Friends and neighbors: Following the Dec. 2 Town Meeting I wrote a piece which
I hoped would appear in the "My Turn" section of the Lincoln Squirrel. Due to
an oversight it did not, although an excerpt just appeared in an Addendum to
the collection of comments from other residents (Thank you, Alice). FYI, I
include my complete submission below.
June Matthews
My Turn: Please think further about HCA Options C and E
While I was patiently waiting in line at Town Meeting to speak on the HCA
question in support of Option E I looked through my notes to decide what I
might try to fit into my two minutes. I never got a chance to speak, but the
item that I was going to mention first was CARS! If the allowed number of
housing units were built in the Mall area, we could have 1,000 more cars! That
number boggles my mind. It is disingenuous to think that people would move
there in order to live without a car. Sure, you wouldn't need one to go to the
Post Office or buy groceries, or to commute by rail to Waltham/Cambridge/Boston
if that is where your job is, but what about other destinations, e.g. the
Library, the Schools (to pick up children)? Or ... the new Community Center,
which our town in its infinite wisdom has decided to build at a location
accessible only by car? No, singles will have one car, most couples will have
two. In addition to congestion and traffic, which have not been adequately
studied, there will be more impact on town infrastructure, noise and light
pollution, more pavement (driveways and parking), fewer trees, and possible
impact on wildlife movement. Lincoln Station is already the most densely
populated area of Town: is it fair to ask those residents to assume the entire
burden of additional housing? Also, it is the most diverse: if one stands on
Lincoln Road at the entrance to the Mall, one can see the Lincoln Woods
apartments, Ryan Estate (62+), the Ridge Court ("Flying Nun") apartments, and
at a slightly farther distance, the Greenridge (where I live) and Todd Pond
condominiums. Each of these properties has its own architectural style, but
somehow they all fit together into the character and ethos of Lincoln. (And
none of the buildings are taller than the trees!) They serve a diverse range
of ages and income levels, a diversity which I believe that the town embraces.
Although I realize that only a small fraction of Lincoln's land area is being
considered for rezoning, this is an important area - not only to those of us
who live nearby but to everyone who passes through en route to or from their
residences.
When I moved to Lincoln 30+ years ago I did so on account of its semi-rural,
small-town nature, its open space, farmland, conservation land, and trails.
Let's not compromise these aspects by granting carte blanche to a developer to
build by right whatever he chooses. Any fraction of Lincoln's unique character
that we cede will be lost; we cannot, nor can future generations, get it back.
June Matthews
35 Greenridge Lane
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