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Home My Public Portal About2023_03_20_Broder - Community Meeting Summary Mr. Steve Magoon Director of Community Development & Planning City of Watertown 149 Main Street Watertown, MA 02472 Mr. Gideon Schreiber Assistant Director of Planning City of Watertown 149 Main Street Watertown, MA 02472 RE: 275 & 313 Pleasant Street, 80 Rosedale Road, 60 Acton Street | Community Meeting Summary | March 20th, 2023 Dear Steve and Gideon: On March 20th, 2023, Broder held a Community Meeting to discuss the proposed plans for the redevelopment of 275 & 313 Pleasant Street, 80 Rosedale Road, and 60 Acton Street (the “Project”). The meeting was conducted in a hybrid format, with over 50 in-person attendees and approximately 80 online participants. Several members of the Watertown City Council were in attendance, including District Councilor Emily Izzo and Councilor John Airasian, former Councilor and current State Representative John Lawn, along with Councilors John Gannon, Lisa Feltner, and Anthony Palomba (via Zoom). The program started with a brief introduction by Eric Svenson of Broder, who provided an overview of the company, its mission, and aspirations for the Project. Vickie Alani of CBT Architects provided an overview of the architectural portion of the presentation including Project stats, community benefits, sustainability goals, zoning analysis, and building design. The Project’s conformance to PSCD-3 Zoning (via Special Permit) was emphasized to address questions on the height of the lab and garage buildings. Christa Lucas of Howard Stein Hudson (HSH) provided an overview of the transportation study, noting that the net addition of 359 new vehicles to the site has a negligible impact to the level of service at the signalized intersections in the area, as corroborated by the Peer Review arranged by the City of Watertown. Broder noted the consolidation of curb cuts and how that will clean up the traffic circulation patterns around the site. Cody Axness of Site Design Group provided an overview of the landscape design, emphasizing the central green space as a publicly accessible amenity, utilizing native plantings and drought- resistant species. The exterior lighting across the site was noted to be Dark Sky compliant. At the conclusion of the presentation, Broder presided over the Q&A portion of the meeting. Those discussions revolved around the following categories: Lab Safety Community members inquired about the nature of activity within the proposed labs as well as the lab classification levels. Broder provided an overview of the types of tenants expected to occupy the building and noted that the labs will be limited to Biosafety Levels (BSL) 1 and 2. Broder also noted that laboratory tenants are highly regulated by both State and Local authorities. Watertown Planning Staff confirmed that BSL-3 laboratories are not permitted on the site or elsewhere within the City of Watertown. Site Plan, Building Design, Use and Massing Questions were fielded on the scale of the lab building and structured parking garage. Broder noted that the proposed use and massing are within the PSCD-3 Special Permit regulations and that floors 3-4 of the building are set back well beyond the zoning envelope along Acton Street (40’ from the property line and 20’ inside the zoning envelope). In response to a question on the possibility of residential development, Broder clarified that the site is not within a residentially zoned district and that residential development is expressly prohibited within PSCD-3. Broder also noted that vehicular access to the site will not be permitted from Acton Street, except for emergency vehicles, which may enter through a Grasscrete connection above the loading dock. This modification to the site plan was made at the recommendation of City Council President Mark Sideris and Watertown Planning Staff prior to the Community Meeting. A resident asked the height of the neighboring Central Rock Gym (CRG). Joe Hardy, owner of CRG, was in attendance and confirmed the height of his building to be 50’. Regarding mechanical screening, the team noted that this is a City requirement and that Broder will be working with an acoustical engineer to comply with all City standards for permitted noise levels. Questions were raised on interior lighting emanating from the lab building. Broder noted that the building is set back far enough on each street that this will not be an issue. Additionally, the interior lights will utilize occupancy sensors for energy efficiency. Window shades will also be considered. A community member expressed excitement over the proposed landscaping plans, reduced heat profile of the site, and the Dark Sky compliance, though she had concerns over the scale of the garage and proposed vehicular traffic. Broder encouraged residents to review Norweta, a recent development in Chicago, as an example of robust landscaping the development team has created in collaboration with Site Design Group. A question was asked about the proposed retail location and the potential tenant profile. Broder is in discussion with a local, community-oriented craft brewery and hopes to secure a commitment prior to construction. If a suitable retail tenant cannot be identified, Broder may consider an alternate use for that structure. Broder also noted that the building will be designed to a high sustainability standard and electrified in compliance with Watertown’s recently adopted opt-in Specialized Stretch Code. Transportation A constituent asked for clarity on the traffic study methodology (when study was done, days of the week etc.) and expressed concerns over the Rosedale-Waltham intersection. HSH noted that the traffic counts were performed mid-week mornings and evenings in March 2022. Planning Staff noted that the City of Watertown conducts its own data collection as part of the peer review process. Constituents expressed skepticism over traffic study methodologies in general. Broder noted that the garage is designed to accommodate 2 cars per 1,000 SF of office/lab space, including the existing building at 313 Pleasant Street. The garage was also designed to accommodate retail customers and for use by Central Rock Gym users on evenings and weekends. A constituent asked whether additional parking for the neighborhood could be provided in the garage. Broder is willing to explore commercialization of the garage for neighborhood use on nights/weekends (in addition to CRG’s allocation) and has offered to allow neighborhood use of the garage after hours during snow emergencies. Environmental Councilor John Gannon noted the site’s industrial history, including the storage of hazardous materials. A resident asked whether soil samples have been taken. Broder noted that dozens of test pots and borings were performed last year, and that contaminants are better addressed through off-site mitigation via the construction process versus being left dormant in the ground. Closing The Project Team fielded a variety of questions from both in-person and virtual attendees until the meeting’s conclusion after approximately 3 hours (6:30pm-9:30pm). A video recording of the entire meeting has been posted on the Watertown Cable Access (WCA-TV) website. Sincerely, Kai Vernstrom Director of Acquisitions at Broder (on behalf of Broder Pleasant LLC)