Boylston Properties & The Wilder Companies

Zoning: Regional Mixed-use District [RMUD]

Working closely with Boylston Properties and The Wilder Companies, Form + Place led the effort to craft a new Regional Mixed-Use District [RMUD] for the eastern end of the Arsenal Street Corridor in Watertown, MA. The Town of Watertown’s 2015 Comprehensive Plan called for “innovative zoning” in an effort to incentivize transformative mixed-use development in this key gateway location.

Representing the Arsenal Project Team, and working in collaboration with Watertown’s Department of Community Development and Planning staff, Form + Place helped bring forward a new zoning amendment that updates key development variables, such as the allowable mix of uses, revised dimensional criteria and signage guidelines. The amendment also outlines a new Master Plan Special Permit process, whereby larger mixed-use projects can receive approval of a holistic master-plan concept, followed by individual Final Site Plan reviews that check for consistency as each phase comes on line.

This new zoning amendment, together with recent Design Guidelines and Standards adopted by the Town, are key components to the implementation of the Comprehensive Plan, and provide the necessary framework for Watertown’s future, facilitating progressive economic development and a vibrant public realm.  The Arsenal Project is scheduled to open in 2019.