Watertown Infill and Small Developments

Sasaki's old headquarters in Watertown Square just landed another tenant -- but instead of the life science companies the redevelopment was largely oriented towards, it's probiotic drinks company Culture Pop Soda, instead. Sure feels like a sign of the times, even if the building is now over 50% leased.

The lease announcement hit our desk with this photo of how the new main entrance turned out, too. More photos at the property's marketing website: https://www.64pleasant.com/#gallery


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stick n move said:

For Lease: Watertown’s 66 Galen, A Laboratory Facility To Help Expand Boston’s Flourishing Life Sciences Industry​

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“66 Galen is a 224K SF Class-A laboratory building in Watertown, a submarket in the Greater Boston life sciences hub. The project is being delivered in the fourth quarter and is part of a two-phase life sciences development that will be up to 464K SF once completed. The purpose-built facility has a host of amenities with an acre of green space, a fitness center, a bike area, six private tenant spaces and a café that aims to promote wellness.”

https://www.bisnow.com/boston/news/...e-sciences-the-davis-companies-studiob-120742
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....Update: some good news, folks!


www.bostonglobe.com

Amid lab space glut, a big lease at last - The Boston Globe

The Davis Companies’ big bet on Watertown Square is paying off with the region’s largest lease deal for newly built lab space so far this year.
www.bostonglobe.com www.bostonglobe.com

Amid lab space glut, a big lease at last​

The recently finished life science building in Watertown has landed two tenants​

By Jon Chesto Globe Staff,Updated October 4, 2024, 1 hour ago


66 Galen Street in Watertown finished construction earlier this year and signed its first two tenants on Thursday.

66 Galen Street in 66 Galen Street in Watertown finished construction earlier this year and signed its first two tenants on Thursday.Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff

"It took longer than expected, but The Davis Companies’ big bet on Watertown Square is paying off with the region’s largest lease deal for newly built lab space so far this year.
Davis and its partner Boston Development Group just inked a deal with serial biotech entrepreneur Greg Verdine that would bring two of Verdine’s startups into nearly 120,000 square feet at 66 Galen St. in Watertown, more than half of the leasable space in Davis’ recently-finished 224,000-square-foot building across the Charles River from the square..........."
 

Construction Underway for Watertown Passive House Development​

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“With demolition complete, Dellbrook|JKS has started work on the foundations for The 104 Main Street Residences in Watertown. The project involves both new construction and renovation to create 142 market-rate housing units across two buildings. The Main Building, consisting of 137 units, is designed as a 4-over-2 podium structure with an underground parking garage….”

https://www.bldup.com/posts/construction-underway-for-watertown-passive-house-development

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https://www.watertownmanews.com/202...tial-retail-project-approved-by-zoning-board/
 
Nice upgrade on the density. I still miss the old Why Not for my greasy spoon fix when I worked in the area.
 
Yea Id say thats definitely an improvement. They kept the height the same but moved the roofline down 1 floor which gives the building the heft and feeling of a 3 story building plus an attic floor compared to a 4 story building + 1. I tried to find the rest of the updated renders, which I know lots of them exist because theyve shown up in videos about the project, but the watertown zoning board website is an absolute NIGHTMARE to try to pull documents from. Ah well..
 

Plans Under Review for Redevelopment of Willow Park in Watertown​

“POAH & Watertown Housing Authority have filed plans for the redevelopment of Willow Park public housing development in Watertown. The project reimagines the current 60-unit public housing property to increase density while fostering sustainability, inclusivity, and accessibility. Plans call for 138 units, studios through 3 bedrooms, targeted to a mix of income ranges……”

willow park

https://www.bldup.com/posts/plans-under-review-for-redevelopment-of-willow-park-in-watertown
 
Came here only to complain, so sorry about that. But I was on Arsenal Street for the first time in a few years yesterday, and it's just a hodgepodge of bad architecture. I get that not everything can be a gem and Watertown is not the most affluent town, but man, it was just so, so ugly, and it looked like lot after lot had been built with zero regard to the architecture of what was going in next to it. Would it have been so impossible to try to achieve some kind of unified streetwall or style? And on top it all, the power lines (which for some reason are like 4 stories tall on this street) just brutalized the whole streetscape. Arsenal isn't done yet, but I really think this could have been built better with only a little more town oversight.
 
FK4 said:
Came here only to complain, so sorry about that. But I was on Arsenal Street for the first time in a few years yesterday, and it's just a hodgepodge of bad architecture. I get that not everything can be a gem and Watertown is not the most affluent town, but man, it was just so, so ugly, and it looked like lot after lot had been built with zero regard to the architecture of what was going in next to it. Would it have been so impossible to try to achieve some kind of unified streetwall or style? And on top it all, the power lines (which for some reason are like 4 stories tall on this street) just brutalized the whole streetscape. Arsenal isn't done yet, but I really think this could have been built better with only a little more town oversight.
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Not to be the bearer of bad news, but the architecture on Arsenal is with City oversight. Elan Union Market and Arsenal Yards both went through design review against the city’s design guidelines by Gamble and Associates themselves.
 
Washburn st development. There was a communify meeting scheduled for december 24 which was moved to january 25, I cant find any info about what happened there.

Community meeting notice:
https://portal.laserfiche.com/Portal/DocView.aspx?id=91966&repo=r-5ece5628

Project presentation
https://portal.laserfiche.com/Portal/DocView.aspx?id=91747&repo=r-5ece5628
















“Proposed redevelopment of the Properties located at 53R Franklin Street, 18-20 Washburn Street and 30R Washburn Street, Watertown, MA into 16 townhouse units, which will consisting of 14 market rate units and 2 affordable units ranging in size from approximately 2,400 sq ft to 2,900 sq ft.”

https://www.watertownmanews.com/202...use-development-on-franklin-washburn-streets/
 
I "liked" it because someone took the time to post it, otherwise, it is fake urbanism and does the least amount of good. At 2,500 to 3,00 sq ft each, this is a bedroom community of attached McMansions, just closer to the city. The inherent energy efficiency of being situated in an urban area is negated. When you arrive home, you know which one is yours by just hitting your garage door opener. You may never need to use that afterthought of a door next to your garage.

And loft areas on the top floors of these things are ovens in the summer, but I guess they can just blast the AC

Edit: Oh, and please show the River Charles a little love by supporting the removal of the Watertown Dam
 
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Scott said:
I "liked" it because someone took the time to post it, otherwise, it is fake urbanism and does the least amount of good. At 2,500 to 3,00 sq ft each, this is a bedroom community of attached McMansions, just closer to the city. The inherent energy efficiency of being situated in an urban area is negated. When you arrive home, you know which one is yours by just hitting your garage door opener. You may never need to use that afterthought of a door next to your garage.

And loft areas on the top floors of these things are ovens in the summer, but I guess they can just blast the AC

Edit: Oh, and please show the River Charles a little love by supporting the removal of the Watertown Dam
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This parcel is adjacent to the Watertown Square rezoning area, and I wish they would have applied to have their land included in one of the new zones, even if it was in one of the less dense zones. I think it would have opened up more interesting possibilities than a generic suburban townhome cul-de-sac.
 
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I don't think that even more gigantic apartments could be somehow better. It is often said that the Baby Boomers are the lucky generation when it comes to real estate, but they did not require 1,500 sq ft per person, a heated garage and marble countertops. What our generations demand from housing is also part of the problem.
 
I think “gigantic” apartments is a bit hyperbolic. The last two apartment projects approved in the city, 166 Main Street and 104 Main Street, both had an average unit size between 750-850 square feet, and no unit is bigger than 1250 square feet. So apartments on the site would be quite a bit smaller than the proposed 2500-2900 sqft condos. They would also allow for more consolidated and useful open and green space, compared to the townhouse plan.

Moreover, from a design perspective, the new zoning provides greater design flexibility. The reason the townhome type A and C designs have such a severe roof slope and front-loaded massing (like a dinosaur, in my opinion), is because the old zoning has a transition zone requirement for industrial zones (which this building is in) abutting residential zones, where buildings can’t be nearer to a lot line than a 45 degree plane starting 25 feet from the lot line, at a height of 25 feet above the ground. The new zoning provides more flexibility by requiring a simple stepback above 3 stories for a building abutting a residential zone.
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