. Due to constraints, such as the City of Cambridge’s water supply line that runs under the parking lot, Proakis said the likely layout would be to put the garage on the area in back of the Armenian Museum of America.
The following announcement was provided by the City of Watertown:
The City of Watertown invites you on Monday, April 6, 2026, at 6 p.m. to the Watertown Free Public Library (123 Main St.) for a community meeting about the latest updates with the implementation of the Watertown Square Area Plan. Join and hear a presentation from City Manager George Proakis on the latest developments, plans, and questions from the City, including:
A review of the current steps implementing the Watertown Square Area Plan’s vision. Strategies for the future of the public parking lot behind CVS. An introduction into the Demonstration Project and Urban Revitalization Plan. An overview of private-public partnerships, what they are, and why they matter in this project.
The future of Watertown Square will be designed in 2026 with plans for major changes to the intersection as well as the commercial district in and around the Square. (Photo by City of Watertown)
More than a year after the zoning for Watertown Square was approved, City officials are preparing to begin the creation of two detailed plans to revitalize the Watertown Square commercial area, and to redesign the intersection. The project includes changes gto the roadway and intersection, as well as building on the parking lots in the Square. Discussions about the future of Watertown’s major intersection began in November 2023 with the multi-day design charrette, and continued through 2024 with the approval of the new zoning in July 2024, known as the Watertown Square Area Plan (click here to see the approved plan). During 2025, the work has been internal within the City’s Department of Community Development and Planning, in conjuction with consultants, to come up with a Revitalization Plan and designs for the new intersection in the Square, according to the City’s announcement about the implementation of the Watertown Square Area Plan.
A view of 108 Water St., the 52-unit residential project approved by the Zoning Board of Appeals. (Eaglebrook Capital)
The Zoning Board of Appeals approved the planned 52-unit residential building at 108 Water Street on Wednesday night after designers made changes to exterior design of the building, along with some other alterations to the first plan presented in November. The condo building will have a mix of nine studios, 30 one bedrooms, 12 two bedrooms, and one three bedrooms. Eight of the units would meet the City’s affordable housing requirements. The building is five stories, with the fifth story stepped back seven feet as required in the Watertown Square 2 Zoning. One of the concerns raised by the board at the first meeting was the look of the ground floor that runs along Water Street and gets taller as the grade goes downhill.
The project at 33 Mt. Auburn Street was approved by the Planning Board. The five story building has one floor of commercial and four of residential. (Torrington Properties)
The first by-right residential project, a five story mixed use building at 33 Mt. Auburn St., was approved by the Planning Board on Dec.