How do you know what Civico wants? You don’t.
On Dec 1, 2023, at 12:21 PM, ٍSarah Postlethwait <sa...@bayhas.com> wrote:
The main reason Civico is insisting the village center be included in the HCA rezoning is so they can’t be required to have more than 10% affordable housing… so how will that add equitable diverse housing in Lincoln? If they had intentions to actually add real affordable housing, they would have no issue with separating the village center rezoning from the very unrestrictive HCA rezoning. By having the village center rezoning be a different warrant article, the town can require affordable housing for families who earn less than ~$120k a year/ 80% of the median income; and we can ensure more than 10% of the units are reserved as affordable. Plus we save a significant amount of our limited “affordable housing trust” funds by doing that, so truly affordable housing can be built with it.
It’s a win, win, win scenario. Separating the village center rezoning from the HCA won’t even require a supermajority at town meeting. Even rezoning outside of the HCA near the MBTA only needs a simple majority 51% now. That's a pretty easy hurdle to pass if the village center is presented with a reasonable UPA/ affordable housing requirement and percentage. The RLF has done some great things for Lincoln- but they can’t promise the next owner(s) will have the same purpose. The RLF have stated multiple times in public meetings they plan to sell to a developer in the near future. And that developer will likely sell within a couple years once construction is finished. Why wouldn’t we have it set in stone, rather than just crossing our fingers and hoping they have good intentions? The only way to truly ensure affordable housing will be built is to separate the “village center” into a separate rezoning warrant at March Town meeting. The only way to do that is to vote for Option E. Sarah Postlethwait Lewis St The current draft of the bylaws for the Village Center District is tailored to meet a developer’s (Civico) wishes rather than the Town’s general interest. A majority of the Planning Board has so far supported that approach. There is no reason to believe that the imbalance of power will change after Saturday. If options C-D are chosen, the Town would be forced to decide between approving a set of disagreeable Village Center bylaws or reject HCA rezoning altogether. It is obvious in that scenario we would be dosed with a heavy ration of “approve this or the State will sue us” like we have seen so far in public presentations from the HCAWG. HCA and Mall rezoning need not be coupled. Vote E to retain control. Vote E if you are unsure what is the best approach and you want more time to consider. To recap, these are the concerning bylaws: If the Mall is not developed under HCA, more than 10% affordable units could be required, as Lincoln has historically done. It gets even worse. There is a clause in the planned bylaws that would allow developers to skirt the 10% HCA affordable housing requirement by making a donation to the Town’s Affordable Housing Trust. No units would be reserved for households with an income lower than 80% of the median (~$120k for a family of four). There are minimal requirements for commercial space. The requirements discussed could be easily gamed by a developer. The RLF Chair admitted at the Community Forum of Nov. 8 that commercial space would likely decrease. Under HCA there is no possible requirement for commercial parking space. Residents could not be able to visit the Mall like they do today. There are no floor area or lot coverage ratios. This means lots can be clear-cut to maximize build-out, increasing the amount of impervious surface and reducing tree-cover . The draft bylaw discussed on the 20th allows a maximum 4 stories and height of 48' for buildings located 100 ft or more from the road. This is inconsistent with all public communications from the HCAWG, which set the limit at 3 stories and a height of 42’. Most concerning of all, the Planning Board would reserve the right to provide height, story, and density variances through a special permit. This would essentially render moot the discussion the Town is expected to have regarding the District’s proper bylaws, including number of units. This is an unprecedented clause in Lincoln’s history.
Most house lots in town are zoned for by-right single-family housing. You can’t build just any house on these lots, however. The building is governed by side lot and front lot setbacks and by height, wetland and septic restrictions, among others.
Similarly, the new zoning for by right multi family housing/retail will restrict the possibilities for buildings. The planning board is in the process of developing new bylaws. Right now they disagree among themselves. Their continuing discussions will be held in public, and also be guided by input from the public through public hearings. Eventually, they will propose new bylaws that will be voted up or down by the Town Meeting. This is the process that will eventually limit what developers can build on these new by-right zoned properties for multi-family/retail developments. In this way, the Town will continue to have control over what is developed.
Ruth Ann Hendrickson
(She, her, hers)
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