New Vision for Watertown Arsenal Includes More Retail, Restaurants

Jonathan Bush, President and CEO of athenahealth wants to turn the Arsenal on the Charles into a place to work, eat and play for his company and the residents of Watertown.

Wednesday morning the e-health company welcomed Gov. Deval Patrick for the unveiling of the plan to redevelop the former Army Arsenal.

Changes would occur inside and outside buildings in the complex along Arsenal Street, including removing some pavement and roads to make it more walker and bicycle friendly, adding restaurants and retail stores, and creating a garden.

“We will keep (restaurants and retailers) here now and add more,” Bush said. “There will be 30,000 to 50,000 square feet of retail intended to be useful for the work life (of employees).”

The interiors of the long-large buildings will be split into more floors and even have office cubicles in the rafters, a video of the redevelopment showed.

The complex was purchased in June by athenahealth – which occupies part of the Arsenal - and will be redeveloped with some help from the state.

The governor’s Economic Development Coordinating Council gave athenahealth $9.5 million in tax credits to help with the redevelopment, and the company will invest another $89 million into the project, which will take six years from start to finish according to the video.

“A lot of jobs will be created,” Patrick said. “I am excited to play a role in helping that happen.”

Athenahealth plans to add 1,900 jobs with the new project, on top of the 1,047 it has in Massachusetts now.