I wholly agree with these views, and so too I hope and trust will most of those attending Town Meeting, despite the many posts from a relatively few fellow townspeople in support of alternative E.
Larry Buell Tower Road Get Outlook for iOS<https://aka.ms/o0ukef> ________________________________ From: Lincoln <[email protected]> on behalf of Ruth Ann Hendrickson <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2023 9:01:47 PM To: Listserv, Listserv <[email protected]> Subject: [LincolnTalk] Ruth Ann Hendrickson Supports Option C I support new and more affordable housing in Lincoln, and I’d like to see most of it in the area of the train station and the Lincoln Mall. I will therefore be supporting option C at the Special Town Meeting on December 2. 1) Options C is the best hope for retaining the retail businesses at the Mall. I remember when the roof caved in, and Donelan’s was out of business for over a year. We missed them terribly. If we even needed a pint of cream, we had to go out of town. Retail is struggling all over the country, but I notice that West Concord, (population 7,003 per Census data: ACS 2021) which developed a large apartment complex near the Nashoba Brook a few years ago, has managed to retain real retail, not just banks and restaurants. I am hoping that with enough new housing in the mall area, we also could have a thriving retail center. 2) History shows that adding new housing enriches the Town. Change is always worrisome. When Farrah pond village near where I live was proposed, the neighbors were violently against it because of traffic. The traffic has not materialized, and Farrar Pond Village has turned out to be a wonderful place for Lincoln people to retire. Recently, because of the cost of housing, it has also attracted families with children to the extent that they have built a playground. When the town developed Lincoln Woods, people were aghast; much denser than Farrar Pond Village and right there in the middle of town. And yet I know someone who works at Donelan’s who is able to live there, and a friend of mine, who has MS, is also able to live there to be near her mother. This complex has definitely given living options to Lincoln people who needed it. The proposed new housing would again add housing for our children and those who work here. 3) Our Agricultural Heritage is safe. Remember, 40% of the Lincoln is permanently in conservation. 40%! Those fields will continue to be farmed by local farmers. Codman farm belongs to the town and will also remain in perpetuity. The trails we love to walk will always be there. Adding some higher density housing near the train station will not affect that. 4) Do not be fooled by Option E. Some think that, if we chose Option E, we can slow down and develop housing at our own pace under the town meeting process. Most of the towns around us, however, will have designated large areas as multifamily “by right”. What developer in his right mind would risk thousands of dollars to take a proposal to town meeting, only to see it voted down, when he could easily go to the next town, and develop something by right? The RLF will be unable to replenish their endowment and revitalize the mall in this new housing development environment. Please vote to allow the RLF to develop the mall/housing complex by right. The RLF is a non-profit whose mission is to assist the town of Lincoln in shaping its land-use destiny. History has show that they can be trusted to work to the Town’s benefit. -- Ruth Ann Hendrickson (She, her)
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