HomeMy Public PortalAboutWATERTOWN_The Arsenal Project_Design Review_3_29_17_Gamble_Associates1
DESIGN REVIEW March 29, 2017 THE ARSENAL PROJECT
678 Massachusetts Avenue Suite 502
Cambridge MA 02139
March 29, 2017
Steve Magoon, Director
Gideon Schreiber, AICP and Andrea Adams, Sr. Planner
Community Planning and Development
149 Main Street, Watertown, MA 02472
Sent via Email
ARSENAL PROJECT DESIGN REVIEW
SITE PLAN REVIEW – DEVELOPER CONFERENCE
The Arsenal Yards project is a major undertaking along one of the primary commercial corridors in
Watertown. Implementation of the RMUD Master Plan underscores the community’s desire to invest in
areas that are in need of transformation and that such investment is an economic priority for the town.
The proposed project phasing is a logical sequence whereby the first phase celebrates and uncovers the
historical character of Buildings A and E and connects them with an improved access drive. The
demolition of the 1980’s portion of the enclosed mall and an enhanced connection to Arsenal Park are
meaningful improvements to the property. There are three areas which warrant greater study:
1. RAISED TABLETOP: The intersection of the Loop Road with River Green warrants more
attention. A raised tabletop in this area ‐ as an extension to River Green to the north – will
highlight the pedestrian‐oriented nature of the site’s redevelopment. Opportunities to better
link River Green to the sidewalk along the east side of future Buildings D and E should be
created such that the pedestrian movement from Arsenal Street to Arsenal Park is direct and
intentional. While the continuation of surface materials and colors can help in this regard,
raising the intersection to the elevation of the plaza space will be the most effective way to
expand the public realm. Some traffic calming devices such as bollards will be necessary to
direct traffic. The Site Plan on Page 10 of the Arsenal Yards Tenant Design Standards (March 14,
2017) reads better than the Overall Site Plan (L100) in the Phase 1 Site Plan Review documents.
2
DESIGN REVIEW March 29, 2017 THE ARSENAL PROJECT
2. SUSTAINABILITY: An objective of the Sustainable Design section of the Design Guidelines was to
employ construction best‐practices for sustainable design, “pursue” LEED‐certified buildings,
incorporate solar shading devices and solar panels to reduce energy demand, and integrate
permeable paving and native species rain gardens wherever possible throughout the site. If
ever there was an opportunity to address energy demands at a district scale, where so much
construction is taking place at once, this would be it. Seldom are projects developed at this
magnitude whereby scales of economy can be achieved. The Arsenal Project could seek to
incorporate larger ambitions with regard to sustainability in terms of solar panels, geothermal
energy or district‐scale heating and cooling. Such approaches are much more difficult to achieve
on a parcel by parcel basis.
3. ARCHITECTURAL BACKDROP: As demonstrated in the renderings, there remains a wide variation
in the character and architectural expression of the individual buildings B, C, D, F, and G that will
populate the site moving into future phases. The Arsenal Project will forge a stronger sense of
“campus” between the existing, historic structures and the new development if there is more
architectural cohesion. One of the alluring aspects of the historic Arsenal Buildings are their
simplicity, clad largely in a single brick material and limiting façade articulation. The Design
Guidelines for Watertown’s Commercial Corridors were conceptualized to address individual
building designs rather than a large collection of buildings on a single large site such as this.
Moving forward, considerations should be made for simplifying the architectural palette of the
new buildings that define an enhanced public realm.
End of Memo.