I respectfully disagree. I don't believe the Planning Board can specify the tenants and the terms for a future community center at the Lincoln Mall as the Mall under Options C and D1-D3 will be developed by right and won't require a Town Meeting for a building permit. I am not an attorney, but using google, I did not find any examples of a Town being able to pre-reserve space in a development built by right for the Town's use. If you want the possibility of a community center at the Lincoln Mall, choose Option E.
Peter Buchthal Weston Rd. On Fri, Dec 1, 2023 at 2:53 PM Margaret Olson <s...@margaretolson.com> wrote: > The likelihood or not of the community center at the mall is irrelevant to > which option is chosen. It is equally likely or unlikely with C as with E, > or with any of the D options. > > On Fri, Dec 1, 2023 at 2:38 PM Karla Gravis <karlagra...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> Why would including the Community Center as part of the mall be a >> "project killer"? We could sign a 10/20/30 year lease. Wouldn't a developer >> jump at the chance to have a stable tenant instead of having to deal with >> constant retail turnover? Or is this comment an indictment of the viability >> of any commercial space at the Mall area? >> >> According to the town's economic feasibility study, a developer could >> consider charging ~$3 per sqft in monthly rent. For a 10,000 sqft CC, that >> would mean $360K in yearly rent. Compare that to the town's yearly debt >> service payment of $0.77M - $1.54M for the proposed CC designs. The >> savings come from the fact that public buildings are much more costly to >> build than what private developments cost. >> >> In relation to the argument that the CC cannot be in the mall area >> because of LEAP, there is no need to have LEAP move to the mall. Remodeling >> Pod C (where LEAP is currently hosted) has been estimated at $3.5M. The >> non-LEAP portion of the community center designs being put to vote will be >> costing the town $12.5M - $21.5M. If the annual cost of the community >> center is $360k instead of $1M+, there will surely be some left to renovate >> LEAP. >> >> To be clear, this is not Civico's plan for the mall. If Option C is >> chosen, this synergistic combination will likely not happen. However, with >> Option E, this could very much be part of the project presented to the >> Town. We could tap TCB (The Community Builders - pun intended) to build a >> community center and truly affordable housing. >> >> >> >>> >>> On Fri, Dec 1, 2023 at 12:47 Paul Shorb <paul.sh...@gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>>> 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. >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>> 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. >> >> -- > 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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