Watertown Owners Unite Against Zoning Control by Town

“The town is trying to regulate taste,” he said, and that, according to the CWHA, is unacceptable.

John Labadini wants owners to be able to paint their buildings whatever color suits their fancy. The town of Watertown does not. Rather, it wants a set of guidelines for owners to follow.

So, who gets the final say?

According to Watertown native Labadini, the majority rule should win, and, he says, based on his group’s outreach, the majority are against these guidelines.

Labadini is president of the Concerned Watertown Homeowners Association (CWHA), which is “is a group of Watertown homeowners who stand for and support taking all necessary actions that assist in protecting our home’s value through the effective and efficient use of government resources (including the continued improvement of all town services) in a manner which is fair and affordable for all homeowners,” according to its website.

The Watertown native said he sees the 120 pages of zoning regulations in Watertown enough guidance and that the choice of siding preference or landscaping should be left to the homeowner.

“The town is trying to regulate taste,” he said, and that, according to the CWHA, is unacceptable.

While Residential Design Guidelines are used in other towns, mainly for historical houses—read: Lexington, Wellesley, Belmont, Salem—Labadini said they have no place in Watertown.

Outside of the actual guidelines, Labadini said the worst part is the lack of transparency. He said the town had three public meetings with only roughly 100 total in attendance. There is information on the town’s website, but it’s not easily accessible, he said. The 100 who attended and support the measure, Labadini compares to the 400 lawnsigns displayed across the town showing opposition.

“Most residents have no idea this is happening,” said Labadini, who has met with officials multiple times.

Town of Watertown Director of Community Development and Planning Steve Magoon said he and the town are aware there is opposition.

“There certainly is an organized opposition to any guidelines. … I think it is important to listen to all of the residents on an issue like this and to try and balance those interests. Unfortunately, that often results in nobody being completely satisfied, but it is important to consider all opinions,” he said.

Background

When Athenahealth came to Watertown, the town developed Commercial Design Guidelines, according to Labadini. It’s those guidelines that the Town Council is supposedly amending to create the Residential Design Guidelines.

Magoon said the guidelines are, “one aspect of the implementation of our Comprehensive Plan, which calls for some areas of town to be transformed, and other areas to be preserved. People are concerned about the existing residential neighborhoods changing in character, and are looking for tools to address that.”

Though the exact guidelines have yet to be released, they’re expected to include a moratorium on teardowns, limits to which colors and materials can be used, among other specifications.

What now?

Town Council President Mark Sideris has promised to send notice of the guidelines to all residents, though the delivery method is unknown at this point. Labadini suggested adding a notice to tax bills, but isn’t sure that’ll happen. Magoon said, “I expect that we will provide a mailer to all residents prior to the next broad public meeting on the subject.”

Magoon said there’s no timetable for when these might be passed. “Whatever is enacted would take effect when finally adopted by the Council. If there are amendments to the Zoning ordinance, that would involve a number of steps with public hearings, etc. However, if they are simply guidelines, no regulatory amendments would be needed,” he said.

Labadini is concerned for his hometown. If these guidelines get passed, it’s only a matter of time before they’re enforceable, he said, adding, “We all know when guidelines grow up, they become mandates.”

At this point in time, we’re not sure who will get control of the zoning—owners or the town—but we’ll bring you updates as we get them.