Sustainable Watertown - Updates

January 2016 Update

Bill — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 01:03:38 +0000

Dear Sustainable Watertown,

Frederick Law Olmsted believed in making parks that belonged to all the people, and that, by providing a place of experience among equals, good public spaces helped make democracy stronger.
Democracy is dynamic, constantly changing and continually tempered by how we collectively participate in it; and, it turns out, it is profoundly impacted by how well we mix with each other.
-Janna Malamud-Smith, The Importance of Public Spaces in a Fractured World. Cognoscenti, 12/23/15.

Watertown's citizens have spoken up for good public spaces to draw our community together and for healthy, walkable, connected streetscapes and paths. Watertown's citizens have also come together in our civic spaces to learn and speak out to promote and protect our community character along with the river and the precious green and open spaces that we treasure. Here is an opportunity to do both, with important results.

Please join us as Sustainable Watertown hosts
a series of four CITIZEN-INITIATED CONVERSATIONS for Watertown Residents on RMUD, the Regional Multi Use District. The proposed district was devised by Boylston Properties, a major land holder in the RMUD with the property formerly known as the Arsenal Mall. The town Planning Department has edited the proposal and citizens and Councilors have offered amendments at the Planning Board and at a Council Subcommittee meeting. There is much more to learn and potentially to adjust in the plan. W

Now the Town Council must vote to amend and accept the project, or to send it back to the Planning Board in recognition of continued citizen interest. We expect that Council vote will be January 26. If the proposal returns to the Planning Board there will be adequate time for further deliberation and decision to consider all the citizen input that has been and will be presented by the end of this month and going forward. The Planning Board will ultimately return the proposal to the elected Council for a vote to change the Zoning Ordinance.
Because the issues of the proposed Regional Multi Use District are so complicated, Sustainable Watertown and many others believe that more conversation is absolutely necessary before passage of an ordinance that will have lasting effects on Watertown for generations to come. We urge you to participate to help improve the plan.

Please join us at the Library from 6:45-9PM JANUARY 7, 13, 19 and JANUARY 25, location to be announced, for our wrap up session. Please look at the Action Items to the right in the yellow column for the topics of each session.
The RMUD stretches along Arsenal Street on both sides to include the Watertown Mall, new hotel, Miller Ale House, and goes part way up Elm street, one side of Coolidge Ave, and on the north side of Arsenal Street to School Street opposite the historic buildings now owned by AthenaHealth.
A map of the proposed RMUD is at: http://www.watertown-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/17705
A map of the 100 foot buffer and Conservation Commission control is at: http://www.watertown-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/18189
The proposed amendments to the Watertown Zoning Ordinance are at: http://www.watertown-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/18149 Further amendments have been added by the Council Subcommittee.

There are many issues to be studied and we are glad to be offering an opportunity for residents to learn and participate and make a difference. This is a unique district and it is a proposal to be considered carefully with time for envisioning the possibilities for the benefit of Watertown well into the future. The public was successfully involved in creating the Comprehensive Plan and the Design Standards and Guidelines. Your participation and consideration for these enabling amendments are crucial.

Please contact info@sustainaablewatertown.org if you would be willing to help with the Citizen-Initiated Conversations.
We could also use help with data entry.

Wishing you a happy and productive New Year.
Thanks for all you do and will do in 2016,
Sustainable Watertown

ACTION ITEMS

CITIZEN-INITIATED CONVERSATIONS ABOUT RMUD FOR WATERTOWN RESIDENTS. 6:45-9PM, LIBRARY. JANUARY 7, 13, 19, 25 (Location TBA). We will have residents participating as presenters and facilitators. An independent advocate will join us to help with zoning questions.

JANUARY 7, THIS THURSDAY: (A.) ZONING INTRODUCTION TO THE TIMELINE FOR THE CURRENT PROCESS; APPROVAL CRITERIA; COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. (B.) DESIGN IMPLICATIONS; HEIGHT AND FAR; MASSING AND SENSITIVITY TO HISTORICAL BUILDINGS; OPEN SPACE, PUBLIC SPACE, PUBLIC ACCESS. GARY SHAW WILL BE A PRESENTER.

JANUARY 13, WEDNESDAY: OPEN SPACE AND GREEN SPACE; DEFINITIONS; PUBLIC STEWARDSHIP OF THE RIVERWAY; LOCAL AND STATE ORDINANCES AND LAWS PROTECTING THE RIVER AND RIVERWAY; 100 FOOT BUFFER; PUBLIC PARKS; PUBLIC ACCESS. NANCY HAMMETT WILL PRESENT.

JANUARY 19, TUESDAY: (A.) TRAFFIC, TRANSIT (INCLUDING TMA, TMD), PLUS A STREET NETWORK VISION WITHIN RMUD AND CONNECTIVITY TO WATERTOWN CONSISTENT WITH THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. WATERTOWN PUBLIC TRANSIT TASK FORCE, WPTTF, LED BY JOE LEVENDUSKY, FACILITATORS. (B.) GREEN, SUSTAINABLE BUILDING. ZONING LANGUAGE. GARY SHAW, PRESENTER.

JANUARY 25, MONDAY: OPEN MEETING FOR RESIDENTS TO TALK ABOUT WHAT WE DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO COVER, WHAT WE'VE LEARNED, HOW THE RMUD ZONING AMENDMENTS RELATE TO THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, TO DEVELOP CONCRETE QUESTIONS, AND TO RECOMMEND CHANGES TO THE RMUD DOCUMENT. Location to be announced.
~~~
JANUARY 14, DEVELOPER MEETING, ATHANAHEALTH MASTER PLAN. 6:30PM, 311 Arsenal Street, Bldg 311, or Blakeway Auditorium. AODD Master Plan, 2016: http://www.ci.watertown.ma.us/DocumentCenter/View/18279. SW North Beacon Neighbors group asks for your attendance.

Saturdays, January 9 and 16: DEVELOPER MEETINGS on RMUD future plans with Bill McQuillan and Boylston Properties. 10-1PM. Arsenal Mall.

Thursday, January 21: WATERTOWN COMMUNITY GARDENS, ANNUAL MEETING, 6:30 PM Library.

As always, please check for Council agendas and Planning and Zoning Board agendas.

May 2015 Update

Bill — Wed, 20 May 2015 20:36:34 +0000

Dear Sustainable Watertown,

We are delighted to report that the Town Council has had a first reading to include a $130,000 position for a Transportation Planner. We are hopeful that the position will be approved, funded, and filled with great urgency since the need is tremendous. The Planning Board has approved the Design Standards and the Council will vote on them. The Council and Planning Board are having a joint hearing of the Comprehensive Plan this week before a future vote. A Transportation Planner could be expected to view these plans with an eye to the public realm and consider traffic, parking, and all modes of transportation from pedestrians to TMAs, or Transportation Management Associations. A Transportation Planner would work with our Planning Department as has David Gamble, the Architect Planner previously hired to work on design guidelines and non- public realm issues. An overview of the city and its circulation, streets, paths, sidewalks, and parking is essential. Hundreds of petition signers for a Moratorium last year hoped to have a Transportation Planner look at the public realm infrastructure. We look forward to learning from and working with a creative and future-thinking Transportation Planner.

The [Soul of the Community Study] found that the most important factors that create emotional bonds between people and their community were not jobs and the economy, but rather "physical beauty, opportunities for socializing and a city's openness to all people." The Knight Foundation also found that communities with the highest levels of attachment also had the highest rates of gross domestic product growth and the strongest economies.

Place is more than just a location on a map. A sense of place is a unique collection of qualities and characteristics--visual, cultural, social, and environmental--that provide meaning to a location. A community's unique identity also adds economic and social value. To foster distinctiveness, cities must plan for built environments and settlement patterns that are both uplifting and memorable and that foster a sense of belonging and stewardship by residents.

...In the future, planners will have to help communities adapt to change while maintaining or enhancing the things that they value most. Lyman Orton...calls this "heart and soul planning." It is both a process and a philosophy.

The process seeks to engage as many people as possible in community decision making. The philosophy recognizes that special places, characteristics and customs have value.Given all this, I believe that one of the big questions for cities in the future will be:Do you want the character of your city to shape the new development, or do you want the new development to shape the character of the city?
Edward T. McMahon, Why Character is Key to an Economically Vibrant City, April 11, 2012, Urban Land.

Sustainable Watertown is moving forward with an expanded steering committee. We still need help with the Planning and Zoning public discussion series. You will find some questions we would like to discuss, which you might want to incorporate into your questions for an applicant for the ZBA next week. Read more below and at the May 27 entry.

Questions for discussion, Planning and Zoning process in Watertown:

Selection process by the Town Manager and the timeline for selections to be sent to Council
Council and Subcommittee approval process
Oversight of a Board and ongoing evaluation of members preparedness
Qualifications of Board members (respect for community participation, length of time in Watertown, devotion to values and goals of Comprehensive Plan and Design Standards, not simply profession)
Decision making processes of Department and Boards and the members' views of their roles
Transparency, clarity, and availability of final decisions and explanation of member votes
Role of Town in supporting Board members in case of legal challenges to decisions
Clarification of State regulations, responsibilities, constraints on Boards and Planning Department, including flexibility of allowable timeline
Expectations for public participation and responses to questions at Developer Meetings and public hearings
Timeline used in the Planning and Zoning process--does the timeline rush the process and pressure for quick decisions? How could a large and complicated project be legally studied over time?
Access of the public to Boards and members of the Boards before cases are heard
Attendance of members of Boards at public forums before cases are heard
Access of the public to the Planning Department activities, including preliminary drawings, site plan reviews, filing information on line in reasonably easy form, improved website
Evaluation of new appointees for a period of time

Your suggestions?

Volunteers are needed to make this project successful. We would appreciate your help with this Planning and Zoning Public Discussion Series.

Look for the posters in store windows all over town from ReThink Plastic that say: Make a Difference with Reusable Shopping Bags. We look forward to a ban on single use plastic bags in Watertown being voted in this Spring.

Don't forget to Friend Sustainable Watertown's new Facebook page. We'll see how it works for facilitating discussions, finding new sources of information, and getting important information to you between Updates.

Thanks for all you do,
Sustainable Watertown

ACTION ITEMS

Planning and Zoning Process Community Discussion-Volunteer to help
FRIEND SUSTAINABLE WATERTOWN'S NEW FACEBOOK PAGE
Comprehensive Plan Hearings
Developer Meeting, 80 Elm Street Hotel
Planning Board Greystar/Elan and 80 Elm Street
Traffic Designs for Mt Auburn and Orchard/Spring/Church Streets
Town Council Budget Review and Meetings
ZBA 65 Grove and possibly others
ZBA Alternate Member Preliminary Interview
WPTTF TMA Forum

IMPORTANT DATES

MAY 6, WEDNESDAY, 9:30-12, Senior Center. First time seniors can buy a Charlie Card.
MAY 6, WEDNESDAY, 6-9PM, Watertown Middle School. Comprehensive Plan hearing, combined Council and Planning Board.

MAY 7, THURSDAY, 7PM, Coolidge School Apartments,Developer meeting for 80 Elm Street hotel redesigns.Let's see if Design Guidelines and the values and goals of the Comprehensive Plan had any influence on the original "design."

MAY 9, SATURDAY, 10-2PM. Recycling event.

MAY 10, 8-10AM. MOTHER'S DAY WALK FOR PEACE. Contact minister@fpwatertown to see if there is room on a bus going from the First Parish Church at 7:15.
MAY 10, SUNDAY, 1;30-5PM, HEALTHY GARDEN TOUR, WATERTOWN.

MAY 11, MONDAY, 6;30 PM, LIBRARY FILM NIGHT,SELMA.

MAY 13, WEDNESDAY, 7PM, Town Hall. Joint Committee Safety, Rules, Economic Development. Bring Your Own Liquor Licenses.

WILL THE CHARACTER OF OUR TOWN SHAPE THE NEW DEVELOPMENT, OR THE NEW DEVELOPMENT SHAPE THE CHARACTER OF OUR TOWN?

MAY 13, WEDNESDAY, 7PM, Town Hall. PLANNING BOARD. Greystar/Elan (Irving and Arsenal Streets) and 80 Elm Street Hotel.
Check Documents on the Town Website, Planning->Cases.

MAY 14, THURSDAY, 7-9PM. Public Works presents aninformational meeting about the Mt Auburn Street and the Orchard/Church/Common Street intersection redesigns. Really. Tufts Health Plan, 705 Mt Auburn Street, Cafe. Please check the draft plans carefully on line and take your ideas for a Complete Streets design that includes safe passage for bikes, pedestrians, as well as cars.

MAY 18, MONDAY, 6-8PM. TOWN COUNCIL BUDGET OVERVIEW. Town Hall. Please check these important documents and look for meetings on particular areas of the budget: MAY 20, Wednesday, 6-8. MAY 26, Tuesday, 8-10. MAY 30, SATURDAY, 9-3PM. Council Chambers.

MAY 27, WEDNESDAY, 6;30-7. Economic Development and Planning Committeepreliminary interview withJason Cohen, applicant for ZBA alternate position. Please submit your questions for the applicant to the Subcommittee members, Mr Corbett, Chair, Ms Falkoff, and Mr Piccirilli.
See note re: Planning and Zoning Public Discussions.
MAY 27, WEDNESDAY, 7PM. ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS. 65 Grove Street. Others locations TBA.

JUNE 4, THURSDAY, 6:30, Library, TMA EDUCATIONAL FORUM to discuss Transit Management Associations which supplement the MBTA and could serve the public as well as the private sector. Watertown Public Transit Task Force (WPTTF) is sponsoring the Forum in collaboration with the Watertown Belmont Chamber of Commerce.

Late January 2015 Update

Bill — Fri, 16 Jan 2015 20:00:00 +0000

Dear Sustainable Watertown,

The moment you declare a set of ideas to be immune from criticism, satire, derision, or contempt, freedom of thought becomes impossible.
-Salmon Rushdie

I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it.
-Voltaire

If Liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.
-George Orwell

MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 9-11:30: UNITY BREAKFAST.
$10 (children under 12 free). Join us for breakfast, Dr Emmett Price III, Francois Clemmons, the Intergenerational Chorus, awards, and, always, inspiration. Hellenic Cultural Center, 25 Bigelow Street.

Click here for more information »

TUESDAY, JANUARY 20: ELECTRONICS RECYCLING, 8:30-3PM.
Mt Auburn Cemetery, 24 Cottage Street, Watertown. $15 to recycle tube TVs, $5 CRT monitor and hard drive wiping, Free for other electronics. Cash only.

Click here for more information »

If anyone would like a tube TV, 27", works well, please writeinfo@sustainablewatertown.org by tomorrow afternoon.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 20, 7PM: HOTEL DEVELOPER MEETING.

A second hotel on an Elm Street location behind Target. Meeting at Coolidge School Apartments, 319 Arlington Street. 7PM.
View the Site Plan here.
View the Drawing and article here

THURSDAY, JANUARY 22, DESIGN GUIDELINES #3 MEETING. 6-8PM, WATERTOWN MIDDLE SCHOOL.
Please join in a discussion about the final form of the Design Guidelines and next steps in review and adoption. We hope to discover how Design Guidelines are translated into zoning code. And try to get a way to really conceptualize what development plans will be when built. Will Design Standards and Guidelines prevent mediocre development? How does the planning process allow local control of the galloping development coming to Watertown?

Click here for more information »

SATURDAY, JANUARY 24, 11-12:30. Coolidge Square Neighborhood Group STANDOUT in Coolidge Square.

Please join the group as they petition and distribute flyers opposing the proposed CVS development.

SATURDAY JANUARY 24, 1:30-3PM. The Concerned Citizens Group

CCG, will present ZONING BY DESIGN, a Local TedTalk film by Somerville's Director of Planning, GEORGE PROAKIS. Discussion will follow. Library. Sustainable Watertown is proud that CCG is a member of the Neighborhood Network.

View the film show in July here »

••WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS, CVS PROPOSAL for COOLIDGE SQUARE. 7PM, TOWN HALL.

Your good sense and good will are much needed to support excellence in development. The PLANNING BOARD DENIED the petition of the developer of the proposed CVS in Coolidge Square. The developer proceded to the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) anyway, presented his unchanged building plans, and the community presented a petition of 300 signatures against and much discussion. The ZBA continued the case until JANUARY 28. Plan to attend.

Please consider supporting the Coolidge Square Neighborhood Group and members of Sustainable Watertown who are opposed to the present design. The crux of the problem is the outsized big box-type CVS at Mt Auburn and Arlington Streets. It would be a chain department store with pharmacy at the end of the lively and successful Coolidge Square shopping district with it's local, independent and small businesses. The scale of the CVS is mismatched to the diverse and walkable area we now treasure. The proposed CVS would wrap around the corner from the Mt Auburn Grill replacing the brick office, gas station and the Elks taking more than a fair share of street frontage. Traffic volume in general and truck traffic for the neighbors are big problems. Will such a large project lead to other chain stores buying multiple properties? Those opposed would prefer a project there that fits the scale of the interesting retail scene that has a well-established sense of place. Will it diminish the small and independent businesses? Perhaps new zoning which would allow mixed use and experiment with limited parking for any residences would add value to the entire area while maintaining the values the community expressed in the creation of the Comprehensive Plan. An exploration of a suitable anchor would help in the future. January 28 it is simply an up, or down vote by the ZBA on the project as it is now presented.
It is interesting that in the original Pleasant Street Corridor District an aspect of the design guidelines speaks to this kind of development and new standards: Section 2 p.66 of the Zoning Code relating only to this Corridor says:
(2) Guidelines:
In general, proposals should seek to satisfy the following:
(A) Be complementary to and provide for a harmonious transition in scale and character between adjacent sites.
(B) Provide for high-density quality development consistent with the character of building types, streetscapes, and other community features traditionally found in densely settled areas of the Town or in the region.
(C) Maintain streetscape continuity with a strong building presence along the primary street edge.
(D) The size and detailing of buildings shall be pedestrian oriented and incorporate features to
add visual interest while reducing appearance of bulk or mass. Blank walls should be avoided.
(E) A distinct "sidewalk" presence with incorporation of elements such as planters, traditional
awnings, signage projecting from building fagade (blade signage), etc. to enhance the
pedestrian scale and interest of the street.
(F) Avoid prototypical, standardized brand identity-related architecture and signage for businesses with multiple locations (i.e.: retail "chain" stores and restaurants.)
• If appropriate for a section of Watertown, why not for all of Watertown? Do you think the current CVS proposal satisfies the core values Watertown citizens have expressed in community meetings? Does it preserve and increase the amenities of the town?

••To read the informative Petition from some East End neighbors and sign it, please click here.

Please drop off all signatures at Doug & Stephanie Orifice's, 238 Arlington Street before the Wednesday meeting.
An excellent letter on the subject (and the Pleasant Street Corridor District as well) from Councilor Aaron Dushku can be found here on Facebook.

Find the Planning Department Staff Report on CVS here »

View the site plan here

East End neighbors surveyed people about how they use Coolidge Square and made recommendations: Janet Jameson and Deborah Peterson wrote about the need to reduce the negative impact of a corporate chain store in a village environment; Coolidge Square is valued as a village center and it seems important to preserve and enhance its village qualities as a Watertown asset; There is a need for traffic intervention beyond those sited in the traffic study and for pedestrian infrastructure; There is unmet need for restaurants and a variety of retail specialty shops, eg ice cream, book, gift, craft stores.

Your comments to the Planning Department and the Zoning Board of Appeals are still needed before the ZBA meets Jan. 28 even if you are planning to attend. Relevant Zoning Code sections are found on the town website (Ed Note: we could not link them today). Article 1.0, Purpose of Zoning Ordinance, p. 8. And Article 5.09 Special Permit: Conditions for Approval, p. 89. There are four conditions: The specific site is an appropriate location for such a use, structure, or condition; The use as developed will not adversely affect the neighborhood; There will be no nuisance or serious hazard to vehicles or pedestrians; Adequate and appropriate facilities will be provided for the proper operation of the proposed use. They would be useful in your emails along with the Pleasant Street Corridor District wish list.

"THE REASONABLE MAN ADAPTS HIMSELF TO THE WORLD; THE UNREASONABLE MAN PERSISTS IN TRYING TO ADAPT THE WORLD TO HIMSELF. THEREFORE, ALL PROGRESS DEPENDS ON THE UNREASONABLE MAN."
-George Bernard Shaw

REPORT BACK AND PROSPECTS FOR FEBRUARY

The Town Council voted unanimously on the suggestion of Council President Mark Sideris to send the matter of a single use plastic bag ban to the Subcommittee on Rules and Ordinances. The committee is chaired by Councilor Ken Woodland and Aaron Dushku and Susan Falkoff are members.
Congratulations to Rethink Plastic! which has been learning and explaining about such bans in other Massachusetts cities and in towns and states across the nation and the world. Sustainable Watertown was a founding member of the group. Here'sanother reason why we need the ban.

The Pleasant Street Corridor District amendments were approved by the Planning Board and will be heard by the Town Council. Some members have issues with some of the amendments, others who live on Pleasant Street and have met with Councilor Woodland seem happy with them. A discussion of the issues will follow when we have a date for the Council hearing. The draft amendments are on the town website under zoning amendments.

FEBRUARY 11, PLANNING BOARD. The office development at 65 Grove Streetis scheduled to be heard in February. The proposal at 65 looks to be a creative, flexible, and modern renovation of an old brick building using lots of glass with the old brick. However, consider the very large outdoor parking despite a garage with more spaces than are required. Perhaps, instead of about 50 spaces on an impervious surface in the courtyard, visitors could park inside and enter the office building via a gorgeous green park that could be enjoyed by employees and residents alike. It could be a green amenity to attract tenants and neighbors with only a few visitors allowed to park beside the building. When and if there is a need for more parking, the numbers could be discussed by the Planning Department. The traffic on the property could possibly be redesigned to remove traffic from Crawford Street and the Arlington intersection perhaps in exchange for more parking in the garage. The project has been continued before; perhaps the new plans consider these issues.
••View the 65 Grove Street site plans here
.
Again, your comments are important BEFORE the hearing at the Planning Board. Please address comments to the Planning Department and members of the Planning and Zoning Boards via imarchesano@watertown-ma.gov. Don't forget to include your Town Councilors.

THE SECOND DESIGN STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES MEETING was eye-opening and inspirational for many. We appreciate the creative and productive process with the design of Greystar at the Pirolli site and the development of design standards from which to support excellence in development for the new growth in Watertown. Thank you to consultant and architect planner, David Gamble who lives in Watertown and to Brandon Henry of Greystar who has said this has been a transformational experience for him which has reminded him why he went into this field originally. And thanks to their staffs and the staff of the Watertown Planning Department whose participation is invaluable.

MONDAY, JANUARY 26, SUSTAINABLE WATERTOWN BRAINSTORMING MEETING. 7PM,
Library, upstairs.
Come brainstorm with us about strategy and future prospects.

OPENINGS ON TOWN BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS
We need a townwide discussion on criteria for membership. But, if you don't apply, you don't get considered. Let's talk. Email info@sustainablewatertown.org or click here

Kudos to Congresswoman Katherine Clark who has been named Assistant Whip in the Democratic House Leadership.

CPR, First Aid, Healthcare Provider classes in Watertown. Please contact the Board of Health.

Please consider a donation, large, or small, to the WATERTOWN FOOD PANTRY. WFP, 31 Marshall Street, or drop off a check at the Senior Center.

Thanks for all you do!

With best wishes for a creative & productive new year.

Sustainable Watertown
info@sustainablewatertown.org

Early January 2015 Update

Bill — Fri, 02 Jan 2015 20:00:00 +0000

Dear Neighborhood Network Groups and Friends of Sustainable Watertown,

The moment you declare a set of ideas to be immune from criticism, satire, derision, or contempt, freedom of thought becomes impossible. Salmon Rushdie

I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it. Voltaire

If Liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear. George Orwell

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable man persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man. George Bernard Shaw

MONDAY JANUARY 12, 7PM: Coolidge Square Neighborhood Group is holding an informational meeting about the CVS PROPOSAL to be located at Mt Auburn Street at Arlington. Please attend to learn and find out how you can help. There are flyers and petitions—300+ signatures have already been collected. 7PM at Coolidge School Apartments, 319 Arlington St.
The proposal was DENIED by the Planning Board. It will go before the Zoning Board of Appeals January 28. Some of the talking points the neighborhood group has used in their flyers and petitions are: Large, high-volume chain is not in scale, or in character with the neighborhood, or lively business community of small and independent businesses; the 14,300 square foot CVS and the tremendous frontage it would have is about seven times as large as most other stores and markets in Coolidge Square; traffic congestion at this already busy intersection will further slow cars and buses; very large trucks and frequent deliveries will change the neighborhood; the proposed design will have detrimental impacts and is inconsistent with the values and goals of the Comprehensive Plan--it is a standardized, suburban brand building plopped onto a major corner of Watertown; future-thinking designs, whether they include CVS, or not, could enliven the streetscape and enrich the area. Will other chains buy up property? This project does not meet the specific criteria required by section 9.05, or other sections of the Watertown Zoning Code. Join Sustainable’s newest community group at the informational meeting.
••Petition to sign from the Neighborhood group:
Description: http://sustainablewatertown.com/modules/file/icons/application-pdf.pngCV... If this doesn’t open, sign the petition on change.org: CoolidgeSquare-ProposedCVS-Petition
••An excellent letter on the subject (and the Pleasant Street Corridor District as well) from Councilor Aaron Dushku is at: Facebook.com/aarondushku4you.
••The Planning Department Staff Report on CVS is at: http://www.watertown-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/15953
••The site plan: http://www.watertown-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/15716
••East End neighbors surveyed people about how they use Coolidge Square and made recommendations: Janet Jameson and Deborah Peterson wrote about the need to reduce the negative impact of a corporate chain store in a village environment; Coolidge Square is valued as a village center and it seems important to preserve and enhance its village qualities as a Watertown asset; There is a need for traffic intervention beyond those sited in the traffic study and for pedestrian infrastructure; There is unmet need for restaurants and a variety of retail specialty shops, eg ice cream, book, gift, craft stores.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14: PLANNING BOARD MEETING, 7PM, Town Hall.
1) CVS proposal for 14,300 sq ft stand alone building, see above.
2) Redesign of a building at 65 Grove Street for offices. It looks to be a creative, flexible, and modern renovation of an old brick building. However, consider the very large tarmac outdoor parking despite a garage with more spaces than are required. Perhaps, instead of about 50 spaces on an impervious surface in the courtyard, visitors could park inside and enter the office building via a gorgeous green park that could be enjoyed by employees and residents alike. It could be a green amenity to attract tenants and neighbors with only a few visitors allowed to park next to the building. When and if there is a need for more parking, the numbers could be discussed by the Planning Department. Traffic patterns could use review.
••The 65 Grove Street site plans may be viewed at:
http://www.watertown-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/15889.
Again, your comments are important BEFORE the hearing at the Planning Board. Please address comments to the Planning Department and Planning Board c/o imarchesano@watertown-ma.gov. Please also send a copy to towncouncilors@watertown-ma.gov.
3) Pleasant Street Corridor District amendments will be discussed. Please see the details at: http://www.watertown-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/15006. Please pay particular attention to the length of buildings allowed and mixed-use design banning residential. Which, office, or residential would have the greater effect on traffic? How about a mix? Some have talked about needing housing there to provide shoppers and diners for the amenities planned and to prevent the area between Russo’s and Waltham from being closed down and dark at night. Let us know what you think. And write to the Planning Dept, Planning Board, and your Councilors.
January 26, 7-8:30: Brainstorming monthly meeting Sustainable Watertown, Library, upstairs.
JANUARY 28, ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS, CVS PROPOSAL. 7PM, TOWN HALL. There may be other items on the agenda depending on the decisions of the Planning Board.
We’ll get the rest of the January Update to you when our formatting works again.
Thanks for all you do,
Sustainable Watertown
Info@sustainablewatertown.org

December 2014 Update

Bill — Tue, 02 Dec 2014 02:43:35 +0000

Only local conditions and physical context should provide the threshold for the formulation of standards and codes. Regulations should be place-based, emphasize details, and be buttressed by public approval. As more communities wrestle with problems due to uncontrolled growth, environmental pollution, and failures of the existing infrastructure, they are likely to take a stronger interest in their local power. Thus the possibility for communities to establish their own initiatives for localized place-based standards can be realized. .....[I]f regulations are too inflexible to allow for innovation, then perhaps we must work to see that they are changed. Above all, planners and designers must take formal stands against the adoption of rules that perpetuate mediocre development outcomes. There should be a willingness to test standards, not only in relation to preventing harm or preserving property value, but in relation to their impact on the physical form of communities. ....[T]hough standards will continue to exert their influence on the shaping of our towns and cities, we must not allow them to prevent excellence and innovation in our quest for better places.
Eran Ben-Joseph, The Code of the City: Standards and the Hidden Language of Place Making, 2005, p.xxi.

Dear Sustainable Watertown,

THE SECOND DESIGN STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES MEETING was eye-opening and inspirational for many. We look forward to a creative and productive process with the design of Greystar at the Pirolli site and the development of design standards from which to support excellence in development for the new growth in Watertown. Thank you to consultant and architect planner, David Gamble who lives in Watertown.

Your good sense and good will are much needed to support excellence in development in this holiday season. The Pleasant Street Corridor Districtdiscussion is postponed until the January Planning Board meeting. Your comments to the Planning Department and the Planning Board are still needed and welcome on these development issues, particularly the following:
This Wednesday, December 10 the CVS proposal will go before the Planning Board. Please consider supporting neighbors and members of Sustainable Watertown who are opposed to the present design. The crux of the problem is the outsized big box-type CVS at the Arlington Street end of the lively and successful Coolidge Square shopping district with it's local, independent and small businesses. The scale of the CVS is mismatched to the diverse and walkable area we now treasure. Those zoning principles about which we have written, Frontage Limitation and Transparency, have been overlooked in the plan. The proposed CVS would wrap around the corner from the Mt Auburn Grill replacing the brick office, gas station and the Elks taking more than a fair share of street frontage. And, 20% of the windows will be covered with the typical advertising of CVS stores that permits display and shelving for products inside. It is a dead streetscape which could be vibrant with a variety of smaller retail shops utilizing the excess frontage which CVSs usually cover over. We would like to encourage shoppers to return to a unique and interesting retail scene scaled to match the existing experience with a well-established sense of place.

••If you would like to read the informative Petition of some East End neighborsand sign it please go to:http://sustainablewatertown.com/sites/default/files/CVS_Petition.pdf. Please drop offall signatures at Doug & Stephanie Orifice's, 238 Arlington Street before the Wednesday meeting.
••An excellent letter on the subject (and the Pleasant Street Corridor District as well) from Councilor Aaron Dushku is at: Facebook.com/aarondushku4you.
••The Planning Department Staff Report on CVS is at: http://www.watertown-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/15953
••The site plan: http://www.watertown-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/15716
••East End neighbors surveyed people about how they use Coolidge Square and made recommendations: Janet Jameson and Deborah Peterson wrote about the need to reduce the negative impact of a corporate chain store in a village environment; Coolidge Square is valued as a village center and it seems important to preserve and enhance its village qualities as a Watertown asset; There is a need for traffic intervention beyond those sited in the traffic study and for pedestrian infrastructure; There is unmet need for restaurants and a variety of retail specialty shops, eg ice cream, book, gift, craft stores.
The office development at 65 Grove Street is also scheduled to be heard Wednesday at the Planning Board. The proposal at 65 looks to be a creative, flexible, and modern renovation of an old brick building. However, consider the very large tarmac outdoor parking despite a garage with more spaces than are required. Perhaps, instead of about 50 spaces on an impervious surface in the courtyard, visitors could park inside and enter the office building via a gorgeous green park that could be enjoyed by employees and residents alike. It could be a green amenity to attract tenants and neighbors with only a few visitors allowed to park beside the building. When and if there is a need for more parking, the numbers could be discussed by the Planning Department.
••The 65 Grove Street site plans may be viewed at:
http://www.watertown-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/15889.
Again, your comments are important BEFORE the hearing at the Planning Board. Please address comments to the Planning Department and Planning Board c/o imarchesano@watertown-ma.gov. Please slao send a copy tosmagoon@watertown-ma.gov.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, TOWN COUNCIL MEETING. 7:15. TOWN COUNCIL CHAMBERS. The agenda will include report about the social services position and how the year went.

ATTENTION: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, PLANNING BOARD MEETING, 7-9, Town Hall:
1) CVS at Mt Auburn and Arlington Streets at the edge of Coolidge Square.
2) Redesign of a building at 65 Grove Street for offices.
See above for action items and links to plans and comments. Send your comments to imarchesano@watertown-ma.gov.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, HISTORICAL COMMISSION, 7PM Lower Hearing Room. On the docket are discussions of house demolitions to increase the number of housing units and inviting a Somerville planner to talk about measuring and preserving neighborhood character.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 17, ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS. 7-9PM. TOWN HALL. Please check the website for agenda next week. Items will depend on the Planning Board decisions this week.

Sustainable Watertown would like to stimulate more discussion about development issues among our supporters in time to influence the planning and zoning process. We are going to start a FACEBOOK PAGE. Would you like tolearn more about planning and zoning concepts? Would you like to discover andexchange information about some of the new ideas about traffic and parking, mixed use developments, artist live-work spaces, public art, streetscapes, etc, etc?When we are on line we'll let you know and hope that you will LIKE us so that you'll get breaking news and be able to join the conversation. Any other ideas?info@sustainablewatertown.org.

Note: We are still trying to update the lists and learn the finer points of MailChimp, so bear with us as we slowly make headway. Could you volunteer to help? There are many other ideas for special projects that need you!

~~Come brainstorm with us about Sustainable Watertown and future prospects the last Monday of each month. Next meeting January 26, 7-8:30 PM. Library.
~~Now would be a good time to pick a date for neighborhood groups to meet in January. Mention it when you see your neighbors at the holidays.

Please consider a donation, large, or small, to the WATERTOWN FOOD PANTRY before the holidays. WFP, 31 Marshall Street, or drop off a check at the Senior Center.

Thanks for all you do,
with best wishes for happy holidays and a creative and productive new year.
Sustainable Watertown
info@sustainablewatertown.org

September 2014 Update

Bill — Tue, 02 Dec 2014 02:43:35 +0000

Without...largeness of conception and breadth of vision...and without the constant hand and touch of Art upon every detail, a beautiful city can never be built. Otto Wagner 1912

Dear Sustainable Watertown and Neighborhood Networkers,

The news is the vote by the Town Council to pay for an architect/planner consultant who will look at the corridors and squares containing underutilized space that have been marked for transformation by the Strategic Framework and our planners. Under the leadership of Council President Mark Sideris with the help of Director of Community Planning and Development Steve Magoon, the scope of work for this architect/planner has been agreed to in principle. The action was taken in response to Moratorium petitions signed by hundreds requesting some kind of overall look at the galloping development here. Piecemeal approval of disparate projects, separate traffic studies, old fashioned parking requirements, etc are not going to give us great development that respects adjacent properties and the qualities of Watertown that the public wishes to maintain and improve. The Comprehensive Plan, when ready, will reflect the hopes of the public and the economic development detailed by consultants and the Planning Department. Sustainable Watertown and those who signed the petitions hope for some kind ofintegrated approach that will lead us to excellence in development and future-thinking changes in the zoning code. Further discussions with the Town Council on the scope of work will be held because integration of infrastructure and transition zones seem to be major factors in quality development. Please read the powerful excerpt at the end that could stand as a manifesto for great development in a town like Watertown.

TONIGHT, SEPTEMBER 15, MEETING WITH THE DEVELOPER OF THE PIROLLI PROPERTY, IRVING AND ARSENAL STREETS. Please look over the plans on the town website. Still having trouble sending links, so you will have to go toci.watertown.ma/documentcenterii.asp, then find Community Development and Planning, then Cases, then Irving and Arsenal Sts, then wait and plans will come up. It takes a long time to open, but they are there. The Developers will present the plans tonight for your consideration. The Goldstar/Elan developers at Pirolli have agreed to be "A DEMONSTRATION PROJECT FOR THE DESIGN STANDARDS TO BE DEVELOPED BY THE TOWN." Mr Magoon has stated that feedback from the community meeting with the developer will help inform the design standard discussion [with the new architect/planner, the Planning Dept, and the community and Council we presume]. "As we develop our design standards, we will be able to use this property as a test case to see how the standards would play out." We look forward to working with the town on this new project. Your opinions will be important, so take a look at the plans. POLICE STATION COMMUNITY ROOM, MAIN STREET. 7-9. It would be a good time to plan meetings of your neighborhood groups to discuss this and the other developments which you will hear about below.

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 17, PHASE II VICTORY FIELD DISCUSSION WITH THE RECREATION DEPARTMENT COMMITTEE. LIBRARY. 7-9PM,
Second presentation by the development committee. Your presence and voices are needed. Plans are on line for you to see for a new track, new lighting, new courts- one to be a hockey and basketball court/rink, more parking, and artificial turf in the oval, and more. This is in addition to the 180,000 sq ft of artificial turf from Phase I which privately raised only a small percentage of the amount borrowed. Town financing is clearly a concern. Community participation in the development process was sorely missed and was suggested by residents at the last presentation. Scheduling for town teams is difficult for the artificial turf fields, but neighbors are confident that solutions could be found to satisfy teams and the neighborhood quality of Victory Field with participation of the community.

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 17, ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS, COUNCIL CHAMBERS 7-9:30. The 21 NORTH BEACON STREET property, currently the home of Sullivan Tire, has asked for permission to become a used car sales and maintenance area for Volkswagen which has a nearby building. The town Planning Department Staff Report has recommended approval, and the owner has talked about a 20 year lease, but since this usage does not at all conform to the expectations of the Comprehensive Plan vision for Watertown Square and at least two councilors, Corbett and Lenk, have opposed it because the vision for a walkable destination development has not been met, your input is needed. The case has been continued until October 22 because not all members who voted at the last meeting will be present this month to complete the discussion. More information will be sent out as we get it. What we have heard is that Sullivan Tire would like to remain at that location. Why end the chance of development of that property and area for twenty years with a use not very different from what is there now?
There will be a vote on reappointment of the chair and clerk of the ZBA. Be there, or send your thoughts to the ZBA and your councilors.

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 21 CLIMATE MARCH, NYC.

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 21 3PM, CELEBRATION OF THE TAPESTRY OF CULTURES MURAL, BAPTIST WAY AND MT AUBURN STREET. MEET THE ARTISTS FROM WATERTOWN HIGH SCHOOL AND ENJOY OUR SECOND MAJOR PUBLIC ART MURAL. Refreshments, music. Take a chair and join the fun.

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 22, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SUBCOMMITTEE AND PLANNING BOARD JOINT MEETING TO DISCUSS THE DETAILS of the COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. 7-9. Lower Meeting Room. Next section will be discussed October 9.

SEPTEMBER 24, 7-9, COMMUNITY MEETING WITH DEVELOPER OF 65 GROVE STREET, Coolidge Apartment Community Room. Another development redesign for office space which uses the existing brick and adds lots of glass for a modern look. Cressett would like to add a parking garage behind the building and a parking entrance totaling more than the number of required parking spaces. Please find the plans on line and attend this important meeting. Hearing the presentation will help you formulate questions and thoughts for this meeting and for conversations with your councilors and your neighborhood groups. If you cannot attend, please be assured that all attempts will be made for you and your group to find out about the plans and be heard. Write to us at info@sustainablewatertown.org.http://www.watertown-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/15604

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 10-4 FAIRE ON THE SQUARE, SALTONSTALL PARK, MAIN STREET. 15th Anniversary of the Faire.

TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 30 PUBLIC SAFETY MEETING ABOUT LIQUOR LICENSES. TOWN HALL, 7-9PM.

~~~~~~~

The standards we have to work with should only be used as a baseline and not as a device to prevent excellence from being created. Above all, even at the risk of being perceived as doctrinaire, we must take a formal stand against the adoption of rules that perpetuate mediocre development outcomes. There must be a willingness to test standards in relation to their impact on the form of communities and place making.
A key goal of any planning effort is to create places that are sustainable and well-designed, places where optimal quality and efficiency in the provision and arrangement of urban amenities and services are attained. However, place making today stands in poor relationship to civic processes and urban design. It has been crowded into a bureaucratic task of rule writing, standards formation, and code enforcement. Such roles rob the urban planning profession of its central goal: to foster democratic civic processes and outcomes whereby communities retain their local character, make the most of the existing conditions of the built and natural environment, and create developments that are sensitive and sensible to their immediate surroundings. Eran Ben-Joseph The Code of the City: Standards and the Hidden Language of Place Making, 2005.

Send us your thoughts.
We hope that you are enjoying this gorgeous weather and change of seasons, but will make time to participate in the major development meetings scheduled for this month. As always, if you cannot attend, please look at the plans, write to us for information, convene your neighborhood groups, and send emails, or call your Councilors and Board members.

Again, we are trying to update the lists, so bear with us as we slowly make headway. Could you volunteer to help? There are many ideas for projects that need you!

Thanks for all you do,
Sustainable Watertown
info@sustainablewatertown.org

July 2014 Update

Bill — Tue, 08 Jul 2014 17:00:00 +0000

Dear Neighborhood Network,

TONIGHT, July 8, 6:30PM, Library,
CCG, the Concerned Citizens Group, is sponsoring a COMMUNITY MEETING, Visioning Community Connections. There will be a film and discussion on how to create successful public spaces.
Visioning will focus on the Arsenal Street Corridor.
There will also be discussion about goals for the zoning petition for a temporary moratorium.

We hope that you can attend. The recent community meetings about Arsenal and Pleasant Streets have been most informative as have Planning Board and Zoning meetings. Our goals are the same for both areas—excellence in development for Watertown. We must prepare ourselves if we want our Public Comment to have meaning.

Wednesday, July 9, PLANNING BOARD, 7PM, Council Chambers. Agenda includes the proposed hotel site at Saab, replacing a Non- Conforming (auto repair) with another Non-Conforming use (auto dealership with accessory auto service) in Central Business District.
In addition, Inclusionary Zoning of Affordable Housing will increase requirements from 10% to 12.5%.
And meetings for the Comprehensive Plan will be discussed. Pleasant Street Corridor http://www.watertown-
ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/15006 is Continued. I believe that it will not be discussed tonight, since the draft is getting further input, but cannot get confirmation. See the full agenda: http://www.watertown-ma.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/2443

Thursday, July 10, GREENOUGH BOULEVARD REDESIGN, 6:30-8:30PM, Shady Hill School auditorium, 56 Coolidge Ave, Cambridge. The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) with funding from the Solomon Foundation will present up to date plans for the redesign of Greenough Boulevard roadway and bike/community path along the river. http://www.solomonfoundation.org/pages/projects/her.html This is a great opportunity to learn and be heard on the details of what promises to be a fabulous improvement. The newest data on traffic calming and recreational use will be presented and your questions answered. I’m wondering if it would be possible to place the bike path next to the walking path instead of in the road with the cars. Seems too dangerous and not family friendly. If you have questions, concerns or comments:
Email: dcr.updates@state.ma.us, entering “Greenough” in the subject line.
Write: Department of Conservation and Recreation, Office of Public Outreach, 251
Causeway Street, Suite 600, Boston, MA 02114
Comment period: March 6th to March 31st (this was on the original flyer)
Note: Public comments submitted to DCR by email or letter will be posted on the DCR website in their entirety, and
no content, including personal information, will be redacted.

Monday, July 14, Economic Development Subcommittee of the Council meeting with Planning Board for Review and Recommendation of Comprehensive Plan Draft, 7-9PM, Council Chambers, Public invited. This is the appropriate place for your comments on details of the Comprehensive Plan unless you submit them to the Planning Department and Council in advance. You may write to the Planning Board via imarchesano@watertown-ma.gov. July 21 is the only other date listed at this time to go through the entire document. Be there and participate. Steve Corbett, chair, Susan Falkoff, and Vinnie Piccirelli are the Councilors on the Ec Dev Subcommittee. The Comp Plan, as you know, will provide the vision which will guide implementation zoning changes and policies of the Planning Department and Planning and Zoning Boards. Your attendance at this meeting is important. The organization and topics of these meetings are as yet unpublicized.

Wednesday, July 16, Zoning Board of Appeals, 7PM, Council Chambers, ADDITIONAL PUBLIC HEARING at a SPECIAL MEETING ON 202-204 ARSENAL STREET, Special permit/site plan review. This is a continuation of the June 25 ZBA meeting. At that meeting a petition was presented requesting a temporary moratorium, long enough only that a master plan could be considered for the Arsenal Street Corridor. This property at 202 Arsenal Street is part of a 16 acre parcel. CCG and other members of neighborhood groups hope for a vision connecting the entire area to the surrounding communities and the Square at one end and the historic sites at the other. (See meeting tonight). Any and all comments should be submitted to the Planning Department and the ZBA via the Planning office ASAP. This ZBA decision is related to the Council decisions on the petition for a Moratorium July 22. Timing is all.

Monday, July 21, Economic Development and Planning Board review and recommendation of Comprehensive Plan, 7-9PM, Council Chambers. Second subcommittee meeting to go over the Draft Comp Plan to make corrections and additions. Very important. This is the vision for the town that will guide the Planning Department and our Boards in the future and the implementation of zoning regulations.

Tuesday, July 22, 6PM, Town Council special Meeting on Petition for a Temporary Moratorium on Arsenal Street. Council Chambers. The Town Council will discuss the Petition for a temporary Moratorium and may vote the petitioners' request up, or down. Let the Councilors know your thinking.

Wednesday, July 23, Joint Subcommittee on Rules, Economic Development, and Public Safety, 7-9PM to discuss additional liquor licenses. Third Floor Conference Room, Town Hall.

Wednesday, July 23, Zoning Board of Appeals, 7PM. Council Chambers. The agenda for this meeting is not posted yet, but the Special Meeting July 16 was scheduled to not interfere with regular business before the Board.

Other Notices:

Watertown community Gardens is hiring a part-time project coordinator for the Live Well Watertown program. This is an interesting position and opportunity to continue to make Watertown a great place. Application deadline is July 16. LWW@WatertownGardens.org

Watertown Summer Concerts at Saltonstall Park. July 10 Pabon Salsa, 6:30-8PM. Dine al fresco and relax with friends and neighbors. Take your lawn chairs and blankets and picnics. Every Thursday through August 14. Rain venue at the Library. http://www.watertown-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/15148.

Tri-City Trail gets $1.6 m upgrade in Watertown. Charles River Road improvements planned by DCR with help of Watertown organizations.. http://watertown.wickedlocal.com/article/20140702/NEWS/140709164?Start=1

Thanks for all you do. Volunteers always welcome. Neighborhood meetings encouraged—we have maps.
Barbara Ruskin
Sustainable Watertown
Neighborhood Network facilitator

May 2014 Update

Bill — Fri, 30 May 2014 02:34:44 +0000

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

Bill — Tue, 13 May 2014 03:19:47 +0000

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

Additional Information:

Arsenal Overlay Development District (AODD) Proposed Redined Edits

April 2014 Update

Bill — Sun, 06 Apr 2014 02:43:35 +0000

Dear Sustainable Watertown,

STRONG SCHOOLS is a new organization which is helping us understand the new schools budget and garner support for smart approaches to improving our schools. See Quick Links for information. Please attend the School Committee Budget and Finance Subcommittee that will include a PUBLIC FORUM and the School Committee meeting, starting at 7:00pm Monday April 7. Please attend all of these meetings and participate at the Public Forum before the budget gets sent to the Town Manager who sends his final budget to Town Council. WatertownStrongSchools.com, http://watertown.wickedlocal.com/article/20140319/NEWS/140315720 for a letter to the Tab.

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 April 24, 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.

News Flash: Please spread the word that this case has been CONTINUED and will not be heard at the Planning Board April 9, 2014 meeting. 202-204 Arsenal Street/58 Irving Street; Hanover R.S. Limited Partnership & Cresset/WS Venture LLC – Special Permit/Site Plan Review. So, we have more time to organize and study the proposal. Please do read the paragraphs below, read the links, and join a neighborhood group.
DEVELOPMENT is again taking Center Stage this month as 202 Arsenal Street, a 300 unit apartment building with one and two bedrooms, was filed with the town. Hanover, the main developers, promised a second town-wide meeting, but never came through. They met with two groups of abutters, but only one town-wide preliminary meeting for a project that is huge and requires much consideration.
Please read the comments and areas of concern,--some discussed, but some needing public airing--at SustainableWatertown.org. You will find summaries of topics discussed and needing discussion at the town-wide meeting compiled by Sustainable Watertown and comments from five Neighborhood Groups that met to discuss this project. We need your thoughtful consideration when the project is taken before the Planning Board. Hear first hand what is proposed and ask for time for public consideration. We understand that Watertown is prime real estate for housing and office space for many of those 10,000 tech jobs the Governor predicts for the Boston area. This project at 202 Arsenal Street should not be given approval after one meeting as has often been the practice in Watertown. It will affect Watertown forever in the design of “The Arsenal Corridor” and deserves much thought by the town and consideration by the public. Please look at Quick Links for informational sites so that you are prepared for the meeting. Plan to attend when the proposal comes before the Planning Board. Call us to join a neighborhood group. If you have concerns already formulated, please write to the Planning Board c/o: imarchesano@watertown-ma.gov. The Town Council may be reached via vpapas@watertown-ma.gov.
Thanks to member Anne Fitzpatrick who filed a resolution which was passed by the Town Council requiring one public meeting with a potential developer. Until now such meetings were optional. Sustainable Watertown has been lobbying for years for at least one, and more such meetings for large projects. The Planning Department decided to encourage them. Now the Town Council has responded. Sustainable Watertown believes that large projects deserve more than one town-wide meeting with a developer and multiple public hearings at our Boards. Our next goal is to match our zoning regulations to our community values and goals. We look forward to evaluating the forthcoming Comprehensive Plan. Huge development is coming to Watertown. The Planning Process needs to respond accordingly so that standards are in place that respect the scale, diversity, uniqueness, and current and potential vitality of Watertown while improving it.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS:

MONDAY, APRIL 7:

• 7PM SCHOOL COMMITTEE BUDGET AND FINANCE Subcommittee. Please refer to Quick links for information.
• 7:15 PUBLIC FORUM
• 8PM, or when the Forum is finished: SCHOOL COMMITTEE Meeting

• 7PM: SOLARIZE WATERTOWN, Middle School Auditorium, Workshop on Solar for Watertown. Here is a link to a petition and letter from residents who want to see open bidding on this wonderful opportunity for residents to go solar in Watertown.

• 7:30: BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN COMMITTEE, Lower Meeting Room, Town Hall.

TUESDAY, APRIL 8:

• 4-6PM COMMUNICATIONS, INFORMATION SYSTEM AND TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE, Council Office. Agenda: Technology—Town-wide web, school district web, social media and information sharing.

• 6:30PM BELMONT-WATERTOWN LOCAL FIRST. Steering Committee meeting. All new members, long term members, prospective members, and the public are invited. Publication of the first Directory will be discussed. 125 Main Street.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9:

• 7PM PLANNING BOARD. The 202 Arsenal Street development is postponed. Please look for information at Quick Links and join a neighborhood group. Contact us at info@sustainablewatertown.org. Please find the agenda via the Town Website Home Page.

• 7PM WE3C-Watertown Environment and Energy Efficiency Committee meeting. 3rd Floor Conference Room, Town Hall.

Please find other meetings of interest on the Home Page of www.watertown-ma.gov. Familiarize yourself with the meetings, documents, minutes of meetings, etc, etc. Sign up for Notify Me and you will get notifications of the meetings of your choice.

SATURDAY, APRIL 12:

• 10-3PM BICYCLES COLLECTED by Bikes Not Bombs. https://bikesnotbombs.org/. Sponsored by World in Watertown, First Parish of Watertown, Belmont Watertown United Methodist Church, Watertown Savings Bank, with the cooperation of the Watertown Police Department.

SUNDAY, APRIL 13:

• 3-5PM "INEQUALITY FOR ALL,” Current Events Film Series, Watertown Citizens, Library, Second Floor. 90 minutes.

TUESDAY, APRIL 22, EARTH DAY:

• 7PM “UNACCEPTABLE LEVELS,” Film about chemicals in our bodies and the down side of the chemical revolution. Sponsored by Watertown Citizens for Peace Justice and the Environment, Survival Education Fund, Inc., and local, independent businesses: The Deluxe Town Diner, Spencer Organ, The Bookcase Factory, and Debra L. Smith, Attorney at Law.

SATURDAY, APRIL 26:
• CHARLES RIVER CLEANUP.

SPECIAL EVENTS IN MAY

SUNDAY, MAY 4:

• 3-5PM, “UNMANNED: AMERICA’S DRONE WARS,” Current Events Film Series. Watertown Citizens. Library, Second Floor, 63 minutes.

MONDAY, MAY 5:

• 7PM: RETHINK PLASTIC! is a local group dedicated to reducing plastic use, styrofoam, and single use plastic bags. All of these items take on average 1000 years to degrade and are well known pollutants and ugly annoyances on our public land and waterways. The Charles River runs the length of W-a-t-e-r-town and our contemplative and recreational life today is centered there. We can protect wildlife along the river from getting tangled in and eating plastic particles and pieces of plastic bags by getting into the habit of using reusable bags and limiting our use of plastics. Are you ready to face the challenge? Take the Survey that you will find on line at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/FGCK25Z. Read an article about the survey http://watertowncitizens.org/ban-the-bag/. Join the action at the next meeting, Monday, May 5, 7pm, First Parish, 35 Church Street, downstairs.

SATURDAY, MAY 10:

• RECYCLING EVENT, 10-2, Watertown Recycling Center. Shredding, styrofoam and tire collection, as well as the usual.

SUNDAY, MAY 14:

• 3-5PM “THE LAW IN THESE PARTS,” Current Events Film Series, Watertown Citizens, Library, Second Floor, 101 minutes.

Sustainable Watertown would like to know if any members are familiar with MailChimp and could consult with the Update editor…..Truthfully, it’s worse than that. We need someone(s) to teach the current Update editor to handle some of the wonderful design elements and the basics of formatting.

Thanks for all you do,
Sustainable Watertown