Hi, Lincoln -- I'm writing in a private capacity here. I really appreciate all
the work done to date on the HCA issues; those involved have done a tremendous
amount to create and present development options. And I also think that the
town as a whole -- not simply the Planning Dept, or HCAWG, or RLF/Civico -- has
further development/redevelopment opportunities to explore more fully than the
initial effort suggests. As a resident of Lincoln Woods, the densest
development in the densest part of town, I’m not thrilled with the prospect of
several years of construction disruption, dust, and noise around here. Also not
thrilled with the idea of filling the Mall/Donelan's open space (paved, but
with a greater view of the sky) with high-density building mass, or with the
destruction of habitat, or the nighttime light pollution, or still more
traffic, or the hardening of the Codman Road corridor with dense multi family
housing where none currently exists. (Despite words at Tuesday's Planning Board
meeting about this area not being part of the state's Biosphere 2, there is a
significant wildlife corridor between the huge wetland on 126 and Lincoln Road;
it covers woods, Farm Meadow, and the extensive complex of wetland on either
side of Lincoln Road, and links up with Drumlin Farm via Codman Road. It is
home to deer, coyotes, foxes, fishers, turtles (one 14-inch snapper crossed the
commuter rail lot last summer to lay eggs on the bank behind my townhouse),
owls, turkeys, and myriad smaller fauna.) I know Lincoln needs housing, and I’m
not opposed to building it. But the balance of density and the burden of
disruption needs to be better distributed than the Town’s options allow. And
because I’m one of the middle-income citizens who pays LW’s market-rate rent
but certainly don’t see myself living in a place priced a la Oriole Landing, I
heartily agree with the need for more realistically middle-cost housing. The
redevelopment of Lincoln Woods seems likely to me in the next decade or so.
Currently, the complex has tiered pricing -- 40B, moderate-rate, and
market-rate rents; will the redevelopment of this now privately-owned complex
require the continued inclusion of affordable housing here? The HCA has raised
so many questions, and I think we should address them with deliberation and
openness. In the tree world, fast growth usually produces weak wood and
shortlived trees; slow, steady growth produces dense, durable wood and
well-balanced, long-lived trees. The huge oaks standing at Lincoln Station
exemplify the slow, steady growth I think has stood this town in good stead;
let's aim for that kind of growth, durability, and balance in our planning. Deb
Howe Sent from iCloud
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