HomeMy Public PortalAbout2018-10-09 ADDENDUM TOWN COUNCIL ATTENDANCE
MEETING DATE: OCTOBER 9, 2018
PRESENT ABSENT
KENNETH M. WOODLAND X
CAROLINE BAYS X
ANTHONY J. DONATO X
SUSAN G. FALKOFF X
LISA J. FELTNER X
ANGELINE B. KOUNELIS X
ANTHONY PALOMBA X
VINCENTJ. PICCIRILLI X
MARK S. SIDERIS, X
COUNCIL PRESIDENT
Watertown Town Council
Administration Building
149 Main Street
Watertown, MA 02472
Phone: 617-972-6470
October 10, 2018
ELECTED OFFICIALS: Dear Focus40 Team:
Mark S.Sideris,
Council President Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this interesting and progressive plan
Caroline Bays, for the MBTA's future. In general, we support the goals of the MBTA but would like
Councilor At Large to give feedback regarding how it relates to Watertown in particular.
Anthony J. Donato,
Councilor At Large Watertown has many of the characteristics of a Priority Place, and in particular a
Susan G.Falkoff, "Major Employment District", as described in the Focus40 Plan. These
Councilor At Large characteristics include the following.
Anthony Palomba,
Councilor At Large Growing business districts just beyond the densest part of the rapid transit
Angeline B.Kounelis, network. Major Watertown employers include athenahealth at Arsenal on
District A Councilor the Charles, Watertown Yards (mixed use urban village, under construction),
Lisa J.Feltner, The Linx (Lab and office space) all on or near Arsenal Street, and Tufts Health
District B Councilor
Plan on Mt. Auburn Street. Watertown has almost 22,000 jobs, with 18,000
Vincent J. uilli,Jr.,
District C Councilor employees entering from other communities. An estimated 75%of them
travel in single occupancy vehicles.
Kenneth M.Woodland C . Longer than average transit commute times often requiring one or more
District D Councilor g g � q g
transfers.
• Overloading of existing road networks and MBTA service (#71, 70/70A)
• Presence of multiple shuttle providers to compensate for insufficient IVIBTA
service. athenahealth runs an extensive shuttle service, with 5 routes from
Boston to its campus in Watertown addressing a lack of MBTA services and
connections. The Linx, and Marriott also offer shuttle service for employees
and visitors.
We think Watertown should be considered a Priority Place based on its many
employment centers and inadequate transit. Adding buses to the network is
essential for increasing capacity, but we strongly support reimagining the bus
network, not just adding buses. We support changes to the bus network to better
serve existing and projected demand. In Watertown, the Pleasant Street Corridor
badly needs bus service. There are 800 new residential units on Pleasant Street, and
over 200 under construction, yet there is practically no bus service at all on most of
Pleasant Street in Watertown. The Arsenal Street line (70/70A) goes only to the Red
Line. We need to explore together some additional connections to provide better
service to more places, to increase bus ridership.
The Plan mentions needing new and updated maintenance facilities, while the
Watertown Yard lies underutilized and in seriously deteriorated condition, in a prime
inner core location. This resource is not mentioned in the Focus40 plan. It has
potential to increase maintenance capacity, and provide storage for longer buses
and electric buses, and could become a modern and comfortable bus station.
Alternatively, it could be reused as a mixed-use development that supports the T as
well as the surrounding neighborhood through redevelopment by the State or as
part of a public-private partnership.
Thank you for this opportunity to comment on your forward-looking plan. We hope
to continue to work closely with the MBTA to improve mass transit in the region,
and in Watertown, and thereby fight congestion and pollution by reducing single
occupancy vehicle travel.
Sincerely,
zp/ /
Mark Sideris
Town Council President