Following up on Sarah P. and Carl's emails - and confirmed by Sara M - Why is it that ONLY Option E - developed by the Alternative Group - aligns with the Historic Society's recommendation? Why can't this variable be eliminated so that ALL options either follow the Historic Society's recommendation - or not? The North Side of Lewis Street will never be the deciding factor given the options as they are now defined. It seems nonsensical that the options differ on North Lewis Street - and that the Town's Working Group and Historical Society hold opposing positions in the options being brought to Town Meeting. If the Working Group *might* consider the Historical Society's recommendations but believe they do not have the time to revise their options - that only reinforces the point often heard - the process is being unnecessarily rushed.
Michael Dembowski Conant Road On Fri, Nov 24, 2023 at 7:49 PM Sara Mattes <[email protected]> wrote: > Hello Carl! > > I am delighted to learn of your interest in the history of the north side > of Lewis St. and its role in the development of the station area. > The town deemed this area of such importance that a report was > commissioned , in collaboration with the Lincoln Historical Society, to > prepare a report for submission for placement of a North Lewis Street > district on the National Historic Register. (see attachment) > The creation of such a district is still on our agenda. > > The development of the station area began in 1869, and these building were > the only commercial buildings for many years. > The area we now call “the mall” did not become available for any > development until the 1960s as it was a part of the Codman estate until > that time. > N. Lewis St. housed pickle factories (Underwood Deviled Ham was one), the > first PO in the area, a small store for provisions and a livery/garage and > a tenement to house workers. > It was the first hub of commerce in Lincoln. > The buildings you see today on the north side of Lewis St. are the only > remaining physical reminders of the turning point in Lincoln’s history. > > While some may call them “ugly,” beauty is in the eye of the beholder and > to those of us who value all of the important reminders of our recent and > distant past in our built environment, north Lewis St. certainly has it's > own unique “beauty.” > > For further information on this development and more of Lincoln’s history, > I commend to you Jack MacLean’s *A Rich Harvest*, available at Something > Special, the Old Town Hall Exchange, the Lincoln Library, and, or course, > the Lincoln Historical Society. > > And, here is a link to a talk, given by Jack MacLean years ago (the video > will date it!), filled with wonderful images of those bygone days. > cloud.castus.tv > <https://cloud.castus.tv/vod/lincoln/video/64d671350ec3e8f899434eb5?page=HOME> > > <https://cloud.castus.tv/vod/lincoln/video/64d671350ec3e8f899434eb5?page=HOME> > <https://cloud.castus.tv/vod/lincoln/video/64d671350ec3e8f899434eb5?page=HOME> > > The question of rezoning is that the potential to bundle all these > properties for redevelopment makes it difficult to pursue historic > protection. > The only tool we have, is the Demolition Delay Bylaw and is of limited > effect. > A developer can simply wait out the year delay, and then proceed. > Without this rezoning , we have an opportunity to pursue strategies for > historic designation, including financial, that we will not have if rezoned. > > As to making a request for exclusion of N.Lewis St., at the Oct. 26 > meeting of the Lincoln Historical Society Board of Directors, it was > determined that a request for exemption of N.Lewis St. from all HCA > proposed options should be made through the Historical Commission and their > representative to the HCAWG. > We met with the HC on Nov. 7 and made this presentation. > > > > To date, the only option that exempts N.Lewis St. from HCA rezoning and > provides a more secure path for historic preservation is Option E. > > > On behalf of all who value the rich history embedded in our built > environment, we thank you for your interest. > > Regards, > Sara Mattes, President > Lincoln Historical Society > > > > > > > > > > > > > ------ > Sara Mattes > > > > > On Nov 24, 2023, at 7:00 AM, Carl Angiolillo <[email protected]> > wrote: > > I love learning new things about town and appreciate Sarah's attachment > with the history of Lewis St. But it also raises a few questions. > > > North Lewis was excluded [from Option E] at the request of the Lincoln > Historical Society since every property on the North side of Lewis is > considered Historical > > First, omitting the historic lots (e.g. the building with the Clark > Gallery, the Food Project building, 14 Lewis, and the Pickle Factory > buildings) seems to make the lots across the street on the south/west side > of Lewis St discontinuous with the rest of the subdistrict. Does that > present a compliance issue for Option E? (I recall the Housing Choice Act > Working Group including a few lots in Options C and D primarily for > continuity reasons.) > > Second, does rezoning a historic building under the HCA reduce it's > protection and if so to what degree? > > Third, did the Lincoln Historical Society (Sara Mattes et al) or anyone > else make a similar request to the Housing Choice Act Working Group to omit > these lots from options C and D and if so what was the reason for including > them anyway? > > Carl > Codman Rd > > P.S. Apologies if these questions have already been answered, I am not > confident I have read all of the emails flying back and forth. > > > > -- > 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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