I am glad this issue has finally been partially addressed, although there is more that needs to be done. For those of you who are curious, this problem was identified by the LRHA and described in two videos I posted to YouTube over the last couple months. The videos describe the issue and how to fix it.
Shorter video: https://youtu.be/OQBtwTW7Uow Longer video: https://youtu.be/mqXo4TPw3MI However, the problem of overbuilding is not fully addressed. The override option does not fully address the wetlands overbuilding issue, and town lands remain among the selected parcels, implying that we are still rezoning land that counts zero towards HCA compliance. The potential development under options C and D still far exceeds the quoted statistics. More information can be found at LincolnHCA.org > For those who enjoy a granular look at how the numbers work, here is > additional information from Utile: > Wetlands Calculation Explanation: You will notice in this iteration of our > calculations <https://www.lincolntown.org/DocumentCenter/View/85300> that > there has been a change in the relationship between the units/acre cap > (which has generally been lowered) and the modeled unit capacity (which has > generally stayed the same or increased slightly). This is because we have > implemented an override option in the compliance model spreadsheet that > alters the way open space and wetland deductions are handled. We learned of > this override after seeking advice from the State on how to better address > Lincoln's unique wetland constraints and get the model to more accurately > account for them. Below is an explanation of how this "wetland open space > override" works. The default of the model is to first subtract all > undevelopable wetland area (excluded land in the State model), and then > subtract an additional 20% of total lot area for open space to approximate > the impact of setbacks on maximum building footprint as well as any lot > area needed to meet parking requirements. With the "wetland open space > override" we have implemented, the compliance model spreadsheet is now > allowing wetland area to count towards that 20% open space requirement, > which more accurately represents the actual development potential of > Lincoln properties that have significant wetland area. To provide an > example, 140 Lincoln Rd (Ryan Estates) under the default model calculation > method is handled as follows: 85% of the land area is subtracted because it > is undevelopable (excluded) wetland area, then an additional 20% of the > land area is subtracted for the minimum open space requirement leaving no > developable area and therefore no modeled unit capacity. With the "wetland > open space override" implemented, the model calculation is handled as > follows: the model assesses which is greater - the excluded wetland area or > the 20% minimum open space requirement - it then subtracts whichever is > greater, in the case of 140 Lincoln Rd the excluded wetland area (85%) is > greater, so it subtracts that 85% from the total lot area leaving 15% as > developable land for parking and building yielding a unit capacity of 87 > units under the original 18 units/acre cap for this district. We were then > able to reduce the units/acre cap to 11 units/acre which caps the maximum > number of units on this lot to exactly 87. > Units per Acre Cap Explanation: The units per acre maximum written into > each subdistrict’s zoning is a hard cap with which developers and property > owners will have to comply. The units per acre zoning parameter does not > specify unit size, so it will allow for a range of unit sizes. However, the > maximum allowable number of units will remain constrained by the size of > the property multiplied by the units per acre cap. > Interpreting Modeled Unit Capacity Numbers: For those who have been > working in the State Compliance Model Spreadsheet or have been speaking to > people who have, you may be focused on the difference between four numbers > provided in the "summary" tab of that spreadsheet: Modeled Unit Capacity > vs. Dwelling Units per Acre Limit vs. Max Units per Lot Limit vs. Final > Unit Capacity per District. The number you should be focused on is the > Final Unit Capacity per District, which includes all the zoning > constraints. The other unit capacity numbers shown reflect the application > of specific constraints that are applied cumulatively to arrive at the > overall modeled unit capacity. Here are a series of slides < > https://www.lincolntown.org/DocumentCenter/View/85304> that show those > relationships.
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