Take Part in a Watertown Housing Development Survey

You can help Watertown officials plan for future housing development in town as part of a joint project with Belmont and Lexington done with the non-profit group MetroWest Collaborative Development.

Town officials seek town residents to participate in a housing development survey that will help create a "Housing Production Plan."

The survey, which can be accessed here, asks about the types of housing people would like to see built in town, where it should be built, what kinds of features people would like to see with the developments (retail, offices, open space, etc.), and whether people believe housing is affordable in Watertown.

Along with the survey, the Watertown Planning Department will hold a public forum on housing development on Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. in the Watertown Free Public Library.

The three towns won a grant to create the Housing Production Plans. The work is being done with assistance from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council supported by funding from the U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development Sustainable Communities Program and the state Department of Housing and Community Development Priority Development Fund, according to information provided by MetroWest Collaborative Development.

The plans will include:

• An assessment of our community’s housing needs based on an understanding of population trends and regional growth factors
• A numerical goal of units to produce annually
• An appropriate mix of housing types
• Steps for meeting our goals

For more information on the survey and the plan contact Danielle Evans in the Watertown Planning Department, devans@watertown-ma.gov or Jennifer Van Campen at Metro West Collaborative Development jvc@metrowestcd.org.