Watertown Square Redevelopment and Parking Garage
Proposed redesign and garage construction raise resident concerns about destroying historic character, increasing density, and environmental impacts in a declining-population area.
Public opposition to the Watertown Square Redevelopment and Parking Garage has been voiced at consecutive city council and planning board meetings through petitions and forum comments focused on historic character, density, and loss of open space. No formal action or vote has been taken. The planning board has requested but not yet received a project timeline.
The Watertown Square Redevelopment and Parking Garage proposal first surfaced publicly at the May 26 city council meeting through resident comments during the public forum. David Cain argued that state population declines made major redesigns unnecessary while Russell Rico submitted a petition signed by 51 residents opposing replacement of an open-space parking lot with a garage on environmental and livability grounds. The council received the petition and noted it would be distributed internally.
At the June 9 city council meeting a resident continued the opposition during the public forum on Watertown Square Development. The speaker compared the proposed buildings and parking structures to downtown Malden and warned that they would destroy the historic character of Watertown Square while accusing the city of acting as 'useful idiots' for developers. The chair ended the comments due to time limits.
The planning board took up the related Watertown Square Revitalization Plan at its June 10 meeting. Board members asked for a specific timeline and expressed concern that the board was being positioned only as a rubber-stamp approval body rather than a collaborative partner. Staff acknowledged two distinct implementation projects but could not provide a target month for updates.
No vote or formal position on the redevelopment has occurred in any of the three meetings. The petition and public comments have been recorded but have not triggered any council or board action beyond acknowledgment and referral to staff for timeline clarification.
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