There are already 4 story buildings being proposed at the mall to be able
to fit the 100 units Civico is insisting on… the only way the mall could
add a community center is if another floor was added, making it 5 stories.

At what point do we say that’s enough?

Sarah Postlethwait
Lewis Street

On Fri, Dec 1, 2023 at 11:53 AM Margaret Olson <s...@margaretolson.com>
wrote:

> There is nothing that would prevent the RLF from providing or preserving
> the option of community center space.  And, since it would likely be a
> long-term lease arrangement, it would spread the cost over the life of the
> lease with the upfront construction costs borne by the developer.
>
> On Fri, Dec 1, 2023 at 10:44 AM Lynne Smith <ly...@smith.net> wrote:
>
>> Option E is the only HCA option that would allow us to think about
>> including the Community Center at the Mall.
>>
>> Lynne Smith
>> 5 Tabor Hill Road
>> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/5+Tabor+Hill+Road+Lincoln,+MA+01773?entry=gmail&source=g>
>> Lincoln, MA 01773
>> <https://www.google.com/maps/search/5+Tabor+Hill+Road+Lincoln,+MA+01773?entry=gmail&source=g>
>> cell:  781-258-1175
>> ly...@smith.net
>>
>>
>>
>> On Dec 1, 2023, at 8:53 AM, Jane Appell <jappell...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Ken,
>>
>> You make a great point. The community center and housing zoning came up
>> at different times as separate issues. But,  For good planning and to
>> provide the most benefit to the town as we would like to see it, it makes
>> sense to look at them both together while we have the chance.
>>
>> Jane
>>
>>
>> Jane Appell, Ph.D.
>> Sent from my iPad
>>
>> On Dec 1, 2023, at 7:54 AM, Ken Hurd <kenh...@keha.com> wrote:
>>
>> Hello LincolnTalkers,
>> With apologies for expressing yet again my strongly held opinion as an
>> architect concerned with what we build in Lincoln, I want to remind
>> everyone why I and many others believe we should not build a community
>> center on the school campus.  I still believe it should be located in
>> Lincoln Station, particularly now that our small commercial area is in play
>> because of the Housing Choice Act.
>>
>> As I wrote last year, "I fully support building a new facility, but it
>> has long been my opinion that such a major investment by the town should be
>> deployed where it is most needed - namely in the Lincoln Station area.  For
>> more than ten years since Town Meeting approved the Comprehensive Long
>> Range Plan, in which the revitalization of Lincoln Station was
>> overwhelmingly one of the highest priorities, the area has lain dormant and
>> in serious need of a catalyst to jumpstart its transformation into the
>> compact, vital, walkable village center that was a stated goal at the
>> time.  A community center in such a location would be the equivalent of an
>> anchor store in a retail setting, and by virtue of attracting more people
>> on a regular basis, it would create more opportunities for a clustered
>> cross-current of activities spawning greater social interaction."
>>
>> As many will recall at last year’s Town Meeting, there was serious
>> concern about the cost to build it, and I am of the opinion that there are
>> better ways to accomplish this than spending anywhere from $18 to $24
>> million of taxpayer money to do so.  As was recently suggested to me by an
>> experienced urban planner, why not include the Community Center as a
>> required accessory use in the development of a future residential
>> project at Lincoln Station?
>>
>> As he said, “With clear program requirements and project parameters to
>> guide the design of a new project, developers can be very efficient in
>> realizing a good project on time and within budget.” Moreover, “It would
>> be a plus to any potential developer's proforma to have a confirmed tenant
>> (assuming COA long-term lease) for … an active community use in purposely
>> designed ground level space. This strategy would minimize the cost to
>> Lincoln upfront financing for design and construction, replace public
>> project inefficiencies with professional development expertise, and as such
>> the new Community Center facility may be more affordable to the town's
>> stressed taxpayers."
>>
>> As I also wrote last year, I believe  it would constitute the classic
>> suburban planning error to create a new facility that stands alone at the
>> school and, like the suburban mall, accessible only by car.  In addition,
>> because of school protocols, there would be very limited inter-generational
>> co-mingling until after school hours, if at all.  And, even if there
>> weren’t a greater  awareness about the effects of climate change, wouldn’t
>> it make far more sense to locate a community center where there are already
>> other crucial services such as the post office, grocery store, cleaners, a
>> cafe and restaurant, not to mention the potential for more housing?
>>
>> Earlier this week I wrote the Selects about including an option to vote
>> for “None of the Above” at tomorrow’s Town Meeting.  Absent any response, I
>> plan to vote for Option 3 ($12.5 million project cost) that has already
>> been characterized as not sufficient to provide services comparable to what
>> we already have at Bemis.
>>
>> Please join me in rejecting the more expensive options 1 and 2 in order
>> to redirect our efforts to take advantage of this moment in time to be far
>> more creative, innovative and holistic in how we design and fund a
>> Community Center that can also help transform Lincoln Station to its full
>> potential as a truly vital, walkable village center.  Remember,
>>
>>       we humans *shape our environments* at a moment in time,
>> and *then they shape us* for decades to come.
>>
>> Respectfully,
>> Ken Hurd
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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