The CCBC has an FAQ linked here <https://lincolncommunitycenter.com/2022/11/11/why-would-the-community-center-be-on-the-hartwell-campus/> that explains why the community center should be located at Hartwell campus (as the Town has voted to approve multiple times) rather than at the Mall.
Putting a community center at the Town center would be much more expensive, if it could be accomplished at all. As I noted in another post just now, shared spaces are efficient, since (A) seniors tend to use the facilities in the day and (B) school children do so in the later afternoon, walking from the school buildings to participate in Lincoln's Parks & Rec programs or LEAP. Building a separate community center at the town center would still leave the town with the need to renovate the spaces that would remain at Hartwell; I have heard the estimate of about $3.5 million for each of three pods at Hartwell. Also, I'm not sure how a community center at the Town center could actually be achieved. The Town center does not have sufficient available Town-owned space to build a community center. You therefore suggested including the Community Center as a required accessory use in the development of a future residential project at Lincoln Station. However, despite the rosy theory provided by your urban planning contact, that sounds like a project-killer to me. Dealing with climate change is a big motivator for me. That pushes me in the direction of Option C, much more than getting a community center somehow forced into a future development of the Mall. If I'm right that "required accessory use" would be a project-killer, then we would thus not only fail to get a community center built there, but also fail to get the Mall redeveloped with higher-density near the rail stop and shopping, which would be the biggest potential climate win here. Paul Shorb (a member of the RLF Board but expressing my personal views here) On Fri, 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 > > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > 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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