I support new and more affordable housing in Lincoln, and I’d like to
see most of it in the area of the train station and the Lincoln Mall. I
will therefore be supporting option C at the Special Town Meeting on
December 2.
1) *Options C is the best hope for retaining the retail businesses at
the Mall*. I remember when the roof caved in, and Donelan’s was out of
business for over a year. We missed them terribly. If we even needed a
pint of cream, we had to go out of town. Retail is struggling all over
the country, but I notice that West Concord, (population 7,003
per Census data: ACS 2021) which developed a large apartment complex
near the Nashoba Brook a few years ago, has managed to retain real
retail, not just banks and restaurants. I am hoping that with enough new
housing in the mall area, we also could have a thriving retail center.
2) *History shows that adding new housing enriches the Town.* Change is
always worrisome. When Farrah pond village near where I live was
proposed, the neighbors were violently against it because of traffic.
The traffic has not materialized, and Farrar Pond Village has turned out
to be a wonderful place for Lincoln people to retire. Recently, because
of the cost of housing, it has also attracted families with children to
the extent that they have built a playground. When the town developed
Lincoln Woods, people were aghast; much denser than Farrar Pond Village
and right there in the middle of town. And yet I know someone who works
at Donelan’s who is able to live there, and a friend of mine, who has
MS, is also able to live there to be near her mother. This complex has
definitely given living options to Lincoln people who needed it. The
proposed new housing would again add housing for our children and those
who work here.
3) *Our Agricultural Heritage is safe.* Remember, 40% of the Lincoln is
permanently in conservation. 40%! Those fields will continue to be
farmed by local farmers. Codman farm belongs to the town and will also
remain in perpetuity. The trails we love to walk will always be there.
Adding some higher density housing near the train station will not
affect that.
4) *Do not be fooled by Option E. *Some think that, if we chose Option
E, we can slow down and develop housing at our own pace under the town
meeting process. Most of the towns around us, however, will have
designated large areas as multifamily “by right”. What developer in his
right mind would risk thousands of dollars to take a proposal to town
meeting, only to see it voted down, when he could easily go to the next
town, and develop something by right? The RLF will be unable to
replenish their endowment and revitalize the mall in this new housing
development environment. Please vote to allow the RLF to develop the
mall/housing complex by right. The RLF is a non-profit whose mission is
to assist the town of Lincoln in shaping its land-use destiny. History
has show that they can be trusted to work to the Town’s benefit.
--
Ruth Ann Hendrickson
(She, her)
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