In agreement: 1) I too support new and affordable housing in Lincoln. I too would like to see the train station and the Lincoln Mall revitalized. I am in strong favor of protecting commercial retail. I remember very well when Donelans roof caved in.... it was horrific for the town and my family shared with you in missing them! 2) In your own words, Supporting Option E is to..... "slow down and develop housing at our own pace under the town meeting process"....THIS sentence makes so much sense to me. I strongly support the Town meeting process. It was put in place for this very reason. Why question it.. especially now with such an impactful vote?
In Disagreement: 2) Voting for option C because of the RLF's "inability to replenish their endowment" is an incredibly weak rationale to vote for option C. Since when do we worry about developers "risking thousands of dollars". Respectfully.... I am not following this rationale (and your worry) over meeting a developers agenda. 3) Everyone in Lincoln is welcome to attend a public info session: Wednesday, November 29th, 7pm ( via zoom) Link is posted on http://www.LincolnHCA.org for further discussion of Option E. I promise, you will be pleasantly surprised. Please join us. 4)Transparency: I do not sit on any town boards or belong to any "special interest groups". Thank you LT for reading! Sincerely,Theresa Kafina On Tuesday, November 28, 2023 at 09:02:08 PM EST, Ruth Ann Hendrickson <raand...@earthlink.net> wrote: 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) -- 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.
