It is a false choice to present the issue as one of compliance versus not. There are different ways of complying that do not require giving away the town to developers. Rezoning large swaths of prime area for HCA compliance equates to giving up on the town's longstanding mission of providing truly affordable housing, preserving the environment, and maintaining Lincoln's hard-fought uniqueness. Are we now ready to throw these worthy goals away to compete against other towns to attract developers? Is town-meeting really that onerous when Civico was able to cruise by in just 9 months, coming out with one million dollars in its pocket, at a time when the voting threshold was higher than it would be now? Are we really encouraging town residents to throw away their civic right to decide the future of our town?
I encourage everyone to inform themselves about the proposals that will be put to a vote on December, 2nd. Lincoln Residents for Alternative Housing will be sharing their own proposal with town residents ahead of the HCAWG meeting on the 21st. On Fri, Nov 17, 2023 at 10:56 AM Bob Kupperstein <bobk...@gmail.com> wrote: > This issue isn't affecting Lincoln in a bubble. Almost all cities/towns > affected by the act are likely to comply. > > If Lincoln chooses not to comply: > > - new development would still have to go through the onerous process of > town meeting > - development opportunities in surrounding towns would have much less > process to deal with > - Lincoln would suffer from the penalties on non-compliance, losing out on > significant state-aid > > Given this, I think developers would bypass Lincoln completely, instead > focusing on areas where there is less red-tape and more project certainty. > > And, if that happens, we don't end up with %15+ affordable housing, or %10 > - most likely there would be no new development, thus %0 affordable. > > If we *do comply*, there's no reason to think developers will descend on > Lincoln like predators, given that opportunities will be opening up in most > MBTA-sited cities and towns. We will just be one prospective candidate > among many, with a limited supply of investment capital. And, I would > expect many, if not most localities, will present more attractive > development opportunities than our little town. > > -Bob > > On Fri, Nov 17, 2023 at 10:05 AM ٍSarah Postlethwait <sa...@bayhas.com> > wrote: > >> The HCA was absolutely not written with affordable housing in mind. It >> has ZERO requirements for affordable housing written into it and it caps >> the amount of affordable housing that most towns can require at 10%. >> >> You also have to keep in mind that “affordable income units” are capped >> at 80% of the median area income under HCA. >> >> *Lincoln’s median household income is $145k* >> *80% of Lincoln’s median income is $116k* >> >> The reality is we will be paying developers *millions of dollars* out of >> our affordable housing trust so people who make $100k+ a year can have >> “affordable housing” and live side by side with those who make even more. >> >> Furthermore, Lincoln woods is a perfect example of how a higher >> percentage of lower income, and moderate income housing next to market rate >> units succeeds. Lincoln Woods currently has 72 affordable units and 53 >> Market rate units. That is 53% affordable. And their units are in high >> demand, for this very reason. >> >> So while I agree that some “affordable units” are better than none… it’s >> a far stretch to think that the HCA was designed with affordable housing in >> mind. >> And an even bigger stretch to think this development will promote >> diversity, or give elderly a modest place to downsize into, or be a place >> where the retail employees in Lincoln will be able to call home. >> >> Our affordable housing trust should be dedicated to creating low and >> moderate income housing for those who are truly in need, not wasted on >> padding a developer’s pocket to make an already extremely profitable >> project even more profitable. >> >> Sarah >> >> >> On Fri, Nov 17, 2023 at 9:24 AM Allen Vander Meulen < >> pastorall...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >>> There’s been a lot of discussion about the number of Actual Affordable >>> units in town vs. each development’s impact on the town's SHI. >>> >>> That the number of actual units is less than what the town get’s >>> “credit” for on our SHI is a valid concern, but there are reasons why this >>> is done. >>> >>> For one, it allows a developer or owner to subsidize the affordable >>> units out of the income derived from the development's market rate units - >>> without using public money (beyond any incentives that may have been >>> negotiated with the town at the outset). >>> >>> For another, it encourages “mixed income” developments where individuals >>> and families with a wide range of income levels live together in the same >>> neighborhood. This is far preferable (as supported by numerous studies >>> over the years) to the failed monolithic “projects” of the mid 20th >>> century, which concentrated large numbers of lower income folks into what >>> were often described (rightly) as ghettoes. >>> >>> Lincoln has done a great job over the years of creating affordable >>> housing scattered throughout the town, without creating neighborhoods that >>> are exclusively “affordable” units. Even our largest single bloc of >>> affordable housing, Lincoln Woods, has just 72 Affordable units out of 125 >>> overall. >>> >>> So, while not perfect, the State’s method for handling the SHI does a >>> relatively good job of encouraging the creation of affordable housing using >>> private, rather than public, funds; and ensuring that affordable units are >>> not concentrated in a single area. >>> >>> The HCA was clearly written with these two principles in mind. And, our >>> HCAWG and Town Administration are doing a great job of advocating on the >>> town’s behalf with the State, as well as crafting viable options that meet >>> the HCA’s legal requirements while laying a solid foundation that will >>> support these principles in a way that will respect Lincoln’s history, >>> environment, and traditions, in the decades to come. >>> >>> - Allen Vander Meulen >>> -- >>> 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. >> >> -- > 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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