As a recently-retired member of the Planning Board and Housing Choice Act Working Group, I am concerned that the three options presented last Saturday at the SOTT - and the plan to choose just one of those options at a multi-board meeting on October 10th - will restrict Town Meeting to merely rubber-stamping the HCAWG's decision. And the HCAWG's decision will reflect its embedded priorities that may differ from what town meeting would choose if we are given more options. I therefore think it is crucial for the HCAWG to submit several options to the state for advisory opinions prior to Town Meeting. All options should be presented to Town Meeting for debate and vote.
I'd like to expand on some of the points made - and some of the points omitted - by the presenters at last Saturday's SOTT meeting. 1. About 35% of the town's residences are currently multi-family (not including Hanscom Field, see list below). Most folks are surprised when they hear this. Lincoln has done an outstanding job allowing multi-family living while maintaining our rural character. With full build-out under the HCA, multi-family housing will approach 50% of the town's inventory. 2. State guidelines for the HCA provide a mechanism for towns to get credit for existing multifamily housing. Towns are free to locate HCA-compliant subdistricts in areas that currently have high residential density. These subdistricts will help us meet our "quota," even though it is very unlikely these areas will be redeveloped. 3. An evaluation of the various options requires consideration of the likelihood that redevelopment will actually occur. Existing condo developments would require consent of the owners to redevelop, with the particular procedures laid out in the condominiums' organizational documents. If condo owners don't want redevelopment to happen, it won't happen. Existing apartment buildings (e.g., Oriole Landing) owned by a single entity would only require a decision by that entity and would depend on their analysis of whether an increase in density would justify the cost of redevelopment. On the other hand, rezoning single family homes on Conant Road as shown in options A,B, and C from the HCAWG would likely result in rapid redevelopment, as owners on Conant Road take advantage of the jump in value that would result from the increase in development potential. 4. State guidelines require that only 20% of the HCA-compliant district be located in the vicinity of the commuter rail station. The other 80% can be anywhere in town. However, the HCAWG eliminated consideration of the Farrar Pond and Lincoln Ridge condos as "too far from any amenities and public transit." See link below to p. 17 of SOTT slide deck. This area could be used as part of our plan for compliance; the HCAWG's decision to eliminate consideration of this area reflects their prioritization of access to public transit and goes beyond what the state requires. Similarly, the Commons/Oriole Landing area was removed from consideration by the HCAWG because it is "not walkable to any public transit or public amenities." See p. 20 of SOTT slide deck. Instead, the HCAWG has proposed placing 100% of the district in Lincoln Station (option C) or adding to option C additional subdistricts in North Lincoln so that the total development potential greatly exceeds what is necessary for compliance. 5. The HCAWG should consider other ways of splitting the HCA district. The current option C fully complies with the HCA by allowing development only within the Lincoln Station area. If compliance with state law is our objective, options A and B are less appealing because they needlessly add to option C more development potential elsewhere in town. Among the three options, C is the obvious choice for most residents because it minimally complies with the HCA. But the Town deserves a chance to vote on other options that do not exceed the HCA's requirements. Three options that would make sense are: - Place the entire district at Lincoln Station (current option C) - Place most of the district at Lincoln Station and some of the district elsewhere. - Place some of the district at Lincoln Station and most of the district elsewhere. For all options, the details should be worked out for minimal compliance with the HCA, giving Lincoln residents maximum control over future land use decisions. It's worth noting that the HCA does allow, on a discretionary basis, subdistrict boundaries that do not match parcel boundaries. This may provide the Town with additional flexibility it needs to comply with, but not exceed, the HCA's requirements. Residents deserve a meaningful, democratic chance to choose the level of development they want in the Lincoln Station area. Due to the limited set of options that were presented, I don't think the survey taken at the SOTT is a good indicator of the will of the town. Surprisingly, the HCAWG did not propose an option where some development allowed elsewhere in Town is used to reduce the development allowed at Lincoln Station. All three of their options allow more than 400 units of additional development in the Lincoln Station area. That is an extreme increase compared to what currently exists in the area. See p. 40 of SOTT slide deck. My goal in writing this post is to encourage the HCAWG to give our Town Meeting the respect and deference to which it is entitled. This is a hugely important matter for the Town and we can move forward together only if Town Meeting has a meaningful role as the decisionmaker. Please attend the October 10th multi-board meeting to share your thoughts. Best regards to all, Bob Domnitz SOTT slide deck: Follow link found in https://www.lincolntown.org/1327/Housing-Choice-Act-Working-Group Existing multifamily housing in Lincoln (not including Hanscom housing): The Commons Oriole Landing Battle Road Farms Minuteman Commons Lincoln Woods Greenridge Condos "Flying Nun" apartments Ridge Road apartments Ridge Road Condos Todd Pond Condos Farrar Pond Condos Lincoln Ridge Condos Ryan Estate Accessory Apartments in Single Family Homes Miscellaneous (Scattered sites under Housing Comm.)
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