In full disclosure, I was an Option E supporter. I support development at
the mall and want town residents to have input into the process. I
listened to the planning board meeting Tuesday night. If Option C is
accepted by the town in March, the planning board bylaws are the way the
town has input. Unsurprisingly, the process of creating the guidelines is
confusing. Several times, it was mentioned that the mall is a small space
and we can't have it all. Some worry that if we ask for too much we won't
get any development at all. Creating the guidelines feels a little bit
like guessing/working backwards. From a practical standpoint, it seems
easier to have an actual plan to look at, rather than imagining a future
plan. I could be wrong on specifics but these were the discussion points
that I took home:
--Commercial space will be less than 33%, but an exact number was not
agreed upon.
--A 4 story building(s) is definitely being considered. Not everyone
agreed. Some wanted the town to have more input on whether there should be
a 4th story. Others wanted to use a 4th story as a "Carrot" to get more
affordable housing (although there was disagreement on the percentage); as
in, a developer could apply for a special permit (decided by planning board
I believe) to make a 4th story if more affordable housing was included.
Additional questions:
--Parking is going to be an issue. Will there be enough parking for
commercial customers and residents? The first floor of new buildings might
be parking, since parking likely cannot go underground.
--Space is a major issue. It is hard to understand how everything is going
to fit in. During the meeting it felt like we needed a calculator and a
miniature model of all the things we need to try to fit in. Is that what
an architect does? (This is me editorializing--but it is hard for me to
see how Donelan's is going to fit it).
2 other important points
--There were several comments about making all future meetings hybrid and
recorded. There is a lot of important work to be done over the next 2
months. This seems like a no-brainer.
-- A resident from Lincoln woods commented how much of an impact this would
have on Lincoln Woods residents because of how little space there is. A
tall building would be very close to their buildings. I think we should
take this comment very seriously. I know we want to welcome new residents
who want to live in multifamily housing, but we also have to support and
listen to our current residents of multifamily housing. I also think June
Matthews' post from earlier this week on LT needs be considered as well and
I have re-posted it below.
Laurie Gray
And here is June's post
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
--
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.
