City Council committees tackle multiple administrative items this week 

Waltham CIty Council’s multiple committees at its Monday night meeting ran through a number of action items.

At the Committee of the Whole the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority updated committee members on its tunnel project. MWRA representatives told councilors that the project will include the construction of 15 miles of deep hard-rock tunnels to improve water infrastructure. 

The system is expected to be completed by 2040 and will involve multiple shaft sites across the region. Project officials assured councilors that the construction will result in minimal surface disruption and that environmental considerations remain a priority. The representatives said the MWRA is already coordinating with Eversource for electrical needs. They also assured the councilors that the MWRA would keep them updated as the project proceeds.

In other action, the Committee of the Whole approved the acquisition of an abandoned property at 67 Crescent St. The site will be repurposed as public open space.

In a zoning matter, the Ordinance and Rules Committee referred a proposed amendment to the city’s fast food ordinance to reduce the minimum number of required seats from 50 to 35 to the Law Department for review. A public hearing on the proposal will take place in August.

The same committee also approved two special permits: one for a residential development by Hall Street Partners LLC at 61 Hall St., contingent on a revised bike rack location, and another for a proposed hotel at 1265 Main Street LLC . The special permits give the projects the green light to proceed.