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Urgent! Meeting to Discuss Temporary Development Moratorium on Wednesday July 2nd

On Wednesday July 2nd at 6:15pm, President Mark Sideris has scheduled a Town Council meeting to consider action on the petition for a temporary development moratorium along Arsenal Street. The meeting will be held at the Town Hall in the Town Council chambers. Please spread the word about this special meeting and come to express your views!

The agenda is as follows:

Roll call
Motions, Orders, and Resolutions
a) Review and consideration of further action regarding a petition submitted to the Town Council expressing support for a moratorium on large projects along Arsenal Street.
Adjournment

The petition was signed by over 100 citizens and read as follows:
PETITION: we the undersigned support a temporary moratorium on large projects along Arsenal Street in Watertown for up to one year, while a master plan for the corridor is developed and zoning is re-written with input from all stakeholders! Repairs and simple renovations to existing buildings for pre-existing uses should not be affected.

Development Meeting to Discuss Pleasant Street Corridor

There is another important development meeting Tuesday, July 1, Police Station, 552 Main Street, 7-8:30pm. This one has been called by Councilor Ken Woodland. The proposed amendments to the zoning code concerning the Pleasant Street corridor and the Comprehensive Plan and how it could be translated into zoning law will be on the table.

Petition for Temporary Moratorium on Large Projects Along Arsenal Street

The Watertown Concerned Citizens Group (WCCG) is calling for a temporary moratorium on large projects along Arsenal Street. The petition reads:

PETITION: we the undersigned support a temporary moratorium on large projects along Arsenal Street in Watertown for up to one year, while a master plan for the corridor is developed and zoning is re-written with input from all stakeholders! Repairs and simple renovations to existing buildings for pre-existing uses should not be affected.

If you wish to support this, print out the petition (pdf 67 KB) and get your neighbors to sign it. Filled out petitions should be returned to the 40-42 Washburn St. porch box by 5pm on Tues 6/24 for review before the Town Council meeting begins. Copies of the petition and flyer/map (pdf 741 KB) showing the area (in case you cannot print out your own) may be found at 48 Chester St, or at 34 Parker St. (red house).

Citizens Call for Moratorium on Large New Projects

Two town residents have recently presented suggestions for a moratorium, and Roger Erickson and CCG introduced the idea at the Planning Board meeting. Please sign on if you agree before the Comprehensive Plan meeting tonight (6:30PM, Middle School auditorium, tonight), or before the Zoning Board meeting (next Wednesday, June 25, 7PM, Council Chambers).

Please send your thoughts and comments, or just add your voice if you agree with those requesting a temporary moratorium until Watertown can create a “master plan” for the Arsenal Street Corridor. Email addresses for the councilors may be found on the town website, or send to the office assistant who will distribute them. Ingrid Marchesano, imarchesano@watertown-ma.gov will distribute your comments to Steve Magoon, Gideon Schreiber, and Andrea Adams of the Community Planning and Development Department.

You may have heard that 202 Arsenal Street was approved by the Planning Board, but must be approved by the Zoning Board (June 25), which many see as the greatest hurdle and an opportunity for us to respond.

Zoning changes for Pleasant Street were continued for further discussion and exploration.

The Arsenal Overlay Development District was approved, but without mention of the proposed 90’ parking structure. We think that the idea is that when a proposal comes before the town, there will be sufficient time for discussion. Barbara Ruskin proposed that the town work with AthenaHealth to decrease substantially the number of parking spaces so a nine story building with all the attendant problems will not be necessary. Director Steve Magoon agreed. Watertown is a transit hub, all the developers are trying to attract Millenials who prefer public transit and bike riding, and the Arsenal Corridor should be improved, etc, etc. A perfect segue back to the idea of a “master plan” for the Arsenal Street Corridor. Here are the letters. There have been many who have written to sign to the the Bockian letter. They both contain important ideas for you to consider.

FROM JONATHAN BOCKIAN TO THE PLANNING BOARD, TOWN COUNCIL, TRANSIT TASK FORCE, SUSTAINABLE WATERTOWN, AND OTHERS:

The draft Comprehensive Plan is full of terrific goals and ideas that will be overtaken by events on the ground unless the Plan is implemented much more quickly than the draft proposes. The fate of Arsenal Street will be sealed without the Plan making any difference unless a moratorium on large new projects along Arsenal Street is put in place immediately, while a master plan and new zoning for the corridor are completed.

One of the most important things the Comprehensive Plan would do is to rewrite some of the zoning ordinance — the law that sets the limits and requirements on what gets built, where its built, how dense it is, where people live and where there can be an office building, a restaurant, or an auto body shop. The implementation schedule in the Plan calls for changing some of the zoning ordinance in 1 to 2 years. It makes sense that good changes to zoning should be well thought through, carefully written, and talked about a lot by residents and business owners before the Planning Board and Town Council vote them into law. But if projects can get permits to move ahead under existing zoning while the rules are being revised, the revised rules won’t impact new projects.

A moratorium is a powerful step, not to be taken lightly, but I recommend the Council puts a temporary moratorium on large new projects along the Arsenal Street corridor for up to one year while a master plan for the corridor is developed and the zoning is re-written, with input from all stakeholders. Repairs and simple renovations to existing buildings for pre-existing uses should not be affected. There’s lots of precedence for a moratorium: cities and towns do it all the time when events are outpacing their ability to plan. Watertown recently put in place a one year moratorium on medical marijuana centers, which has expired. I welcome redevelopment of Arsenal Street, if it’s done well. A moratorium is not without risks, but the risks of uncoordinated bad development along this crucial Town corridor outweigh the risks of a moratorium.

We should all applaud the Community Development & Planning Department’s hard work on the Comp Plan. Let’s not waste it.

Jonathan Bockian
Irving St., Watertown
This comment is on my own behalf as a town resident and not on behalf of any client or community group.

FROM NANCY HAMMETT :

Attached please find my comments on the Comprehensive Plan as it relates to next steps for the Arsenal Street Corridor.

I feel strongly that we need to develop a Conceptual Master Plan or vision for Arsenal Street as a next step -- a short-term effort to develop a coordinated plan for all the elements that will make the Arsenal corridor a vibrant and attractive place to live, work and do business.

This process will:

Provide a more coherent way to plan for traffic, transit, open space, bike & pedestrian use, street and sidewalk design, transitions to local neighborhoods, infrastructure and Green Infrastructure investments, etc. -- all the interrelated pieces that determine the success of the Arsenal corridor redevelopments.
Identify areas where investments by the Town will significantly enhance outcomes, and allow us to seek funding for those investments; and

Provide a forum for more effective public input.

The attached comments describe these benefits and suggest additions to the Comprehensive Plan goals and implementation matrix.

Thank you for considering my comments.
Nancy

May 2014 Update

Dear Sustainable Watertown,

The month of May marks the beginning of major development project presentations in Watertown particularly along Arsenal Street. These building projects will change the face and feel of Watertown forever. Our mission of sustainability has focused our attention on supporting the aspects of new development which will improve Watertown while maintaining the character and characteristics of town. The Vision component of the proposed Comprehensive Plan for Watertown includes protecting our residential neighborhoods. It allows major construction along Arsenal and Pleasant Streets with densities and heights of buildings massed in a way very new in Watertown. It proclaims that access to and street side views of the Charles River are important to protect. We hope it also protects and supports our wonderful variety of local, independent businesses all of which give flavor to our diverse and vibrant community. We look to forward-thinking designs and conceptualizations for what Watertown will need and want to look like in the future. We need your participation. We look forward to working with our Planning Department and Planning and Zoning Boards and the Town Council for excellent new projects.

An architect who is doing a lot of thinking about social contexts, Mark Lakeman from Portland, Oregon has been thinking about designing for community. He talks about re-defining scale “more in terms of richness and complexity than by largeness. This has become not only appropriate in the light of resource scarcity, but has become a vital imperative in the gigantic context of climate change. We can indeed continue to grow in terms of depth, quality, and the multiplicity of relational connections, but no longer merely in terms of size-as-benefit.” He also talks about “design as a means to build community.” For us perhaps this means making sure that the new projects, which are huge in the context of the old Watertown, contain the quality, environmental benefits, place-based sensibility, and a multiplicity of relational connections for the residents who will live there, but also for the new residents to have a multiplicity of relational connections with our community.

We hope that you will participate in the public hearings at the Planning Board this month and later at the Zoning Board. If you have not been part of our Neighborhood Network which met to discuss the plans, do use the links below to find the plans for the development at 202 Arsenal Street. There is a Special Meeting of the Planning Board, May 8, 7PM, Town Hall Council Chambers devoted solely to this project. While we would have preferred that this discussion start at the regularly scheduled Planning Board meeting, May 14, you will have another opportunity for public comment that night as well. We hope with a project of this magnitude and importance as a precedent-setting development that you will join in the discussion and stimulate and support the careful and full deliberation of our Boards.

We have learned that Zoning regulations determine how our town will look and function. The May 14 hearing at the Planning Board will also take up a major amendment to the Zoning codes for an Arsenal Overlay Development District (AODD) by AthenaHealth which owns all of the historic part of the Arsenal west of the Mall buildings. This amendment creates "implementation of a master plan" for development within an Athena “campus.” The master plan is not definite. Our Planning Department has built in some protections for the town, but this is a complicated measure with fast track determination of special permits. Your full consideration of the details is required for conscientious comment. Please see the links below for the full draft of the amendments to the AODD. Again, your knowledgeable participation will help support a careful deliberation process by the Planning Board and then the Town Council which has the final say on zoning changes.

THURSDAY, MAY 8, SPECIAL MEETING, PLANNING BOARD: 7PM, Council Chambers. Specifically set up for developer presentation, staff report, Board comments and questions, and public comment of 202 ARSENAL STREET. 297 apartments with small amount of retail and supermarket. Discussion to be continued May 14.
Related links:
Hanover proposal for 297 unit apartment building with some retail plus Cresset/WC proposal for supermarket. There are a number of reports, including schematic drawings and traffic analyses, etc: http://www.ci.watertown.ma.us/DocumentCenter/View/14403
Vision and Land Use Proposal for the Comprehensive Plan: http://www.watertown-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/14558
Staff Report: http://www.ci.watertown.ma.us/DocumentCenter/View/14891. The Planning Department contact information is on the town website, Community Development and Planning.
Public Comment: It is supposed to be attached to the Staff Report, but we could not find it. You can find Sustainable Watertown’s Neighborhood Network groups comments and the Summary of discussion at the Developer Meeting along with areas of concern not discussed at sustainablewatertown.org. Go to the tab at the top that says Initiatives and click on the Development page. The public comments on 202 Arsenal Street are there along with a letter about retail which is relevant.
For other information, here’s the drill: go to http://www.watertown-ma.gov/, right hand corner, find Document Center, click on Community Development and Planning, under that, Cases, then look for the street address of the project you want info about, check several listings for that address and start reading.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETING OF THE PLANNING BOARD: 7PM Council Chambers. There is an individual case, plus continued discussion of 202 ARSENAL STREET. In addition,
1) Athena Arsenal LLC, 311 Arsenal Street, Watertown, MA 02472, herein requests the Zoning Board of Appeals
grant a Special Permit in accordance with Watertown Zoning Ordinance §9.11, Temporary Structures, so as toallow (3) temporary structures, each measuring 10’x20’, and each with a 15’x10’ canopy. AODD (Arsenal Overlay Development District) ZBA

2)Arsenal Overlay Development District (AODD) Text Amendment
Athena Arsenal LLC requests an amendment to the Arsenal Overlay Development District (AODD) of the Watertown Zoning Ordinance. The first reading before the Honorable Town Council was April 8, 2014. As stated, the requested amendments allow the implementation of a master plan to create a vibrant campus for athenahealth , Inc. as well as the residents of Watertown. The amendments would modify the retail categories to allow small scale retail uses through special permit, increase height for new construction, and clarify the permit process for the AODD. The amendment would also incorporate amendments made by the Watertown Arsenal Development Corporation at the time the site was first redeveloped and make ministerial changes. The WZO amendment language is available for review in the Office and Website of the Department of Community Development and Planning.
PLEASE READ THE DOCUMENT AS AMENDED BY THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT. YOUR CAREFUL CONSIDERATION IS NEEDED DURING THE DELIBERATION PROCESS OF THE PLANNING BOARD AND THEN THE TOWN COUNCIL. Fast track approval is granted here as it was in the Pleasant St Corridor which decreases the number of hearings at which there is public comment.

One more item for May 14: Walker (Beacon) School wants to build an addition. This organization owns the 1848 farmhouse on Belmont Street which they applied to demolish last year.

Thanks for all you do,
Please contact us at info@sustainablewatertown.org with your suggestions and questions. Proposals for hotel at Saab site, Pirolli (another 300 apartments), and possibly the AthenaHealth campus plan next time.

Sustainable Watertown

AODD decision pending--time to act before May 14 Planning Board meeting

Dear Friends,
It is time to drop everything and consider the effects of the amended Arsenal Overlay Development District (AODD) that will be presented to the Planning Board at its regularly scheduled meeting, Wednesday, May 14. FYI, 202 Arsenal Street will not be discussed until the June meeting.
The link to the proposed amendments is very interesting. It is a comprehensive plan for a campus. The redlined version of AthenaHealth's proposal is here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_6LWQWHh2hQamxBMnRaS3RLR2c/edit?pli=1
Watertown's Community Planning and Development Dept has edited in red and added the blue, which are, we presume, protections for Watertown.
The conundrum is, as the Planning Department explained to us, that proposals for developments cannot be made unless the zoning code has already approved such use. At that point, it would seem that it is impossible for the town to then restrict such buildings because approval for them has been given in advance. In other words, a nine story building cannot be proposed unless nine story buildings are allowed in a particular zone, or overlay district. How then could the town legally reject nine story buildings if they are already in the code and meet requirements in the special permitting process? An overlay district, like the Pleasant Street Corridor, pre-approves zoning in certain areas and gives prior approval so that proposals need not go to the Zoning Board of Appeals. The Planning Board gives final approvals when zoning requirements have been met by pre-approval.
It seems that the rules that require proposals to be pre-approved are flawed. This overlay district really grants carte blanche in exchange for development. The master plan of AthenaHealth is not definite (I am told) and does not need to be. Watertown will lose its ability to have much influence on the master plan once the AODD amendments are granted.
Zoning is an area that is very complicated and requires much thought, and perhaps some research into the experiences of other cities and towns in the Commonwealth and elsewhere. Sustainable Watertown is working for good development, not to stop development. We are at the same time wary of islands of development that are closed off from the town by design. It seems to be referred to as the Google model these days, yet we are not on a mountain top, but a well connected city. We are concerned that retail development in a campus environment might make it easy for employees, and there will be at least three thousand we are told, to avoid our restaurants, markets, and shops that already exist. There is also some question about a campus with university connections in which there are many other people about, students and faculty, and scientific research of unspecified nature, all which seem to be a carryover from the original Overlay District when Harvard was directly involved. But those permissions remain over time, making it appear that overlay amendments are quite permanent.
While many residents are grateful for the artful preservation of historic buildings and additions to the work force to come at AthenaHealth, it also appears to many that it is premature to grant the AODD amendments at this time.
Please read the entire document about AODD amendments. We think that it is time to make your opinions known to the Community Development and Planning Department, members of the Planning Board, and our Town Councilors.
We would like to hear your opinions and any concerns you might have.
Barbara Ruskin
Neighborhood Network coordinator
Sustainable Watertown

Watertown Task Force on Public Transit Inaugural Meeting

NEW DATE: Thursday May 1st, 7-9pm.
Watertown Free Public Library
123 Main St.
Watertown Square
Raya Stern Trustees Room

Open to the Public
Please come and share your T riding experiences and your ideas on Public Transportation in our community, present and future.

An Initiative of Sustainable Watertown
www.sustainablewatertown.org
watertowntransit@earthlink.net

PUBLIC TRANSIT is officially on the table in Watertown. Sustainable Watertown member Joe Levendusky asked the Town Council to support the transit riders of Watertown by working with the MBTA to improve public transportation and identify measures to improve the system here. We think of ourselves as a hub for public transportation and will attract major development, yet buses are overcrowded and suffer delays at both peak and non-peak hours. Pleasant Street and Arsenal Street are important areas of concern as well. If we are to increase ridership and decrease our carbon footprint in the region, excellent public transit is key. The Subcommittee on State, Federal, and Regional Government discussed short-range and long-range suggestions for improvements with members of the Council, State transportation groups, Senator Will Brownsberger, and Representative Jon Hecht, and Planning Director Steve Magoon before sending its recommendation of support to the Town Council. The Town Council voted to work with the MBTA on these issues. Rejecting an idea for a town sponsored task force, the Council Subcommittee recommended that citizens organize themselves into a task force for public participation. Mr Levendusky has initiated just that as an initiative of Sustainable Watertown.

The first meeting of the Watertown Task Force on Public Transit will be Thursday May 1st, 7pm, upstairs at the Library. All are welcome. This is our chance to make a difference. Please look at Quick Links for background and contact information. If you are willing to distribute flyers for the inaugural meeting, or would like more information, please write to WatertownTransit@earthlink.net.

Click Here for some additional information (find it at the end of the article)...

Letter to the Town Council about Open Bidding before Vendor Chosen for Solarize Watertown

Presentation to Town Council:

There are three possibilities for financing solar panels. An owner can purchase them outright. An owner can take out a loan to finance them. And an owner can allow the roof of their building to be "leased" for the production of solar energy. This third option is called a Power Purchase Agreement or PPA.

Next Step Living gave Watertown a Purchase option and a Solar Loan option. It did not give Watertown a zero-down PPA option, which is the solar leasing option. SunBug and Corbin gave Watertown all three options: a Purchase option, a Solar Loan option, and a zero-down PPA option as was requested in the RFP

Although, at first glance, it would seem that the RFP does not require the installer to offer a zero-down PPA to the community as evidenced by the following paragraph, the Attachment BI makes it clear that a zero-down PPA is to be offered. Here is the RFP language:

"In order to participate in the Program, the Installer must provide a dollar per watt ($/W) “Purchase Price” for solar PV systems that will decrease by defined tier levels as the total contracted capacity of solar PV within the community increases. For Lease or PPA projects, the Installer must provide a base dollar per kilowatt hour ($/kWh) Lease/PPA Price, as well as financial incentives for customers that sign a Lease or PPA for solar PV systems as higher tiers of contracted capacity within a Community are reached. As such, proposals will not only be evaluated on the Installer’s ability to provide the highest quality design and installation services, but also on the ability to deliver a tiered pricing structure for the purchase of systems and a tiered financial incentive for Leases or PPAs. See the Pricing Proposal and Adder Form (Attachment B.1. and Attachment B.2.) for more information on the specific pricing tiers."

However, in the pricing requirement Attachment B1, there are rules about how the installers present their pricing. This is to create a level playing field for the selection teams to decide between bids. All bids are to use the same assumptions in order to price it's per kWh PPA price. This is in place so that those looking at the bids can compare apples to apples. That language in B1 is the following:

"Provide a Lease/PPA price for a system that produces 90% of optimal production. All Lease/PPA Prices should assume $0 down upfront. In addition, provide the contract escalator that company applies to projects."

Next Step Living did not follow these rules. Thus, Next Step Living by not offering a zero-down PPA was able to make its per kWh PPA price look much better than SunBug's or Corbin's. Town Council's WE3C advisory committee should have immediately disqualified Next Step Living and considered only Corbin/Onforce and SunBug. Instead, they chose Next Step Living, which requires the homeowners of Watertown to pay $3000 for the lease option.

Unlike the other two bidders, Next Step Living's bid gives financing options for obtaining the $3000 if the home owner wishes a PPA, but after either a year or eighteen months, that loan will require interest payments. This loan (and subsequent interest) will be added to the overall debt load of the homeowner. Thus, if that individual wishes to make another purchase using credit (appliance, car, home), this debt could negatively impact the amount and terms of a loan he or she is able to obtain in the future.

In addition, there is an NSL adder of 75 cents per watt for "Whole-home, low-interest financing." That is a $4000 adder on a typical 5kWh system. And there is also a statement about 25 cents per watt for "financing coordination support, which applies only to systems financed through Next Step Living partners other than the low interest loans." What is this exactly, and is this another finance charge? Does this mean that there is an additional 25 cent/kWh adder for every homeowner who is already paying $3000 for what should have been a free or zero-down option to begin with?

The PPA or solar lease option with zero-down is particularly attractive for multi-family homes, which Watertown has many of. The zero-down option allows the homeowner to "lease" their roof. If the owner wishes, for no cost, solar panels can be placed on the roof and connected to the units of the tenants. This creates an opportunity to tap solar and sustainable energy sources, gives the renter a break on their electricity bill, and makes the unit a more attractive rental option. On an owner-occupied multi-family, the owner can buy his or her system, and with a zero-down option, lease a system for the tenants. Both types of systems can exist on one roof. None of this is possible with the bid Town Council's advisory committee selected.

Solarize Watertown insists that the guidelines for Watertown are the ones that worked well for other Mass Solarize communities. Actually, what happened in Watertown happened in no other solarize community. All the other communities using this solarize process had zero-down options.

The Mass CEC and WE3C (Solarize Watertown) are victims of deceptive sales practices. But the real victims are the citizens of Watertown, who even with the tax benefits, don't have a "free" solar leasing option. Thus, our citizens will be paying thousands of extra dollars for the privilege of letting their roofs be leased because an advisory committee of Town Council chose Next Step Living. How is this a good deal?

Next Step Living Quality

Next Step Living is an enormous sales organization. It subcontracts out all its work. Thus Next Step Living has no installation quality, because it doesn't install. It does not "own" its process and recently has been infused with eighteen million dollars from the following four companies:

Black Coral Capital, Massachusetts Green Energy Fund, Vantage Point Capital Partners, and The Windquest Group.

The CEOs of these companies were at Bain and use the Bain model, which was described in detail by The New Yorker magazine when it ran an in-depth article on Mitt Romney.

Our other bidders included locally owned solar companies. These companies actually install and do not subcontract out residential installations. They own the process from start to finish and directly employ the people who actually do the installations.

On Angie's List, Next Step Living is the only solar company with a C grade. This is not anecdotal; there are over 150 reviews in total. It is literally the worst-reviewed solar company in the area. SunBug has an A rating with Angies's List Service Award for the last two years. OnForce/Corbin was not reviewed.

Additionally, on Yelp and other independent online review sources, Next Step gets reviews well below average while other solar companies fare much better.

Last but not least, other bidders gave us more options, including a choice of "local" with an American made panel and a Mass made inverter. Not so Next Step Living, which gave us a choice of an inverter made in Phoenix, AZ, which by their national standards may constitute local, but is not our "local."

Jaclyn Tager

[Editor's note: A petition asking to temporarily halt the Solarize Watertown initiative can be found on the town's website at: http://www.ci.watertown.ma.us/documentcenter/view/14579]

April 2014 Update

Dear Sustainable Watertown,

Points to focus discussion on 202 Arsenal Street proposal

Dear Sustainable Watertown ,

Special Edition: We have prepared some topics that would focus further discussion of the proposed 202 Arsenal Street development of 300 apartments and a supermarket. We have also tried to incorporate much of the discussion from the big meeting and the five neighborhood groups that met beforehand in a summary of thoughts so far. In addition, some new concepts that have come up and a few comments from the Land Use report of the Comprehensive Plan have been included.

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN: How do elements of this 202 Arsenal Street proposal support the goals and values and limits of the Comprehensive Plan being prepared for Watertown as expressed in the community meetings for the Plan?

SIZE AND DENSITY and the effect that such a large development will have on town resources, businesses, political, social life. No impact on the schools is anticipated because of the small size of the planned units; will Millenials who become parents have to leave Watertown to raise a family? What, however, will the effect of 300 units be on these areas? Only both of the Repton Place developments match the size of the proposed Hanover development.

MASSING OF BUILDINGS is important in transitional areas between large developments and neighborhoods. The transition to the neighborhoods at 202 Arsenal depends on the gradient of the land and a green strip. Neighbors are worried that the transition is abrupt and will be ineffective. The development is built out to the limit. The developer claims that the area would otherwise need remediation. However, other areas have been cleaned up satisfactorily. We are fortunate that his particular development is proposed for a location set at a lower grade than the surrounding neighborhood to the north and that an area of the fourth floor near Birch Street is set back. The Arsenal Street side is set at three stories. However, the entire development is set apart from the rest of us because no through streets are planned. Green space is planned within the apartment rings for use of tenants only; this area is closed off to the public. It should not become a model development for other areas of town.

WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE GROWTH FOR WATERTOWN? PIECEMEAL DECISION-MAKING. We are told that Arsenal and Grove Street developments would yield more than 1000 new residences. Pirolli will build. Arsenal Projects plans a gigantic redevelopment. There will be a hotel. Who knows which other properties will be developed in the Arsenal Corridor in this area, or closer to Watertown Square. We cannot make decisions only one development at a time when the effects are area-wide and very long term. Will the Comprehensive Plan provide any guidelines for broad based development? How does Watertown create a sustainable plan for development? Does Watertown have an interest in maintaining the commercial properties along this corridor? Will design review be required for new and existing property development? How big is big enough? How big is too big?

TRAFFIC AND PARKING: We have already talked about Traffic, but people are not satisfied by the three block traffic light rehab and the report that the 300 new units will have little effect on traffic elsewhere in town. If Hanover is aiming for those Millenials who will walk to work at AthenaHealth we must consider fewer numbers of parking places (with appropriate Zoning changes), and the increased number of pedestrian and bicycle users in this target population (therefore requiring better bicycling paths/lanes for commuting as well as recreation). David Hall said that the old numbers of parking spaces will be offered until proven unnecessary at this site. But look at Riverbend Park which has fewer cars than residents.

We should be a leader in anticipating fewer cars owned, if not car-free living in the future. We should be proud of our location, as always, but press the advantage of being a transportation hub (even though we need improvements, but that's part of the point--we can't delay advocacy of one for the other). It seems to us that a further next step is for the community to meet with our Peer Traffic consultant to get a town-centered future-thinking perspective. And if Hanover's traffic team studied the whole town, we should have that information and be able to compare the work with that of the independent. Is parking part of a traffic study? Shuttles to Watertown Square, available to the public, until public transportation catches up with need. Decrease traffic on neighborhood streets by exploring a through street from North Beacon Street on the Arsenal property to connect to Woolsey Street. Add traffic light allowing left turn onto Arsenal Street. It might draw cars from Exit 17 and lessen traffic in Watertown Square.

ENVIRONMENT/SUSTAINABILITY INFRASTRUCTURE. Landscaping and street trees, setbacks, stormwater, emphasizing pervious surfaces at entrance, firelane, supermarket area, sidewalks. LEED Certification, or equivalent checklist assurances. Do Watertown's requirements surpass those of Massachusetts in any way? Solar. Green Roof practices. There is tremendous surface area on the roof of 202 Arsenal St. Rooftop gardens are now fairly commonplace (not just on rooftop parking garage if fewer spots are needed in a few years as Mr Hall agreed). Recycling--he said there will be places for recycling to be taken in the trash room. Will most people really go there? Are there plans, ideas to make this a serious endeavor in such a large development?

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY: We've talked a bit about landscaping, aesthetics, high quality materials, finishes, windows. Some about lights, signage, noise, pollution, construction hours, etc. affecting neighbors. There are other aspects of Public Benefit and amenities. Increase size of public gathering space at entrance; Setbacks for green plantings at all retail, including supermarket; Green streetscape along Arsenal Street; Living fence/screen transitions for abutters. We suggest a public meeting room so that local groups can try to involve Hanover's residents in Watertown activities on site and have a meeting place in the area. Recycling Plans developed fully. Public Art fund financed by developments for use all over town, not just at a particular development. This is a common practice in cities and towns nearby. Advocate with town for improved public transportation for the influx of new residents. Union builders. Cell antenna safety. Neighborhood connectivity through multiple public pathways through the development North/South as well as East/West.

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS AND INTERACTION: Mr. Hall of Hanover indicated that he will carefully maintain the fortress shaped building because it will be a separate community there. We want them to be part of OUR community. Many of us want the building to be bisected E-W by a greensward, or a street.The concept of the Urban Village incorporates large developments, but connects them to the surrounding neighborhoods by streets and by decreased massing. Perhaps the fire lane/trash/mail route could provide connection in some way. Creative approaches are called for, not immediate dismissal. Perhaps other businesses in the area will work with the Planning Department. The recreational part of the Community Path could go under the building abutting the rear park inside the development. It would open up their community green space to ours and connect neighborhoods. It sounds as if Pirolli is planning a path in the transitional area as well as on Arsenal Street. In some small way, this development could have direct access to open green space as would the Community Path on its way across town. It would allow a protected greenway for recreational users as well as the street-side lanes for bikes. Whether commuters would use a bike path along a track next to the sidewalk remains to be seen, but a green Community Path, as part of an Open Space Network as referred to in the proposed Comprehensive Plan would be an important amenity for the Town of Watertown.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: Hanover could work with Watertown to advocate for improved public transportation system. Extra service when necessary. Town-wide study. Map. Publicize Watertown as a transit hub, perfect for car-free living. Enhanced MBTA stops. New ideas for more efficient payment. Improved bike lanes (and bike parking) and Community Path. Zip Cars. Hubway, or similar bike share.

RETAIL AND SUPERMARKET: If the idea is to create a lively streetscape on Arsenal Street, we are hoping that mixed use will mean an infusion of diverse, particularly local independent businesses, or at least a variety of small shops that residents can go to for ordinary shopping needs and enjoyable places to go for browsing. One of the features of good retail space for local independents is small size and, in new construction, divisibility which allows flexibility in renting. Bank frontage limitation policy is being used in various cities and towns to prevent banks from taking over retail frontage that would better serve the economic health of a community as storefronts for local independent, or small businesses. Zoning limits most business frontages to about 25 feet, though banks and other businesses may have the space they require without extra frontage behind the other shops. Transparency is the concept of keeping windows facing streets to attract customers, allow us to look inside, and have an interesting streetscape. Look for the drawings of a vibrant shopping district here: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dcp/pdf/uws/presentation.pdf. Frontage limits go hand in hand with transparency to achieve the goals of a varied and interesting business district. Hanover promises only a restaurant and one other business on its property. That seems insufficient to create a vibrant destination. The supermarket space is sized for a Whole Foods, or some similar store. If that concept does not reach fruition, however, we hope that Watertown has an interest in protecting us from more big box stores that might anchor this site. Remember that 33,000 square feet was what Walmart proposed for a mini market plus. What alternatives does Cresett/WC have for this site?

We hope that these points will be useful for discussion on the 202 Arsenal Street development and the basis for others. Thanks for all you do. Let us know what you think at info@sustainablewatertown.org.