Thank you for reminding us about this fact Ben. I am really puzzled as to why people seem to think Lincoln is just homes for the wealthy. The number of condos here is huge. Maybe people are unaware of their existence because they are all (except Lincoln Woods) located on roads that you would not travel down if you did not live in the condo complex. Moreover, the complexes are not visible from the main roads. But they are there. And there are a lot of them.
--Debra On Fri, Nov 17, 2023 at 1:40 PM Benjamin Shiller <[email protected]> wrote: > I get the concern about growing up privileged and isolated. However, I am > not sure the HCA gets at the root cause. 40% of Lincoln’s housing units > are multifamily. It would seem that the issue is not the amount of > multifamily housing, but apparently a lack of intermingling, which would > suggest a different policy response. > > > > [image: image.png] > > > 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 > > > > > Ben > -- > 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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