On Dec 13, 2023, at 11:47 PM, Laurie Gray <lbg...@gmail.com> wrote:
In full disclosure, I was an Option E supporter. I support
development at the mall and want town residents to have input
into the process. I listened to the planning board meeting
Tuesday night. If Option C is accepted by the town in March,
the planning board bylaws are the way the town has input.
Unsurprisingly, the process of creating the guidelines is
confusing. Several times, it was mentioned that the mall is a
small space and we can't have it all. Some worry that if we
ask for too much we won't get any development at all.
Creating the guidelines feels a little bit like
guessing/working backwards. From a practical standpoint, it
seems easier to have an actual plan to look at, rather than
imagining a future plan. I could be wrong on specifics but
these were the discussion points that I took home:
--Commercial space will be less than 33%, but an exact number
was not agreed upon.
--A 4 story building(s) is definitely being considered. Not
everyone agreed. Some wanted the town to have more input on
whether there should be a 4th story. Others wanted to use a
4th story as a "Carrot" to get more affordable housing
(although there was disagreement on the percentage); as in, a
developer could apply for a special permit (decided by planning
board I believe) to make a 4th story if more affordable housing
was included.
Additional questions:
--Parking is going to be an issue. Will there be enough
parking for commercial customers and residents? The first
floor of new buildings might be parking, since parking likely
cannot go underground.
--Space is a major issue. It is hard to understand how
everything is going to fit in. During the meeting it felt like
we needed a calculator and a miniature model of all the things
we need to try to fit in. Is that what an architect does?
(This is me editorializing--but it is hard for me to see how
Donelan's is going to fit it).
2 other important points
--There were several comments about making all future meetings
hybrid and recorded. There is a lot of important work to be
done over the next 2 months. This seems like a no-brainer.
-- A resident from Lincoln woods commented how much of an
impact this would have on Lincoln Woods residents because of
how little space there is. A tall building would be very close
to their buildings. I think we should take this comment very
seriously. I know we want to welcome new residents who want to
live in multifamily housing, but we also have to support and
listen to our current residents of multifamily housing. I also
think June Matthews' post from earlier this week on LT needs be
considered as well and I have re-posted it below.
Laurie Gray
And here is June's post
My Turn: Please think further about HCA Options C and E
While I was patiently waiting in line at Town Meeting to speak
on the HCA question in support of Option E I looked through my
notes to decide what I might try to fit into my two minutes. I
never got a chance to speak, but the item that I was going to
mention first was CARS! If the allowed number of housing units
were built in the Mall area, we could have 1,000 more cars!
That number boggles my mind. It is disingenuous to think that
people would move there in order to live without a car. Sure,
you wouldn't need one to go to the Post Office or buy
groceries, or to commute by rail to Waltham/Cambridge/Boston if
that is where your job is, but what about other destinations,
e.g. the Library, the Schools (to pick up children)? Or ...
the new Community Center, which our town in its infinite wisdom
has decided to build at a location accessible only by car? No,
singles will have one car, most couples will have two. In
addition to congestion and traffic, which have not been
adequately studied, there will be more impact on town
infrastructure, noise and light pollution, more pavement
(driveways and parking), fewer trees, and possible impact on
wildlife movement. Lincoln Station is already the most densely
populated area of Town: is it fair to ask those residents to
assume the entire burden of additional housing? Also, it is
the most diverse: if one stands on Lincoln Road at the
entrance to the Mall, one can see the Lincoln Woods apartments,
Ryan Estate (62+), the Ridge Court ("Flying Nun") apartments,
and at a slightly farther distance, the Greenridge (where I
live) and Todd Pond condominiums. Each of these properties has
its own architectural style, but somehow they all fit together
into the character and ethos of Lincoln. (And none of the
buildings are taller than the trees!) They serve a diverse
range of ages and income levels, a diversity which I believe
that the town embraces. Although I realize that only a small
fraction of Lincoln's land area is being considered for
rezoning, this is an important area - not only to those of us
who live nearby but to everyone who passes through en route to
or from their residences.
When I moved to Lincoln 30+ years ago I did so on account of
its semi-rural, small-town nature, its open space, farmland,
conservation land, and trails. Let's not compromise these
aspects by granting carte blanche to a developer to build by
right whatever he chooses. Any fraction of Lincoln's unique
character that we cede will be lost; we cannot, nor can future
generations, get it back.
June Matthews
35 Greenridge Lane
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