Dear Allen, You might recall my objection to similar comments of yours in the meeting of the Housing Commission. We should keep away from any thoughts of creating a "serving class" through the town housing stock. Some of us are lucky to have better incomes or being born to wealth. A serving person should not get into a lower quality of life because of his/her affordability of housing. A serving person could indeed be brighter and the children could be smarter. In the present day and age of globalization, we should strive for a more integrated society by respecting labor and the lack of privilege. At least with our liberal views in the own, we can make ourselves a model community by considering all aspects in developing the quality of life like health, food, education and social relationships. Oppressive shanty towns for labor is a colonial idea whose days are long past. Currently we should help create excellence and nurture productivity. You labeled me as a "troublemaker" those days. I thought you would understand the Christian values better since you have served as a pastor for some time. I was troubled to see your thoughts once again and I thought to comment. People who serve us are our policemen, firefighters, health workers, town workers, teachers along with gardeners, janitors and cooks. We must think of them collectively as a part of our community. Hope you may reflect and appreciate. Best regards, Bijoy
On Tue, Jan 25, 2022 at 11:24 AM Allen Vander Meulen <[email protected]> wrote: > It should also be noted that the “density” metric is measured on a per lot > basis. > > Lincoln Woods has been cited in this thread as a “high density” > development, but property contains a lot of wetland and conservation land, > as well as a septic treatment plant set well back from the rest of the > property - around 21 acres all told. So, with 125 units, its actual > density is only about 6 units / acre - well under the state’s proposed “By > Right” minimum for the Lincoln Station area. > > "The Commons" property is about 31 acres with around 209 living units, > according to its online “property card”. So its density is under 7 > units/acre. > > Oriole Landing (next door to The Commons) is about 6 acres - with 60 > units, or 10 units / acre, and is therefore the town’s highest-density > property - and both The Commons and Oriole Landing are quite far from any > public transit. > > In other words, none of the major multi-unit developments in town are even > close to the proposed requirement of 15 units/acre. However, as Margaret > Olson said, this proposed “by Right” zoning can be modified by restrictions > due to wetlands, conservation, and other considerations and controls > imposed by the town. And, it will be some time before the proposed > regulations are finalized - with a lot of negotiating and refining likely > to happen between now and then. > > It is abundantly clear we need far more housing in this town for those > with low to moderate incomes. Many employers in town (far more than most > of us realize) need people willing to fill their low to moderate income > positions. But with a very limited supply of affordable housing, most of > these people have to commute huge distances to work here. Given a choice, > they will choose to work closer to home and/or at businesses with less > expensive transportation options. So, our local businesses, nonprofits, > and service providers are struggling to find and retain adequate help: the > issue isn’t the quality of work the environment, but whether their > employees can afford to work here in town at all. > > From an Affordable Housing point of view, Lincoln is (in theory) in a good > “place” right now, thanks to the addition of 60 units to our “Subsidized > Housing Inventory” courtesy of the Oriole Landing project. Under current > law, we should be safe for quite some time from high-density developments > built without concern for harmonizing with the community. But, as the > Housing Choice Act shows, the law is changing - and needs to. > > Personally, I welcome the Housing Choice Act as an important first effort > to address those needs. However, it is far from perfect: the proposed > regulations and guidelines that derive from it will need considerable > refinement before they can work as the state intends for towns like > Lincoln. I also expect that this is merely the first step in a series of > moves the Commonwealth will make over the next several years to encourage, > and eventually require, more low to moderate income housing as well as > improved access to public transportation. > > I believe we must be thoughtfully proactive on these issues. Lincoln is > already doing so through the work of SLPAC and the Planning Board - among > other efforts. Ignoring or downplaying these issues will eventually lead > to the town being forced into making difficult, painful, and expensive > adjustments with no recourse - as has happened in several nearby > communities. > > We need to continue to pursue more and better housing options here in town > for all - doing so thoughtfully, carefully, and mindful of what’s best for > not just ourselves, but for our neighbors and local businesses as well. > > - Allen Vander Meulen > > On Jan 24, 2022, at 20:48, Margaret Olson <[email protected]> wrote: > > The Housing Choice Act covers "by right" zoning. Specifically, to comply > we would need to zone 50 acres at 15 units per acre. The Oriole Landing > buildings are consistent with that density. > > The act does not address housing construction or the current multi-family > housing inventory. It is concerned only with zoning. > > In other words, if we were to zone the entire 1/2 mile around the MBTA > station for 15 units per acre, and none of the current owners either built > multi-family housing or sold their property to a developer, we would be in > compliance even though no new housing would be built in that scenario. > Similarly, if we had 750 units in our current South Lincoln overlay > district we would not be in compliance because the overlay requires town > meeting approval. "By right" means that the property owner has the right to > build at the specified density. The town is still able to apply regulations > - building heights, design guidelines, site plan review, and other controls > over the nature of the development. > > Margaret > > On Mon, Jan 24, 2022 at 8:10 PM Joan Kimball <[email protected]> wrote: > >> I believe that many existing units count. Could someone please clarify? >> Planning Board? >> >> Many of us want to help with the housing crisis in this part of MA. And i >> appreciate that there are differing opinions. May we continue to be civil >> as we are doing now. >> >> Joan >> >> On Mon, Jan 24, 2022, 7:54 PM Debra Daugherty <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> >>> I guess I wish they would just take into consideration the housing we >>> already have. There are 120 units next to the Hanscom bus stop (Battle Road >>> Farm) not to mention all the HAFB units. That's a ton of units. There's a >>> lot of open land on the Hanscom Air Field lot right across the street from >>> the bus stop, but I'm not sure what the status of that land is. In town we >>> have lots of units in Lincoln Woods right next to the train. Not sure why >>> that shouldn't count toward our quota. >>> >>> On Mon, Jan 24, 2022 at 7:06 PM Bob Mason <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>>> I don't (yet) have a POV on the specifics of this legislation nor the >>>> feasibility for Lincoln, but I do wonder about a moral responsibility to >>>> reconsider wholesale housing policy in towns like Lincoln. >>>> >>>> It is my understanding that part of the housing crises that have >>>> plagued San Francisco, Los Angeles and other metropolitan regions across >>>> the US all have to do with too much NIMBYISM. At some point, for us to have >>>> a functional society, we need to rethink our physical infrastructure and >>>> how that can create stronger communities, have greater economic impact and >>>> reduce environmental pressures. >>>> >>>> Perhaps the specifics of this legislation is untenable for the >>>> geographical constraints of Lincoln, but maybe we need to lean even more >>>> into being part of the metropolitan solution. >>>> >>>> On Mon, Jan 24, 2022 at 6:49 PM Richard Panetta < >>>> [email protected]> wrote: >>>> >>>>> Margaret, >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> Would the property near the bus stop be an area of concern as well >>>>> then? Or would most of that land be in the National Park district? >>>>> >>>>> Rich >>>>> >>>>> On Mon, Jan 24, 2022 at 6:45 PM Margaret Olson < >>>>> [email protected]> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> Sara, >>>>>> The original map published in the Squirrel was incorrect. This is my >>>>>> fault - I made that map and made a mistake in the GIS. This was brought >>>>>> to >>>>>> my attention in the comments; Alice contacted me and she updated the >>>>>> article with the corrected map. >>>>>> >>>>>> What the updated map shows is that in order to comply we would need >>>>>> to rezone some of the current R1 (single family 2 acre) zone that is >>>>>> within >>>>>> a half mile of the station. Depending on how the regulations shape up >>>>>> after >>>>>> the comment period the town may be facing some difficult choices. >>>>>> >>>>>> On the question of the MBTA station - we also have a bus stop, at >>>>>> Hanscom. We are a bus service town under the draft rules. >>>>>> >>>>>> Margaret >>>>>> >>>>>> On Mon, Jan 24, 2022 at 5:53 PM Sara Mattes <[email protected]> >>>>>> wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>>> Very interesting, and there will be serious push-back. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Note-"That is the message Massachusetts is sending to 175 cities >>>>>>> and suburbs in the Boston area, as a bill passed last year to boost >>>>>>> housing >>>>>>> production begins to take effect >>>>>>> <https://mass.streetsblog.org/2022/01/13/new-state-rule-would-force-suburbs-to-legalize-thousands-of-new-apartments-near-t-stops/> >>>>>>> *.** Almost every jurisdiction in eastern Massachusetts, from the >>>>>>> New Hampshire border to Worcester to the Cape Cod Canal…**”* >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Certainly some serious pressure will and should be placed on State >>>>>>> Reps. once other towns realize the implications. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Lincoln already has grasped the implications. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> For Lincoln, as was shown in a recent article in the *Squirrel,* the >>>>>>> land available, given the map proposed by MAPC and this new >>>>>>> growth initiative (NOT a mandate), the proposed 750 units would have to >>>>>>> fit >>>>>>> into a very small land mass. >>>>>>> In order to reach 750 units, we would need to redevelop with 5-6 >>>>>>> story buildings, at a minimum. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> It simply is not feasible. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> We should all be contacting our current and future State Reps. to >>>>>>> ask their positions, and to explain. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> We have regularly added multi >>>>>>> family housing, including affordable housing to our inventory, and, >>>>>>> I expect we will continue to do so, but not in this manner. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Sara Mattes >>>>>>> >>>>>>> *------* >>>>>>> Sara Mattes >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> On Jan 24, 2022, at 5:29 PM, Lynne Smith <[email protected]> wrote: >>>>>>> >>>>>>> An interesting article for Lincoln. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> https://slate.com/business/2022/01/massachusetts-zoning-apartments-housing-transit.html >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Lynne Smith >>>>>>> 5 Tabor Hill Road >>>>>>> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/5+Tabor+Hill+Road+Lincoln,+MA+01773?entry=gmail&source=g> >>>>>>> Lincoln, MA 01773 >>>>>>> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/5+Tabor+Hill+Road+Lincoln,+MA+01773?entry=gmail&source=g> >>>>>>> 781-258-1175 >>>>>>> Sent from my iPhone >>>>>>> -- >>>>>>> The LincolnTalk mailing list. >>>>>>> To post, send mail to [email protected]. >>>>>>> Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. >>>>>>> Browse the archives at >>>>>>> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. >>>>>>> Change your subscription settings at >>>>>>> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> -- >>>>>>> The LincolnTalk mailing list. >>>>>>> To post, send mail to [email protected]. >>>>>>> Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. >>>>>>> Browse the archives at >>>>>>> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. >>>>>>> Change your subscription settings at >>>>>>> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> -- >>>>>> The LincolnTalk mailing list. >>>>>> To post, send mail to [email protected]. >>>>>> Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. >>>>>> Browse the archives at >>>>>> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. >>>>>> Change your subscription settings at >>>>>> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. >>>>>> >>>>>> -- >>>>> The LincolnTalk mailing list. >>>>> To post, send mail to [email protected]. >>>>> Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. >>>>> Browse the archives at >>>>> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. >>>>> Change your subscription settings at >>>>> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>> The LincolnTalk mailing list. >>>> To post, send mail to [email protected]. >>>> Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. >>>> Browse the archives at >>>> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. >>>> Change your subscription settings at >>>> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. >>>> >>>> -- >>> The LincolnTalk mailing list. >>> To post, send mail to [email protected]. >>> Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. >>> Browse the archives at >>> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. >>> Change your subscription settings at >>> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. >>> >>> -- >> The LincolnTalk mailing list. >> To post, send mail to [email protected]. >> Search the archives at http://lincoln.2330058.n4.nabble.com/. >> Browse the archives at >> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. >> Change your subscription settings at >> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. >> >> -- > The LincolnTalk mailing list. > To post, send mail to [email 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