Thursday, April 12, 2012
Developers say the key was cutting down the size of the project, neighbors were disappointed.
Developers of the 155-unit Waltham Street apartment complex finally got the vote they sought for five months, approval of the project by the Planning Board. The Planning Board voted 4-1 to approve the plans Wednesday night, with Linda Tuttle-Barletta voting against the project. Over the months since the project first came before the Planning Board in November, developers from Wood Associates cut the number of units from 222 to 211 and then to 155. The latest version replaced one of the three apartment buildings with a set of 12 townhouses. Chopping down the size of the project was key to getting approval of the project that faced major opposition from neighbors and scrutiny from the Planning Board, said Kevin Malley, vice president with …
42.370228
-71.208792
220 Waltham St, Watertown, MA
Waltham Street apartment complex site.
/articles/planning-board-approves-waltham-street-apartment-project
/locations/6785472
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Mary Ryan compiled a list of new parking spots at new developments on the West Side of town.
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Thursday, March 29, 2012
Mary Ryan presented this at the Community Meeting held March 21 at the Watertown Police Station: After investigation, the number of parking places allowed at each of the NEW developments are as follows: The Riverloft Development has 57 Units with 74 on site parking and an additional 50 across the street. There is another Condo Development down towards the Watertown Savings. Currently along that corridor, take into an account the amount of traffic already created by Russo’s, Stop and Shop, The Car Wash, Perfection Auto, BJs, and any of the other businesses now in operation. Lets not forget the Climbing Wall Company, along with The Architectural company and the old Lewandos building. Again, since the Pleasant St. Re-development has come onto…
42.370228
-71.208792
220 Waltham St, Watertown, MA
Proposed apartment complex.
/articles/letter-west-side-resident-concerned-with-traffic-from-new-developments-town
/locations/6687068
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Residents met in response to the Waltham Street apartments proposal, but they say the problem already exists.
West Side residents want to see steps taken to slow traffic down in their neighborhood roads, whether or not the Waltham Street apartment complex is approved. The group that gathered Wednesday night at the Watertown Police Station said they do not want to see a 155-unit apartment complex built on Waltham Street, next to the Jewish Community Day School. They say traffic is already bad and they worry it will just get worse if the project is approved. Rutland Street resident Joe Berkeley said he does not believe the project fits into the neighborhood, with hundreds of apartments going into an area of single-family homes. “I hate talking about what we want if it is approved, it’s almost giving in,” Berkeley said. He worries that Rutland Street…
42.370228
-71.208792
220 Waltham St, Watertown, MA
Proposed apartment complex.
/articles/west-side-residents-want-traffic-slowed-on-their-streets
/locations/6640528
Monday, March 19, 2012
Residents are invited to share their thoughts on traffic and safety in the West End of Watertown.
West End residents have complained about traffic in their neighborhood and the possibility of it getting worse with the addition of a 155-unit apartment complex on Waltham Street. Now they have their chance to propose solutions. Last week, the Planning Board delayed its decision on the Waltham Street apartment proposal. It will be back before the board in April. The delay was requested by residents of the West End who oppose the project, in part, because of the additional traffic it would add to already busy streets. On Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., a Community Meeting will be held in the Community Room in the Watertown Police Station. Residents are invited to share their thoughts, concerns and possible solutions for safety and traffic problems …
42.37216
-71.19986
Watertown Police Department
552 Main St, Watertown, MA
/articles/community-meeting-planned-to-discuss-waltham-street-apartments
1422338
/locations/6619068
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Board members want more information on the impact of traffic on the neighborhood. Neighbors want to have their say.
Dozens of West End residents came out to the Watertown Planning Board meeting to plead for more time before the vote was made on a major apartment complex proposed to be built on Waltham Street. Wednesday night the Planning Board granted their wish and – with the agreement of developer Wood Associates – they delayed the vote on the 155-unit apartment complex. The project outlined by Kevin Malley, a vice president with Wood Associates, is significantly smaller than the first proposal. Originally, the project had 222 units in four and five story buildings and now it has 155 units in four story buildings and two-story town houses. The Watertown Planning Department staff found that the proposed project meets the requirements for approval, said…
42.370228
-71.208792
220 Waltham St, Watertown, MA
Proposed apartment complex.
/articles/planning-board-delays-decision-on-waltham-street-apartment-project
/locations/6601340
Friday, March 9, 2012
Denying the project would not likely keep the land as is. Residents want more time to come up with a counter proposal.
Westside residents did not like the revised plans presented Thursday night by the developers of the proposed Waltham Street apartment complex, despite shrinking it by about 30 percent, but town officials said they should think about what they want on the piece of land across from Gore Place. Streets in the area are already clogged with traffic, residents said, and they worry about that problem increasing. In addition, those gathered in Town Hall said they worry about what happens down the road should the company managing the complex sell to another group that lets the place fall apart. Wood Partners, the development firm, presented a revised plan, with 155 units, rather than the 222 or 211 in earlier versions of the complex. Seven of the …
42.370228
-71.208792
220 Waltham St, Watertown, MA
Proposed site of an apartment complex
/articles/residents-worry-about-waltham-st-project-changing-their-neighborhood
/locations/6553773
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Developers of the 211-unit complex asked for a delay in their hearing with the Watertown Planning Board.
[NOTE: The date of the March Planning Board Meeting has been changed to March 14] The Planning Board will not hear the presentation from the developers of a proposed 211-unit apartment complex on Waltham Street this month, but a proposal for a five-story assisted living facility in Watertown Square is coming before the board. This week, the Planning Department sent out notice that the hearing would be delayed for the second straight month. The hearing was scheduled to be held at the Feb. 8 Planning Board meeting. It now is scheduled to be at the March 14 meeting. The last meeting, in December, drew many neighors of the project upset about the proposed complex. Wood Partners will have a hearing before the Planning Board Feb. 8 about the …
42.36686
-71.18259
20 Summer St, Watertown, MA
/articles/waltham-street-project-delayed-assisted-living-center-proposed-in-the-square
/locations/6322461
Friday, December 16, 2011
Residents on the west side of Watertown spoke out strongly against the proposed 211-unit apartment complex on Waltham Street on Thursday.
Residents opposed to the proposed apartment complex on Waltham Street spilled out of the Council Chamber into the hallway as they waited to hear the latest presentation to the Planning Board Thursday night. The proposed three-building, 211-unit complex at Waltham Street near Stanley Road came before the Planning Board for the second time, and this time even more people came to speak out against the proposal. Planning Board Chairman John Hawes Jr. asked people to stay away from traffic, which will be discussed at the board's meeting in January. He also called for an independent review of the developer's traffic study to be presented at the next meeting. He noted that a similar-size development on the same site was rejected in 2003 because …
42.370411
-71.209086
230 Waltham St, Watertown, MA
/articles/west-end-neighbors-send-clear-meassage-to-planning-board-no-apartments
/locations/6024848
Monday, November 14, 2011
The Watertown Planning Board sent the
Developers of a 222-apartment complex on Waltham Street told the Planning Board they plan to cut back the number of apartments, make improvements to roads in the area and give all town residents access to Walker Pond, but the board said they want to see more details before approving the project. Representatives from Woods Partners appeared before the Planning Board on Thursday, asking for special permits for the project, which will be on land on the Waltham line across Waltham Street from Gore Place, and near Stanley Avenue. Neighbors on nearby streets — such as Stanley Avenue, Edward Avenue Rutland Street and Evans Street — oppose the complex. They worry about traffic and seeing a large apartment complex to up near their neighborhood of …
42.370228
-71.208792
220 Waltham St, Watertown, MA
/articles/developers-would-improve-walker-pond-residents-worry-about-impact-of-large-apartment-complex
/locations/5805792
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Watertown's Conservation Commission had the environmental consultant study materials on potential hazardous materials on the site of a proposed 222-unit apartment complex in the West End.
The Watertown Conservation Commission’s environmental consultant found no evidence of contamination that could pose a threat to humans on the land where a 222-unit apartment complex is proposed to be built. She did see an area of concern on nearby land. Anne Marie Desmarais of Environmental Insight, did not do any new testing on the site. She reviewed filings the owners of the land have made with the Department of Environmental Protection when hazardous materials were found, as well as testing done by the developers. “I have to conclude, based on the available information, there is no unacceptable risk to human life or the environment,” Demarais said. The Conservation Commission asked for the study after neighbors came to them with …
42.370246
-71.208821
221 Waltham St, Watertown, MA
/articles/consultant-finds-little-cause-for-concern-from-contamination-on-waltham-street-site
/locations/4841851
Sonny Beaches
12:37 pm on Monday, April 16, 2012
Self serving street artists and politicians seeking visibility will roil the Townies to no avail. Town monies will be squandered on yet another fantasy "plan" which will immediately be rendered obsolete by economic realities. Vacant sites in Watertown will be developed. Given its proximity to Boston and the number of candidate sites Watertown is a prime location for multifamily projects. … more ›