Planners reimagine Watertown in 2020

By Sarah Thomas

Boston Globe, Friday, December 17, 2010

A balanced economy, focused around a few key industries like biotechnology and design. A revitalized mixed-use corridor along the Charles River, with clean land and developed parks. Well-designed streets and efficient public transportation, with safe travel ensured for pedestrians and bicyclists.

Those were a few of the promises made in the new Watertown vision statement, a document prepared by the team behind Watertown's Economic Development Study. The objective was to create a set of concrete statements to describe how planners and residents see their town in the year 2020, a decade from now.

"The goal here is to engage the community," said Kathryn Madden, principal of the Madden Planning Group and one of the lead members of the team. "We want to have a vision, and also look at what resources we can tap into to make that vision a reality."

The public meeting, held at the auditorium at the Coolidge School apartment complex, drew approximately 50 residents, who rated sections of the vision statement in order of priority and also posed questions to Madden and Steve Magoon, the town's planning director.

"We're constantly hearing about how tough times are, how many people are out of work, things like that," Magoon said. "That's why it's so important to have smart growth. It creates opportunities for businesses already here to share amenities, as well as spreading the tax burden and promoting investment in the community."

Many residents expressed great support for the vision statements, but concerns were raised over the density of Watertown, and how easy it is for visitors and investors to view it as merely a part of the Greater Boston area.

"With compact development, there comes more opportunities for people to use their town," Madden explained. "In some places where things are too spread out, it's easy to get in your car, drive to one place and drive home. A compact community means people are walking, shopping."

Many members of the Watertown Town Council attended the meeting as well, including Steve Corbett and Cecelia Lenk. Corbett said he hoped that the plan would keep the quality of life for residents firmly in mind, while Lenk highlighted the concerns of those looking to start small businesses.

"When I started my business, we were most concerned with finding cheap, funky spaces, near public transportation and good places to eat lunch or late dinners," Lenk said. "We should make sure we keep the needs of small business investors in mind."

Along with the vision, Peter Kwass of the Mt. Auburn Associates planning firm presented a list of tools that could be used to promote economic growth. They included a zoning strategy that into account the appearance of buildings rather than their intended use, a distinctive design for the town's road signs, attractive financing for investors looking to open businesses in town, and a website for economic development.

"There are a lot of resources at the state and federal level to do projects like this," Kwass said. "It's important to be on their radar screens."

The next step for the Economic Development study team is a presentation to the Town Council in January. Residents can also view documents related to the study at the town website.

"I feel like our sleepy little town is finally taking control of its future," said Maria Saiz, one of the residents in attendance. "This is such a huge change."

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