Letters

LETTER: The Plan for Watertown Square Has Not Gotten the Attention It Deserves

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I am writing this in response to Linda Scott’s detailed and well researched op-ed (click here). Linda, your deep dive into our community’s issues certainly speaks to many of the concerns people have raised with me. Thank you so much for kicking off this discussion. I urge all residents to read your op-ed, pass it on to family members, friends, and neighbors, and then discuss it together. I’ve spoken to multiple people who told me that there is a proposal for a five-story building of 200 +/- units plus a garage wrap similar to a complex at Assembly Square Mall in Somerville which admittedly I have yet to visit.

Letters

OP-ED: Calling All Everyday Citizen Heroes for the Watertown Square Meeting

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If Past is Prologue …

Big Development Plans for Watertown Square on April 6th! By Linda ScottWatertown Resident

Calling All Everyday Watertown Citizen Heroes! Well, it’s that time of the month in Watertown again … the time that the next large development plan will be hauled out and introduced, but this one’s been a long time in the making. Put the Library on April 6th at 6 p.m. in your calendar, because this promises to be a doozy! And what is “this” you ask?

Government

City to Give Update on Watertown Square Project at Public Meeting

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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.

Business

What New Industries Might be Attracted to Watertown, Changes to the Square Discussed by City Manager

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City Manager George Proakis spoke at the Watertown Business Coalition’s City Update on March 5, 2026. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Watertown became a magnet for life science companies in the last several years, and City Manager George Proakis said the building boom in that industry may be slowed, but other industries may be attracted to the same things: proximity to Boston and the universities in the area, easy access, and a nice place to be. Proakis spoke about the City’s economic and financial outlook during the Watertown Business Coalition’s City Update on Thursday morning at the Hampton Inn & Suites. His outlook for Watertown’s economic future was positive, despite the dip in the City’s most prominent industry: life sciences. “We are still in a community, in a state that is well invested in new growth.

Development

City Starting Detailed Designs for Watertown Square Intersection, Revitalization of Commercial Area

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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.

Development

City Looking at How to Create Public-Private Partnership to Redevelop Watertown Square Parking Lots

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An illustration from the Watertown Square Area Plan with the municipal parking lot behind CVS outlined in red. The City Council is considering redeveloping that area. City Councilors will be wearing a second hat when it comes to the redevelopment of the parking lots behind CVS, the Watertown Library and perhaps others in Watertown Square. On Sept. 2, consultants from Innes Land Strategies Group spoke to the Council about their role as a Redevelopment Authority, and some of the options for making the projects a reality.

Development

Two Multistory Residential Projects Proposed in New Watertown Square Zoning

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An illustration of the proposed residential building at 108 Water St. (WSQ Development LLC)

Two residential projects have been proposed in Watertown, south of the Charles River and another in a vacant site on Mt. Auburn Street. The projects are among the first that would be built the new Watertown Square Zoning districts created so the City would comply with the MBTA Communities Law. The first project in the new zones was a five-unit residential building at 75 Spring St., which is located in the WSQ1 zoning, which allows 3+ story (four stories with a stepped back fourth story) projects.

Government

Revitalization of Watertown Square on City Council’s Agenda

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The future of Watertown Square will be discussed at the City Council’s meeting on Sept. 2. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

The City Council will hold a special meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025, where the revitalization of Watertown Square will be discussed. The meeting description on the agenda says:

Informational presentation by our Watertown Square Revitalization Plan Consultants, Innes Land Strategies, to outline the role of a redevelopment authority and to lay the groundwork for the work they will undertake over the next year.