Precise point! Well conveyed. On Tue, Dec 12, 2023 at 6:18 PM Maureen Malin <maur...@mochuck.com> wrote:
> Totally agree > > Sent from my iPhone > > On Dec 12, 2023, at 8:35 AM, June L Matthews <matth...@mit.edu> wrote: > > > > > > 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 > > > -- > The LincolnTalk mailing list. > To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. > Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/ > . > Change your subscription settings at > https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. > > -- > The LincolnTalk mailing list. > To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org. > 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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