I spent the Fourth of July with my family in Washington D.C. visiting the home of my oldest brother Matt, his wife Trish, my nephew Colin and my other nephew Fenway (who happens to be a dog). While I was there we made brief trip over to Clarendon to do some shopping and eating.
I came away impressed with this great area of mixed uses; shopping, eating and living all intertwined as one. After arriving back in Watertown, I began to think of how and where something of this sort (but definitely not of it's magnitude) could fit in Watertown.
I needed to look no further than the distressed and dismantled Haartz Mason building on Pleasant Street. What was one a flourishing waterproof industrial textile manufacturer is now an eyesore which is frequented by teenagers trying to escape the eyes of neighbors.
Yes, the Pleasant Street Corridor has had its fair share of developments: The Repton Place and The River Bank Lofts. However, would it be a terrible thing to add some commercial and residential units to this section of the river? There would be residential units with underground parking and balconies that overlooked the river, while the storefronts could attract coffee shops, restaurants or more allowing people to interact with the beautiful Charles River walkway.
I think that whatever is put into this location should be thought through entirely because this one location could make or break the "Pleasant Street Corridor".
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