Actually, the HCA gives way more latitude to developers than the proponents of 40b ever dreamed of.
Regardless, we are looking at opportunities to provide true affordability and diversity in housing opportunities, are we not? Would that not argue against everything being in one concentrated area, and 90% being luxury units? Certainly the mall and Lincoln Woods can absorb additional housing. And, The Community Builders have a mission that meets our ambitions, without building 90% luxury units. https://tcbinc.org/ The Community Builders, Inc. - The Power of Home tcbinc.org This is in stark contrast to the developments created by CIVICO. There is a way forward, and it will take a lot more debate and discussion. Sara ------ Sara Mattes > On Nov 16, 2023, at 11:35 PM, Andy Wang <[email protected]> wrote: > > > The argument that the 15% current town requirement is by default better and > provides ‘more’ affordable housing than the 10% HCA requirement is conflating > two concepts, # of available units and Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI) and > is meaningless without also considering density. > > I think what’s missing in the Mall example is that they could build 100 > apartments, by right, which at 10% would be 10 affordable units. Now, if you > they come to town meeting, that density would not be that high, right? > Because of that leverage power people do not want to concede and so they > build at a typical density of the other multi-housing units in town, which is > (~3-10 u/a instead of 15 u/a) because that is what would pass town meeting. > So that’s 20 to 66 units at 15% which leads to 3 to 10 affordable units. > (Note, the numbers here are just illustrative) > > If we care about ACTUAL affordable housing units (i.e places people can live > in), then 10% of a high density development can yield more units than 15% of > a low or moderate density development. Unless you’re building at LEAST 10 > units/acre, having the 10% HCA requirement with 15 units per acre will yield > MORE actual housing units than a 15% requirement with less density. So you > can increase the percentage of units, but unless you also allow them to build > with a higher density, it makes it look better on paper, but in terms of > places people can live, it can actually be worse. > > NOW, if what you’re really worried about is Subsidized Housing Inventory > (SHI), which is what the state uses to measure a community's stock of low-or > moderate-incoming housing, that’s another story. But in that case, you're > more concerned about keeping that % above 10% than providing housing because > that puts communities at risk for 40B development (and if you don’t like HCA > development, you’re really not going to like what developers can do under > 40B). > > Saying that 15% is always better for affordable housing is only looking at > part of the story if you’re not also considering the density of what you’re > taking that 10% or 15% of. It is also a meaningless point if you’re not > going to actually expect development. > > All the ‘E’ alternatives provided by the Lincoln Residents for Housing > Alternatives are set up so that the majority of the land that is re-zoned are > on existing multi-family areas and unlikely to be developed (which is by > design, according to the email from David Cuetos). So in that case, whatever > 10% 15%, 25% of 0 is still 0. > > I have similar criticism of the D options put forward by the HCAWG when > looking at Lincoln North and Battle Farm Road properties. > > I would be open to 20% at Lincoln Station and 80% somewhere else, IF that > somewhere else actually has the potential for development. > > Just my 2 cents. > > - Andy > > On Thu, Nov 16, 2023 at 9:53 PM Karla Gravis <[email protected] > <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: >> The process with Civico for the Winchester development did not take 10 >> years. The first town meeting vote to allow Civico was in the Spring of 2021 >> and the second vote was approved in June 2022. See below. The town may have >> debated for longer what to do with the lot, but the process with the >> developer itself took little more than a year. And they got 67% affordable >> housing! That’s hardly hypothetical. >> >> The Oriole Landing process for 25% affordability took only 9 months. >> >> <IMG_5334.jpg> >> >> <IMG_5335.jpg> >> >> <IMG_5333.jpg> >> >> On Thu, Nov 16, 2023 at 9:01 PM Louis Zipes <[email protected] >> <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: >>> ‘Just last year, thanks to the town meeting process, Winchester was able to >>> negotiate much more affordable housing (67%!), climate protection >>> concessions and a payment to the town.’ >>> >>> Checks notes….after 10 plus years of inaction/stalling/debate, etc. >>> Actually, some articles quote 20 or so years since the property could have >>> been potentially been redeveloped. I will take a minimum 10% now versus a >>> hypothetical 15-20% in the future. >>> >>> Reminder that Lincoln Woods remains affordable through at least 2045. >>> >>> Just one person’s opinion. >>> >>> >>> On Thursday, November 16, 2023, Karla Gravis <[email protected] >>> <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: >>>> I wholeheartedly share the goal of increasing affordable housing. However, >>>> I think the HCA as designed actually constrains our ability to do so. I am >>>> not suggesting we don’t comply, but it’s misguided to think that the HCA >>>> will actually help towards the goal of increasing affordability. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> Currently, the town retains leverage with developers because projects >>>> require town meeting approval. HCA changes to “by right” zoning and we >>>> cannot ask for more than 10% affordability. Just last year, thanks to the >>>> town meeting process, Winchester was able to negotiate much more >>>> affordable housing (67%!), climate protection concessions and a payment to >>>> the town. The town of Winchester was able to get that because the vote >>>> failed at the first town meeting and the developer (Civico) had to make >>>> concessions to get the project passed. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> Once we rezone an area as part of our HCA district, the town meeting >>>> process is gone and our only recourse is to pay developers to “make them >>>> whole”. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> For Oriole Landing, because we already required 15%, the hurdle to get to >>>> 25% affordability was lower than it would be under HCA. Back then, we gave >>>> them a $1M payment for 6 units. Adjusted for inflation (the Greater Boston >>>> CPI index is up 20% since then), the cost per apartment today would be >>>> $200,000. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> If we consider the Mall, which will be zoned for 100 apartments, >>>> increasing affordability from 10% to 25% would cost us $3M if we need to >>>> make the developer whole. The Affordable Housing Trust doesn’t have that >>>> kind of resources. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> It’s naive to think that once we rezone and the developers can build by >>>> right, that we will have any leverage to increase affordable housing. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> On Thu, Nov 16, 2023 at 19:42 Kristen Ferris <[email protected] >>>>>>> <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote: >>>>>>>> I wanted to add my voice to the housing discussion that has been going >>>>>>>> on here over the past few weeks. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Affordable housing is a priority that's been close to my heart since >>>>>>>> moving to Lincoln, and especially as I raise my kids here. I want my >>>>>>>> kids to grow up in a place where they have access to many different >>>>>>>> points of view, backgrounds, life experiences, and identities. I want >>>>>>>> them to live in spaces where they practice empathy and understanding >>>>>>>> across different perspectives daily, and work to deconstruct their >>>>>>>> privilege and build a more just community. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Unfortunately housing policy in our country and in our town has >>>>>>>> historically been a barrier to this – it’s worked to enshrine >>>>>>>> privilege and exacerbate inequality. We’ve chosen to maintain the >>>>>>>> segregation by race and wealth created by redlining and other >>>>>>>> explicitly racist policies through exclusionary zoning. I believe that >>>>>>>> creating denser and more affordable housing in Lincoln is our most >>>>>>>> critical tool to begin to right these historical wrongs, and create >>>>>>>> the kind of town that I want my children to grow up in. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Committing to the rezoning that the HCA requires is an important >>>>>>>> start. But, zoning does not equal housing. As I review the proposals >>>>>>>> on the table at town meeting in a few weeks to create more housing >>>>>>>> density in areas of Lincoln, my most critical criteria will be this: >>>>>>>> will developers come and actually build the housing that each proposal >>>>>>>> allows? The HCAWG has worked hard to develop proposals in the spirit >>>>>>>> of a yes to this question -- and I believe the only clear "yes" is >>>>>>>> Lincoln Station. Rezoning proposals that do not include Lincoln >>>>>>>> Station are far less likely to actually result in more housing. As >>>>>>>> such, in my view, these options don't align with a vote in favor of >>>>>>>> affordable housing. And as has been noted in previous discussions, >>>>>>>> although only 10% of new development is required to be affordable, as >>>>>>>> a town with so many voices in favor of affordable housing, we can >>>>>>>> choose to subsidize a higher percentage as we've done with Oriole >>>>>>>> Landing. But first the additional housing needs to be built -- and it >>>>>>>> likely won't be outside of Lincoln Station. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> I ask too that you consider this criteria as you weigh the options on >>>>>>>> the table. Many towns will try to do as little as possible as they >>>>>>>> comply with the HCA. They will define minimum viable units, they will >>>>>>>> tuck housing into areas that they know will never be developed. I >>>>>>>> don't think this is who we are as a town. I hope that we choose >>>>>>>> instead to use the opportunity the HCA gives us to not just comply >>>>>>>> with zoning but to create housing and moreover to create affordable >>>>>>>> housing, and in doing so, continue to share and build our town with an >>>>>>>> even broader and more diverse community. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Kristen Ferris >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Sent from my iPhone >>>>>> >>>>>>>> -- >>>>>>>> The LincolnTalk mailing list. >>>>>>>> To post, send mail to [email protected] >>>>>>>> <mailto:[email protected]>. >>>>>>>> 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] >> <mailto:[email protected]>. >> 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]. > Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. > Change your subscription settings at > https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. >
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