Re: [LincolnTalk] Why Lincoln should overlay HCA zoning over existing multi-family districts

[Kathleen Lomatoski]

Thanks for the thoughts. MA certainly has a dark history. Exclusions of many sorts (including housing-related) are a stunning part of that story. I wanted to offer that the residents’ group who’ve been working on viable alternatives to the HCA compliant models the appointed town working group have proposed are committed to creating a higher % of affordable housing units than the HCA law permits (which is 10%.) Such a commitment might well support some individuals/families of middle and lower incomes that need housing while adding to Lincoln’s affordable housing, increasing diversity in our community, and encouraging use of non-fossil fuel models of transit.  In my opinion, these goals can be achieved while preserving some semblance of the small Town character.Kathleen Lomatoski klomato...@gmail.comOn Nov 7, 2023, at 5:23 PM, Bob Kupperstein  wrote:On Tue, Nov 7, 2023 at 3:40 PM Scott Clary  wrote:We all have the ability to not open these emails and use our delete button.I have not witnessed any personal attacks or toxicity regarding the HCA issue.Perhaps, but I have seen a lot of posts telling us what will happen if x-and-y is passed, including some pretty extreme numbers.   Unless someone has a crystal ball, none of us knows what will happen.  We can say what might happen, what we think is likely to happen, what could happen, etc., but not what will happen.Why would anyone be opposed to the ultimate form of democracy - town meeting - two-thirds majority vote which has been the norm for Lincoln for many years now. The townspeople have most always gotten it right. Should not the majority have the final say?...Well, our town and our region is extremely segregated along racial and economic lines, as well as in the range of housing options -  which is what prompted the HCA.   The high threshold of a two-thirds majority helps perpetuate the same exclusionary policies.   The concept of maintaining the character of the town can be well-meaning, but can also be code for resisting any change and keeping others out.   That argument has been used over and over again as a way to resist integration.   Lincoln already has a very large percentage of its open space already protected, so this isn't really about that.Respectfully, -BobKind Regards,Scott Clary617-968-5769Sent from a mobile device - please excuse typos and errors    On Mon, Nov 6, 2023, 8:49 PM Tricia Thornton-Wells  wrote:It’s been very hard to read message after message of people accusing others of trying to ruin this town.  I’m really very sad and tired of hearing it all. 1. At the last town meeting, people told the RLF their renderings were too generic and asked them to put together renderings that were more specific to what they envisioned being developed.  So, trying to be responsive to these requests, they are putting together renderings of what is currently conceived. Of course these are going to be hypothetical!  That doesn’t mean they are acting in bad faith, putting forth a lie. I personally do not believe they are operating in bad faith. Do they have a vested interest in making sure *something* moves forward?  Yes, of course. That doesn’t mean they are willing to go along with something they think will be bad for the town? No. Fundamentally, I believe people who volunteer their time and money to an organization like RLF love this town and want good things for it. 2-3. The upcoming vote will determine whether a majority of the town (most of whom are not on this increasingly toxic echo chamber) believes the Lincoln Station area, owned by RLF, should be allowed to pursue development with more freedom to negotiate than they have now—something that would be profitable, because of increased density, and that could also be a great benefit to the town. I personally believe the RLF has good intent and will work with a developer to build such a space. I also believe that keeping the Mall space as-is is a recipe for commercial/economic failure. I also believe we can be a (small) part of the solution to increasing housing stock in the Boston metro area. Why is everyone so afraid and so convinced that *any* and all change will be bad? We all do the best we can under the circumstances, which are *not* the same circumstances as 20 or 40 years ago.  Please, let’s stop resisting every single thing and have a reasonable conversation about how to move forward based on today, here, in Lincoln in 2023. We all love Lincoln, or we wouldn’t be here. Sincerely,Tricia Thornton-Wells112 Trapelo RdOn Nov 6, 2023, at 6:29 PM, Peter Buchthal  wrote:At the previous planning/hcawg meeting of October 24th, we learned that RLF is planning to hire a consultant to draw potential renderings of a new Lincoln Mall and present them to the town at some point.   It is really hard for town residents to evaluate the potential impact of the proposed changes to  the Lincoln Mall zoning without a detailed 

Re: [LincolnTalk] Why Lincoln should overlay HCA zoning over existing multi-family districts

[Bob Kupperstein]

On Tue, Nov 7, 2023 at 3:40 PM Scott Clary  wrote:

> We all have the ability to not open these emails and use our delete button.
>
> I have not witnessed any personal attacks or toxicity regarding the HCA
> issue.
>

Perhaps, but I have seen a lot of posts telling us what *will* happen if
x-and-y is passed, including some pretty extreme numbers.   Unless someone
has a crystal ball, none of us knows what *will* happen.  We can say what
*might* happen, what we think is *likely* to happen, what *could* happen,
etc., but not what *will* happen.

>
> Why would anyone be opposed to the ultimate form of democracy - town
> meeting - two-thirds majority vote which has been the norm for Lincoln for
> many years now. The townspeople have most always gotten it right. Should
> not the majority have the final say?
> ...
>

Well, our town and our region is extremely segregated along racial and
economic lines, as well as in the range of housing options -  which is what
prompted the HCA.   The high threshold of a two-thirds majority helps
perpetuate the same exclusionary policies.   The concept of *maintaining
the character of the town *can be well-meaning, but can also be code for
resisting any change and keeping others out.   That argument has been used
over and over again as a way to resist integration.

Lincoln already has a very large percentage of its open space already
protected, so this isn't really about that.

Respectfully,

-Bob

Kind Regards,
>
> Scott Clary
> 617-968-5769
>
> Sent from a mobile device - please excuse typos and errors
>
> On Mon, Nov 6, 2023, 8:49 PM Tricia Thornton-Wells <
> triciathorntonwe...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> It’s been very hard to read message after message of people accusing
>> others of trying to ruin this town.  I’m really very sad and tired of
>> hearing it all.
>>
>> 1. At the last town meeting, people told the RLF their renderings were
>> too generic and asked them to put together renderings that were more
>> specific to what they envisioned being developed.  So, trying to be
>> responsive to these requests, they are putting together renderings of what
>> is currently conceived. Of course these are going to be hypothetical!  That
>> doesn’t mean they are acting in bad faith, putting forth a lie. I
>> personally do not believe they are operating in bad faith. Do they have a
>> vested interest in making sure *something* moves forward?  Yes, of course.
>> That doesn’t mean they are willing to go along with something they think
>> will be bad for the town? No. Fundamentally, I believe people who volunteer
>> their time and money to an organization like RLF love this town and want
>> good things for it.
>>
>> 2-3. The upcoming vote will determine whether a majority of the town
>> (most of whom are not on this increasingly toxic echo chamber) believes the
>> Lincoln Station area, owned by RLF, should be allowed to pursue development
>> with more freedom to negotiate than they have now—something that would be
>> profitable, because of increased density, and that could also be a great
>> benefit to the town. I personally believe the RLF has good intent and will
>> work with a developer to build such a space. I also believe that keeping
>> the Mall space as-is is a recipe for commercial/economic failure. I also
>> believe we can be a (small) part of the solution to increasing housing
>> stock in the Boston metro area.
>>
>> Why is everyone so afraid and so convinced that *any* and all change will
>> be bad? We all do the best we can under the circumstances, which are *not*
>> the same circumstances as 20 or 40 years ago.  Please, let’s stop resisting
>> every single thing and have a reasonable conversation about how to move
>> forward based on today, here, in Lincoln in 2023. We all love Lincoln, or
>> we wouldn’t be here.
>>
>> Sincerely,
>> Tricia Thornton-Wells
>> 112 Trapelo Rd
>>
>>
>>
>> On Nov 6, 2023, at 6:29 PM, Peter Buchthal  wrote:
>>
>> 
>> At the previous planning/hcawg meeting of October 24th, we learned that
>> RLF is planning to hire a consultant to draw potential renderings of a new
>> Lincoln Mall and present them to the town at some point.   It is really
>> hard for town residents to evaluate the potential impact of the proposed
>> changes to  the Lincoln Mall zoning without a detailed discussion.  I
>> understand the planning board is considering further zoning amendments for
>> the new overlay districts to better protect the town's interests.I
>> foresee several problems with this strategy.
>>
>> 1)  Any drawings or renderings will be purely hypothetical and not
>> binding on the RLF or any future owner of the Mall as there is no
>> requirement that they be actually submitted to the town for a building
>> permit.
>> 2)  Assuming a HCA Overlay district is passed at the March Town meeting,
>> I see very few obstacles to building whatever the developer chooses to
>> build as the town will have NO ability to influence a future developer to
>> do anything unless 

Re: [LincolnTalk] Why Lincoln should overlay HCA zoning over existing multi-family districts

[Scott Clary]

We all have the ability to not open these emails and use our delete button.

I have not witnessed any personal attacks or toxicity regarding the HCA
issue.

I am witnessing smart passionate people debating a hugely impactful,
pending decision for our town.

I have seen a minute percentage of individuals wanting to see nothing
change as far as zoning and revamping the mall area and meeting HCA
guidelines. I am paying attention and have seen almost nothing to justify
such definitive words as "any and all" and "let's stop resisting every
single thing and have a reasonable conversation".

There are multiple viewpoints and I am witnessing reasonable conversation
and debate.

Why would anyone be opposed to the ultimate form of democracy - town
meeting - two-thirds majority vote which has been the norm for Lincoln for
many years now. The townspeople have most always gotten it right. Should
not the majority have the final say?

And kudos to the LT moderators who allow us to have this platform. They do
an excellent job to keep it civil.

Kind Regards,

Scott Clary
617-968-5769

Sent from a mobile device - please excuse typos and errors

On Mon, Nov 6, 2023, 8:49 PM Tricia Thornton-Wells <
triciathorntonwe...@gmail.com> wrote:

> It’s been very hard to read message after message of people accusing
> others of trying to ruin this town.  I’m really very sad and tired of
> hearing it all.
>
> 1. At the last town meeting, people told the RLF their renderings were too
> generic and asked them to put together renderings that were more specific
> to what they envisioned being developed.  So, trying to be responsive to
> these requests, they are putting together renderings of what is currently
> conceived. Of course these are going to be hypothetical!  That doesn’t mean
> they are acting in bad faith, putting forth a lie. I personally do not
> believe they are operating in bad faith. Do they have a vested interest in
> making sure *something* moves forward?  Yes, of course. That doesn’t mean
> they are willing to go along with something they think will be bad for the
> town? No. Fundamentally, I believe people who volunteer their time and
> money to an organization like RLF love this town and want good things for
> it.
>
> 2-3. The upcoming vote will determine whether a majority of the town (most
> of whom are not on this increasingly toxic echo chamber) believes the
> Lincoln Station area, owned by RLF, should be allowed to pursue development
> with more freedom to negotiate than they have now—something that would be
> profitable, because of increased density, and that could also be a great
> benefit to the town. I personally believe the RLF has good intent and will
> work with a developer to build such a space. I also believe that keeping
> the Mall space as-is is a recipe for commercial/economic failure. I also
> believe we can be a (small) part of the solution to increasing housing
> stock in the Boston metro area.
>
> Why is everyone so afraid and so convinced that *any* and all change will
> be bad? We all do the best we can under the circumstances, which are *not*
> the same circumstances as 20 or 40 years ago.  Please, let’s stop resisting
> every single thing and have a reasonable conversation about how to move
> forward based on today, here, in Lincoln in 2023. We all love Lincoln, or
> we wouldn’t be here.
>
> Sincerely,
> Tricia Thornton-Wells
> 112 Trapelo Rd
>
>
>
> On Nov 6, 2023, at 6:29 PM, Peter Buchthal  wrote:
>
> 
> At the previous planning/hcawg meeting of October 24th, we learned that
> RLF is planning to hire a consultant to draw potential renderings of a new
> Lincoln Mall and present them to the town at some point.   It is really
> hard for town residents to evaluate the potential impact of the proposed
> changes to  the Lincoln Mall zoning without a detailed discussion.  I
> understand the planning board is considering further zoning amendments for
> the new overlay districts to better protect the town's interests.I
> foresee several problems with this strategy.
>
> 1)  Any drawings or renderings will be purely hypothetical and not binding
> on the RLF or any future owner of the Mall as there is no requirement that
> they be actually submitted to the town for a building permit.
> 2)  Assuming a HCA Overlay district is passed at the March Town meeting, I
> see very few obstacles to building whatever the developer chooses to build
> as the town will have NO ability to influence a future developer to do
> anything unless they need a variance for something.
> 3)  Hypothetically, one day after the HCA Overlay district passes the
> March Town Meeting, CIVICO could submit drawings to the Town of Lincoln
> Building Department and the current zoning rules would apply to their
> project without the ability of the town to influence the project.  As long
> as CIVICO starts construction within  12 months of submitting building
> plans, the rules at the time of plan submission would govern the project.
> 

Re: [LincolnTalk] Why Lincoln should overlay HCA zoning over existing multi-family districts

[Susanna Szeto]

I for one can now say I have been a long time resident since 1977.  I live in a simple house on a quiet side street south of the train track,  I don’t have a fancy address like some of the people who commented here!  I too am grateful for the many hours and volunteer work that town officials have put into running our town.  I cannot say the same for myself! However, when I see what our town officials had decided to do to develop Lincoln Station area, I cannot sit silence anymore!  For people who live north of Lincoln Road, truly near what I call the center of town, with post office in the Old Town Exchange, the Town Office Building, the library, the Bemis Hall, the White Church, you propbably can avoid coming through the commercial center of the town we called The Mall.  But think of  85-100 units build in the existing mall area and doubling the number of cars alone, can you visualize the congestion it created.  Furthermore, the redeveloping the mall should be decided by the entire community.  If rezone the mall under HCA like it is proposed now, the redevelopment of the mall is in the hands of the developer. I quoted someone who knows the history of RLF saying “it is supposed to conserve land, not to sell land” if RFL is in financial trouble, we can work together to help RFL but not to have it sell the precious land in the mall to the developer to get out of financial trouble under the guise of HCA.  Am I not for affordable housing?  Hardly!  If a resident owns a piece of land and wants to rezone it for affordable housing development, I am all for it.  Yes, we do need more affordable housing, development like Lincoln Woods but not multi story buildings fancy condo that people cannot afford and lthat change the rural character of the town.  RLF is to protect the rural character of the town.  There are many other options that a volunteer group of residents have come up with.  They too volunteer many hours of their busy lives with jobs and young families to work HCA compliance. What I do not understand is why our town officials refused to even consider those proposals for the town to vote on!  The unwillingness of the town officials to work with town residents who have something good to offer to the town truly saddens me a great deal!Susanna SGiles RoadOn Nov 7, 2023, at 7:07 AM, Bijoy Misra  wrote:You appear to be a long-time resident of the town, I am a relative newcomer (2004).Respectfully I wish to state that I was in a scene in 2019 while some of the currentindividuals were pushing to rezone Lincoln station to create some box like units underthe instigation of a developer.  The developer's man was running the slides in a publicmeeting of which I was a host.  There were massive complaints and the movers didretreat.  Now it has again been proposed under a new garb while the rezoning of thestation area is not mandatory.  There is reason to doubt people's intentions sinceit appears that rezoning Lincoln station is the only game in town.  I hope you would agree that a distributed development will have a better reward to the town than creating massive housing for profit.   Various other options have been mappedand they do look elegant from the town point of view.  . Bijoy Misra    On Mon, Nov 6, 2023 at 8:48 PM Tricia Thornton-Wells  wrote:It’s been very hard to read message after message of people accusing others of trying to ruin this town.  I’m really very sad and tired of hearing it all. 1. At the last town meeting, people told the RLF their renderings were too generic and asked them to put together renderings that were more specific to what they envisioned being developed.  So, trying to be responsive to these requests, they are putting together renderings of what is currently conceived. Of course these are going to be hypothetical!  That doesn’t mean they are acting in bad faith, putting forth a lie. I personally do not believe they are operating in bad faith. Do they have a vested interest in making sure *something* moves forward?  Yes, of course. That doesn’t mean they are willing to go along with something they think will be bad for the town? No. Fundamentally, I believe people who volunteer their time and money to an organization like RLF love this town and want good things for it. 2-3. The upcoming vote will determine whether a majority of the town (most of whom are not on this increasingly toxic echo chamber) believes the Lincoln Station area, owned by RLF, should be allowed to pursue development with more freedom to negotiate than they have now—something that would be profitable, because of increased density, and that could also be a great benefit to the town. I personally believe the RLF has good intent and will work with a developer to build such a space. I also believe that keeping the Mall space as-is is a recipe for commercial/economic failure. I also believe we can be a (small) part of the solution to increasing housing stock in the Boston metro area. Why is 

Re: [LincolnTalk] Why Lincoln should overlay HCA zoning over existing multi-family districts

[Bijoy Misra]

You appear to be a long-time resident of the town, I am a relative newcomer
(2004).
Respectfully I wish to state that I was in a scene in 2019 while some of
the current
individuals were pushing to rezone Lincoln station to create some box like
units under
the instigation of a developer.  The developer's man was running the slides
in a public
meeting of which I was a host.  There were massive complaints and the
movers did
retreat.  Now it has again been proposed under a new garb while the
rezoning of the
station area is not mandatory.  There is reason to doubt people's
intentions since
it appears that rezoning Lincoln station is the only game in town.  I hope
you would
agree that a distributed development will have a better reward to the town
than
creating massive housing for profit.   Various other options have been
mapped
and they do look elegant from the town point of view.  .
Bijoy Misra

On Mon, Nov 6, 2023 at 8:48 PM Tricia Thornton-Wells <
triciathorntonwe...@gmail.com> wrote:

> It’s been very hard to read message after message of people accusing
> others of trying to ruin this town.  I’m really very sad and tired of
> hearing it all.
>
> 1. At the last town meeting, people told the RLF their renderings were too
> generic and asked them to put together renderings that were more specific
> to what they envisioned being developed.  So, trying to be responsive to
> these requests, they are putting together renderings of what is currently
> conceived. Of course these are going to be hypothetical!  That doesn’t mean
> they are acting in bad faith, putting forth a lie. I personally do not
> believe they are operating in bad faith. Do they have a vested interest in
> making sure *something* moves forward?  Yes, of course. That doesn’t mean
> they are willing to go along with something they think will be bad for the
> town? No. Fundamentally, I believe people who volunteer their time and
> money to an organization like RLF love this town and want good things for
> it.
>
> 2-3. The upcoming vote will determine whether a majority of the town (most
> of whom are not on this increasingly toxic echo chamber) believes the
> Lincoln Station area, owned by RLF, should be allowed to pursue development
> with more freedom to negotiate than they have now—something that would be
> profitable, because of increased density, and that could also be a great
> benefit to the town. I personally believe the RLF has good intent and will
> work with a developer to build such a space. I also believe that keeping
> the Mall space as-is is a recipe for commercial/economic failure. I also
> believe we can be a (small) part of the solution to increasing housing
> stock in the Boston metro area.
>
> Why is everyone so afraid and so convinced that *any* and all change will
> be bad? We all do the best we can under the circumstances, which are *not*
> the same circumstances as 20 or 40 years ago.  Please, let’s stop resisting
> every single thing and have a reasonable conversation about how to move
> forward based on today, here, in Lincoln in 2023. We all love Lincoln, or
> we wouldn’t be here.
>
> Sincerely,
> Tricia Thornton-Wells
> 112 Trapelo Rd
>
>
>
> On Nov 6, 2023, at 6:29 PM, Peter Buchthal  wrote:
>
> 
> At the previous planning/hcawg meeting of October 24th, we learned that
> RLF is planning to hire a consultant to draw potential renderings of a new
> Lincoln Mall and present them to the town at some point.   It is really
> hard for town residents to evaluate the potential impact of the proposed
> changes to  the Lincoln Mall zoning without a detailed discussion.  I
> understand the planning board is considering further zoning amendments for
> the new overlay districts to better protect the town's interests.I
> foresee several problems with this strategy.
>
> 1)  Any drawings or renderings will be purely hypothetical and not binding
> on the RLF or any future owner of the Mall as there is no requirement that
> they be actually submitted to the town for a building permit.
> 2)  Assuming a HCA Overlay district is passed at the March Town meeting, I
> see very few obstacles to building whatever the developer chooses to build
> as the town will have NO ability to influence a future developer to do
> anything unless they need a variance for something.
> 3)  Hypothetically, one day after the HCA Overlay district passes the
> March Town Meeting, CIVICO could submit drawings to the Town of Lincoln
> Building Department and the current zoning rules would apply to their
> project without the ability of the town to influence the project.  As long
> as CIVICO starts construction within  12 months of submitting building
> plans, the rules at the time of plan submission would govern the project.
> period, full stop.  Any future safeguards that the town might want to
> impose on development within the Mall area wouldn't apply to plans that
> were submitted prior to the acceptance of any future zoning changes at a
> different town 

Re: [LincolnTalk] Why Lincoln should overlay HCA zoning over existing multi-family districts

[cynthia schliemann]

Thank you, Tricia, and I totally agree!  I almost never comment on Lincoln
Talk, but this ongoing conversation has become tiresome and frustrating… I
thank all the people in Lincoln who so selflessly volunteer their time for
everything!  I don’t volunteer (I’m a little too shy), but I DO care — as
we all do!

Thank you all,
Cindy Schliemann
50 Silver Hill Road




On Mon, Nov 6, 2023 at 8:49 PM Tricia Thornton-Wells <
triciathorntonwe...@gmail.com> wrote:

> It’s been very hard to read message after message of people accusing
> others of trying to ruin this town.  I’m really very sad and tired of
> hearing it all.
>
> 1. At the last town meeting, people told the RLF their renderings were too
> generic and asked them to put together renderings that were more specific
> to what they envisioned being developed.  So, trying to be responsive to
> these requests, they are putting together renderings of what is currently
> conceived. Of course these are going to be hypothetical!  That doesn’t mean
> they are acting in bad faith, putting forth a lie. I personally do not
> believe they are operating in bad faith. Do they have a vested interest in
> making sure *something* moves forward?  Yes, of course. That doesn’t mean
> they are willing to go along with something they think will be bad for the
> town? No. Fundamentally, I believe people who volunteer their time and
> money to an organization like RLF love this town and want good things for
> it.
>
> 2-3. The upcoming vote will determine whether a majority of the town (most
> of whom are not on this increasingly toxic echo chamber) believes the
> Lincoln Station area, owned by RLF, should be allowed to pursue development
> with more freedom to negotiate than they have now—something that would be
> profitable, because of increased density, and that could also be a great
> benefit to the town. I personally believe the RLF has good intent and will
> work with a developer to build such a space. I also believe that keeping
> the Mall space as-is is a recipe for commercial/economic failure. I also
> believe we can be a (small) part of the solution to increasing housing
> stock in the Boston metro area.
>
> Why is everyone so afraid and so convinced that *any* and all change will
> be bad? We all do the best we can under the circumstances, which are *not*
> the same circumstances as 20 or 40 years ago.  Please, let’s stop resisting
> every single thing and have a reasonable conversation about how to move
> forward based on today, here, in Lincoln in 2023. We all love Lincoln, or
> we wouldn’t be here.
>
> Sincerely,
> Tricia Thornton-Wells
> 112 Trapelo Rd
>
>
>
> On Nov 6, 2023, at 6:29 PM, Peter Buchthal  wrote:
>
> 
>
> At the previous planning/hcawg meeting of October 24th, we learned that
> RLF is planning to hire a consultant to draw potential renderings of a new
> Lincoln Mall and present them to the town at some point.   It is really
> hard for town residents to evaluate the potential impact of the proposed
> changes to  the Lincoln Mall zoning without a detailed discussion.  I
> understand the planning board is considering further zoning amendments for
> the new overlay districts to better protect the town's interests.I
> foresee several problems with this strategy.
>
> 1)  Any drawings or renderings will be purely hypothetical and not binding
> on the RLF or any future owner of the Mall as there is no requirement that
> they be actually submitted to the town for a building permit.
> 2)  Assuming a HCA Overlay district is passed at the March Town meeting, I
> see very few obstacles to building whatever the developer chooses to build
> as the town will have NO ability to influence a future developer to do
> anything unless they need a variance for something.
> 3)  Hypothetically, one day after the HCA Overlay district passes the
> March Town Meeting, CIVICO could submit drawings to the Town of Lincoln
> Building Department and the current zoning rules would apply to their
> project without the ability of the town to influence the project.  As long
> as CIVICO starts construction within  12 months of submitting building
> plans, the rules at the time of plan submission would govern the project.
> period, full stop.  Any future safeguards that the town might want to
> impose on development within the Mall area wouldn't apply to plans that
> were submitted prior to the acceptance of any future zoning changes at a
> different town meeting
>
> To approve any of the current plans with the Lincoln Mall being part of a
> new overlay district without any zoning amendments to be approved  at the
> same time, opens the town for an unnecessary disaster.  It would be better
> for the Town to NOT include the Lincoln Mall in an HCA overlay district so
> that a normal vetting of plans at a town meeting will ensure that everyone
> in the Town is happy with the project.  This strategy will allow more
> affordable units, ensure commercial development is actually built, 

Re: [LincolnTalk] Why Lincoln should overlay HCA zoning over existing multi-family districts

[Garrick Niemiec]

Why is the town not explaining this to the town...why the deception

On Mon, Nov 6, 2023, 4:06 PM Sara Mattes  wrote:

> Once rezone with the HCA, the property owner can put up pretty much
> whatever they want.
> That is the point of the HCA-to get around our normal process for managing
> development in Lincoln.
> No proposals are required for the town to see.
> The development is *BY RIGHT*, they just need to comply with some very
> basic zoning-wetlands setbacks, other set backs, etc.
>
> And, as was made clear in a public presentation, dense housing is the most
> profitable use of the land, not retail.
>
> The discussion about the Mall is confusing as concepts were discussed and
> proposals were to be offered at a later date.
> In addition, the RLF said they were looking to most lily sell and were in
> discussion with a local developer-CIVICO.
> Regardless of what is discussed now, as it stands now, once rezoned the
> owner, either the RLF but most like a new owner, can do whatever they see
> fit with that land.
>
> That is why this is all so difficult and generating so much debate.
>
> It is important that we all learn as much as possible and attend each and
> every meeting to better understand what is being proposed and what is at
> stake.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --
> Sara Mattes
>
>
>
>
> On Nov 6, 2023, at 1:43 PM, Deborah Greenwald 
> wrote:
>
> Dear All,
> I would very much like to have David's proposals included in our vote. He
> And are we taking bids from multiple developers? Some might be more
> amenable to more low income units.
> To me it seems that considering any development near Codman Farm is akin
> to building an apartment building on the Boston Public Gardens or
> Concord's Monument Square. That area is one of Lincoln's jewels and should
> be preserved.
> On Sun, Nov 5, 2023 at 10:01 PM David Cuetos 
> wrote:
>
>> I have received some questions from residents trying to understand why
>> our HCA proposals overlay zoning over existing multi-family districts. I
>> thought the rationale was important enough to share it with the wider
>> public.
>>
>> I believe the town would be better served by separating as much as
>> possible the zoning exercise required for compliance approval from actual
>> development. Zoning existing multifamily developments accomplishes that
>> goal, as those properties already have the characteristics we would like to
>> see and they are unlikely to be redeveloped. Let me explain the logic
>> behind the separation.
>>
>> HCA compliance requires us to zone a certain number of acres to a certain
>> density by right. What that means is that as long as the developer does
>> not go past our height and setback bylaws, they do not need to ask the town
>> for feedback. This is not what historically happened in Lincoln.
>> Historically every multi-family development was a give and take between the
>> developer and the town. In that process the town was able to extract
>> important concessions like the number of affordable units, measures to
>> reduce environmental impact, etc.
>>
>> While that give and take was quite important, for areas rezoned under HCA
>> the town's influence is diminished even further as developers would get an
>> override over certain town bylaws the State considers too
>> restrictive. Among them two are chief: affordability and wetland setbacks.
>> The state will only allow us to ask a developer to include 10% affordable
>> units. The town’s bylaws require 15%, and historically the town has never
>> approved anything below 25%, including some units reserved for low income
>> households. 25% is also the lowest percentage of units for an entire
>> development to count towards 40B State requirements. The other requirement
>> at odds is wetlands setback. The town’s bylaws require 100’ and the State
>> only gives us 50’. This difference would be critical in some sensitive
>> areas like Codman Rd.
>>
>> Our view is that it is detrimental to the town’s general interest to
>> allow a developer to build a large multifamily building without going
>> through town meeting approval. The success of Oriole Landing is testament
>> to the usefulness of town meeting: a win-win for the town and the
>> developer. We have actually learned from other towns like Winchester that
>> we can drive a much tougher bargain than we have done in the past.
>>
>> We see with skepticism claims that the Oriole Landing developer, who made
>> an estimated $12M profit and was able to get through town meeting in nine
>> months, does not want to go through town meeting again. Lincoln has
>> historically not been an obstructive town towards multi-family developers
>> and there is no reason to think that would change now that HCA has lowered
>> Town Meeting approval thresholds from 2/3 to just a simple majority.
>>
>> I ask all residents to consider that when they vote to rezone an area,
>> they are de facto abdicating their democratic right to influence future
>> development.
>>
>> David 

Re: [LincolnTalk] Why Lincoln should overlay HCA zoning over existing multi-family districts

[Joan Kimball]

Tricia, thank you so much.  You have captured how I have been feeling and
thinking.

Lincoln Talk gives us an opportunity to share opinions and differences. And
that's great.

But there are a few  who pounce as if they are prosecuting attorneys and
judges all in one, pounce sometimes personally, sometimes nastilly.

Town officials, volunteers like.you and me , through time have worked hard
and created the Lincoln we have today.

  Our current officials are doing.the same. It takes vision, hard work and
meetings til midnight and constancy through issue by issue,. They can't
have the luxury to pounce.

The RLF has brought so much to the town in helping to shape it with
creativity and brilliance.  Preserving land, creating a shopping center,
helping with housing, creating the Lincoln we love.

We moved here in 1974, from Weston, valuing Lincoln, the land, the ethos,
the creativity that established open space and Lincoln Woods, the
preservation of farm lands and the community, working together.  There have
always been differences of opinion and we have managed to find solutions

So can we, please,  move forward--all of us who share deep feelings about
Lincoln-- showing respect for each other.



Joan


















On Mon, Nov 6, 2023, 8:49 PM Tricia Thornton-Wells <
triciathorntonwe...@gmail.com> wrote:

> It’s been very hard to read message after message of people accusing
> others of trying to ruin this town.  I’m really very sad and tired of
> hearing it all.
>
> 1. At the last town meeting, people told the RLF their renderings were too
> generic and asked them to put together renderings that were more specific
> to what they envisioned being developed.  So, trying to be responsive to
> these requests, they are putting together renderings of what is currently
> conceived. Of course these are going to be hypothetical!  That doesn’t mean
> they are acting in bad faith, putting forth a lie. I personally do not
> believe they are operating in bad faith. Do they have a vested interest in
> making sure *something* moves forward?  Yes, of course. That doesn’t mean
> they are willing to go along with something they think will be bad for the
> town? No. Fundamentally, I believe people who volunteer their time and
> money to an organization like RLF love this town and want good things for
> it.
>
> 2-3. The upcoming vote will determine whether a majority of the town (most
> of whom are not on this increasingly toxic echo chamber) believes the
> Lincoln Station area, owned by RLF, should be allowed to pursue development
> with more freedom to negotiate than they have now—something that would be
> profitable, because of increased density, and that could also be a great
> benefit to the town. I personally believe the RLF has good intent and will
> work with a developer to build such a space. I also believe that keeping
> the Mall space as-is is a recipe for commercial/economic failure. I also
> believe we can be a (small) part of the solution to increasing housing
> stock in the Boston metro area.
>
> Why is everyone so afraid and so convinced that *any* and all change will
> be bad? We all do the best we can under the circumstances, which are *not*
> the same circumstances as 20 or 40 years ago.  Please, let’s stop resisting
> every single thing and have a reasonable conversation about how to move
> forward based on today, here, in Lincoln in 2023. We all love Lincoln, or
> we wouldn’t be here.
>
> Sincerely,
> Tricia Thornton-Wells
> 112 Trapelo Rd
>
>
>
> On Nov 6, 2023, at 6:29 PM, Peter Buchthal  wrote:
>
> 
> At the previous planning/hcawg meeting of October 24th, we learned that
> RLF is planning to hire a consultant to draw potential renderings of a new
> Lincoln Mall and present them to the town at some point.   It is really
> hard for town residents to evaluate the potential impact of the proposed
> changes to  the Lincoln Mall zoning without a detailed discussion.  I
> understand the planning board is considering further zoning amendments for
> the new overlay districts to better protect the town's interests.I
> foresee several problems with this strategy.
>
> 1)  Any drawings or renderings will be purely hypothetical and not binding
> on the RLF or any future owner of the Mall as there is no requirement that
> they be actually submitted to the town for a building permit.
> 2)  Assuming a HCA Overlay district is passed at the March Town meeting, I
> see very few obstacles to building whatever the developer chooses to build
> as the town will have NO ability to influence a future developer to do
> anything unless they need a variance for something.
> 3)  Hypothetically, one day after the HCA Overlay district passes the
> March Town Meeting, CIVICO could submit drawings to the Town of Lincoln
> Building Department and the current zoning rules would apply to their
> project without the ability of the town to influence the project.  As long
> as CIVICO starts construction within  12 months of submitting 

Re: [LincolnTalk] Why Lincoln should overlay HCA zoning over existing multi-family districts

[RAandBOB]

I couldn’t agree more.Ruth Ann(She, her, hers)On Nov 6, 2023, at 8:48 PM, Tricia Thornton-Wells  wrote:It’s been very hard to read message after message of people accusing others of trying to ruin this town.  I’m really very sad and tired of hearing it all. 1. At the last town meeting, people told the RLF their renderings were too generic and asked them to put together renderings that were more specific to what they envisioned being developed.  So, trying to be responsive to these requests, they are putting together renderings of what is currently conceived. Of course these are going to be hypothetical!  That doesn’t mean they are acting in bad faith, putting forth a lie. I personally do not believe they are operating in bad faith. Do they have a vested interest in making sure *something* moves forward?  Yes, of course. That doesn’t mean they are willing to go along with something they think will be bad for the town? No. Fundamentally, I believe people who volunteer their time and money to an organization like RLF love this town and want good things for it. 2-3. The upcoming vote will determine whether a majority of the town (most of whom are not on this increasingly toxic echo chamber) believes the Lincoln Station area, owned by RLF, should be allowed to pursue development with more freedom to negotiate than they have now—something that would be profitable, because of increased density, and that could also be a great benefit to the town. I personally believe the RLF has good intent and will work with a developer to build such a space. I also believe that keeping the Mall space as-is is a recipe for commercial/economic failure. I also believe we can be a (small) part of the solution to increasing housing stock in the Boston metro area. Why is everyone so afraid and so convinced that *any* and all change will be bad? We all do the best we can under the circumstances, which are *not* the same circumstances as 20 or 40 years ago.  Please, let’s stop resisting every single thing and have a reasonable conversation about how to move forward based on today, here, in Lincoln in 2023. We all love Lincoln, or we wouldn’t be here. Sincerely,Tricia Thornton-Wells112 Trapelo RdOn Nov 6, 2023, at 6:29 PM, Peter Buchthal  wrote:At the previous planning/hcawg meeting of October 24th, we learned that RLF is planning to hire a consultant to draw potential renderings of a new Lincoln Mall and present them to the town at some point.   It is really hard for town residents to evaluate the potential impact of the proposed changes to  the Lincoln Mall zoning without a detailed discussion.  I understand the planning board is considering further zoning amendments for the new overlay districts to better protect the town's interests.    I foresee several problems with this strategy.  1)  Any drawings or renderings will be purely hypothetical and not binding on the RLF or any future owner of the Mall as there is no requirement that they be actually submitted to the town for a building permit.2)  Assuming a HCA Overlay district is passed at the March Town meeting, I see very few obstacles to building whatever the developer chooses to build as the town will have NO ability to influence a future developer to do anything unless they need a variance for something. 3)  Hypothetically, one day after the HCA Overlay district passes the March Town Meeting, CIVICO could submit drawings to the Town of Lincoln Building Department and the current zoning rules would apply to their project without the ability of the town to influence the project.  As long as CIVICO starts construction within  12 months of submitting building plans, the rules at the time of plan submission would govern the project. period, full stop.  Any future safeguards that the town might want to impose on development within the Mall area wouldn't apply to plans that were submitted prior to the acceptance of any future zoning changes at a different town meetingTo approve any of the current plans with the Lincoln Mall being part of a new overlay district without any zoning amendments to be approved  at the same time, opens the town for an unnecessary disaster.  It would be better for the Town to NOT include the Lincoln Mall in an HCA overlay district so that a normal vetting of plans at a town meeting will ensure that everyone in the Town is happy with the project.  This strategy will allow more affordable units, ensure commercial development is actually built, and will allow a negotiation between the town and the developer for a development of importance to the Town. There is no logical way to skip that negotiation to safeguard the town that we know and love.Peter BuchthalWeston Rd.On Mon, Nov 6, 2023 at 5:12 PM Sara Mattes  wrote:Please let us know exactly what legal teeth site plan review has.I have asked for that repeatedly and have heard….crickets.Yes there will be some wetlands protections, but not Lincoln’s set backs.Yes, there will be some set 

Re: [LincolnTalk] Why Lincoln should overlay HCA zoning over existing multi-family districts

[Tricia Thornton-Wells]

It’s been very hard to read message after message of people accusing others of trying to ruin this town.  I’m really very sad and tired of hearing it all. 1. At the last town meeting, people told the RLF their renderings were too generic and asked them to put together renderings that were more specific to what they envisioned being developed.  So, trying to be responsive to these requests, they are putting together renderings of what is currently conceived. Of course these are going to be hypothetical!  That doesn’t mean they are acting in bad faith, putting forth a lie. I personally do not believe they are operating in bad faith. Do they have a vested interest in making sure *something* moves forward?  Yes, of course. That doesn’t mean they are willing to go along with something they think will be bad for the town? No. Fundamentally, I believe people who volunteer their time and money to an organization like RLF love this town and want good things for it. 2-3. The upcoming vote will determine whether a majority of the town (most of whom are not on this increasingly toxic echo chamber) believes the Lincoln Station area, owned by RLF, should be allowed to pursue development with more freedom to negotiate than they have now—something that would be profitable, because of increased density, and that could also be a great benefit to the town. I personally believe the RLF has good intent and will work with a developer to build such a space. I also believe that keeping the Mall space as-is is a recipe for commercial/economic failure. I also believe we can be a (small) part of the solution to increasing housing stock in the Boston metro area. Why is everyone so afraid and so convinced that *any* and all change will be bad? We all do the best we can under the circumstances, which are *not* the same circumstances as 20 or 40 years ago.  Please, let’s stop resisting every single thing and have a reasonable conversation about how to move forward based on today, here, in Lincoln in 2023. We all love Lincoln, or we wouldn’t be here. Sincerely,Tricia Thornton-Wells112 Trapelo RdOn Nov 6, 2023, at 6:29 PM, Peter Buchthal  wrote:At the previous planning/hcawg meeting of October 24th, we learned that RLF is planning to hire a consultant to draw potential renderings of a new Lincoln Mall and present them to the town at some point.   It is really hard for town residents to evaluate the potential impact of the proposed changes to  the Lincoln Mall zoning without a detailed discussion.  I understand the planning board is considering further zoning amendments for the new overlay districts to better protect the town's interests.    I foresee several problems with this strategy.  1)  Any drawings or renderings will be purely hypothetical and not binding on the RLF or any future owner of the Mall as there is no requirement that they be actually submitted to the town for a building permit.2)  Assuming a HCA Overlay district is passed at the March Town meeting, I see very few obstacles to building whatever the developer chooses to build as the town will have NO ability to influence a future developer to do anything unless they need a variance for something. 3)  Hypothetically, one day after the HCA Overlay district passes the March Town Meeting, CIVICO could submit drawings to the Town of Lincoln Building Department and the current zoning rules would apply to their project without the ability of the town to influence the project.  As long as CIVICO starts construction within  12 months of submitting building plans, the rules at the time of plan submission would govern the project. period, full stop.  Any future safeguards that the town might want to impose on development within the Mall area wouldn't apply to plans that were submitted prior to the acceptance of any future zoning changes at a different town meetingTo approve any of the current plans with the Lincoln Mall being part of a new overlay district without any zoning amendments to be approved  at the same time, opens the town for an unnecessary disaster.  It would be better for the Town to NOT include the Lincoln Mall in an HCA overlay district so that a normal vetting of plans at a town meeting will ensure that everyone in the Town is happy with the project.  This strategy will allow more affordable units, ensure commercial development is actually built, and will allow a negotiation between the town and the developer for a development of importance to the Town. There is no logical way to skip that negotiation to safeguard the town that we know and love.Peter BuchthalWeston Rd.On Mon, Nov 6, 2023 at 5:12 PM Sara Mattes  wrote:Please let us know exactly what legal teeth site plan review has.I have asked for that repeatedly and have heard….crickets.Yes there will be some wetlands protections, but not Lincoln’s set backs.Yes, there will be some set backs.But please, do tell what legal options will we have to actually control the look and feel of major 

Re: [LincolnTalk] Why Lincoln should overlay HCA zoning over existing multi-family districts

[Jeffrey]

Rich: while your statement is accurate, it is still unclear to me what may
happen in the collision between State and Local standards, e.g., the
difference in wetland buffers once a property owner aligns with a developer
and sues the town asking relief from the State. My understanding is that
our Town officials and the HCAWG do not know the answer at this point. Of
course, developers have tried to sue the town in the past but the State
declined to intervene. I'm not certain the State would take that position
today...so we should be careful about 'by right' permitting and the Town
should try to minimize its risk exposure.

On Mon, Nov 6, 2023, 5:03 PM Rich Rosenbaum  wrote:

> I think it is misleading to use statements such as "the developer can do
> whatever they want".
> Existing regulations and site plan review give the town oversight.
>
> After all, residential property owners have the by right ability to build
> a new home but cannot build whatever they want.
>
>
> On Mon, Nov 6, 2023 at 4:05 PM Sara Mattes  wrote:
>
>> Once rezone with the HCA, the property owner can put up pretty much
>> whatever they want.
>> That is the point of the HCA-to get around our normal process for
>> managing development in Lincoln.
>> No proposals are required for the town to see.
>> The development is *BY RIGHT*, they just need to comply with some very
>> basic zoning-wetlands setbacks, other set backs, etc.
>>
>> And, as was made clear in a public presentation, dense housing is the
>> most profitable use of the land, not retail.
>>
>> The discussion about the Mall is confusing as concepts were discussed and
>> proposals were to be offered at a later date.
>> In addition, the RLF said they were looking to most lily sell and were in
>> discussion with a local developer-CIVICO.
>> Regardless of what is discussed now, as it stands now, once rezoned the
>> owner, either the RLF but most like a new owner, can do whatever they see
>> fit with that land.
>>
>> That is why this is all so difficult and generating so much debate.
>>
>> It is important that we all learn as much as possible and attend each and
>> every meeting to better understand what is being proposed and what is at
>> stake.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Sara Mattes
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Nov 6, 2023, at 1:43 PM, Deborah Greenwald <
>> deborah.greenw...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Dear All,
>> I would very much like to have David's proposals included in our vote. He
>> And are we taking bids from multiple developers? Some might be more
>> amenable to more low income units.
>> To me it seems that considering any development near Codman Farm is akin
>> to building an apartment building on the Boston Public Gardens or
>> Concord's Monument Square. That area is one of Lincoln's jewels and should
>> be preserved.
>> On Sun, Nov 5, 2023 at 10:01 PM David Cuetos 
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I have received some questions from residents trying to understand why
>>> our HCA proposals overlay zoning over existing multi-family districts. I
>>> thought the rationale was important enough to share it with the wider
>>> public.
>>>
>>> I believe the town would be better served by separating as much as
>>> possible the zoning exercise required for compliance approval from actual
>>> development. Zoning existing multifamily developments accomplishes that
>>> goal, as those properties already have the characteristics we would like to
>>> see and they are unlikely to be redeveloped. Let me explain the logic
>>> behind the separation.
>>>
>>> HCA compliance requires us to zone a certain number of acres to a
>>> certain density by right. What that means is that as long as the developer
>>> does not go past our height and setback bylaws, they do not need to ask the
>>> town for feedback. This is not what historically happened in Lincoln.
>>> Historically every multi-family development was a give and take between the
>>> developer and the town. In that process the town was able to extract
>>> important concessions like the number of affordable units, measures to
>>> reduce environmental impact, etc.
>>>
>>> While that give and take was quite important, for areas rezoned under
>>> HCA the town's influence is diminished even further as developers would get
>>> an override over certain town bylaws the State considers too
>>> restrictive. Among them two are chief: affordability and wetland setbacks.
>>> The state will only allow us to ask a developer to include 10% affordable
>>> units. The town’s bylaws require 15%, and historically the town has never
>>> approved anything below 25%, including some units reserved for low income
>>> households. 25% is also the lowest percentage of units for an entire
>>> development to count towards 40B State requirements. The other requirement
>>> at odds is wetlands setback. The town’s bylaws require 100’ and the State
>>> only gives us 50’. This difference would be critical in some sensitive
>>> areas like Codman Rd.
>>>
>>> Our view is that it is detrimental to the 

Re: [LincolnTalk] Why Lincoln should overlay HCA zoning over existing multi-family districts

[Sara Mattes]

The HCAWG has had many meetings that have been open and are available on video.
I believe if you go to the town website, you can find them.
Citizens comments and questions are there too.
http://www.lincolntown.org/1327/Housing-Choice-Act-Working-Group

I do not believe there to be deception.
I believe everyone is trying to do what they believe is best for the town.
There are a lot of different opinions about what that is.
Some of those opinions are expressed with great passion.

As the saying goes…it’s complicated.


--
Sara Mattes




> On Nov 6, 2023, at 6:54 PM, Garrick Niemiec  
> wrote:
> 
> Why is the town not explaining this to the town...why the deception 
> 
> On Mon, Nov 6, 2023, 4:06 PM Sara Mattes  > wrote:
>> Once rezone with the HCA, the property owner can put up pretty much whatever 
>> they want.
>> That is the point of the HCA-to get around our normal process for managing 
>> development in Lincoln.
>> No proposals are required for the town to see.
>> The development is BY RIGHT, they just need to comply with some very basic 
>> zoning-wetlands setbacks, other set backs, etc.
>> 
>> And, as was made clear in a public presentation, dense housing is the most 
>> profitable use of the land, not retail.
>> 
>> The discussion about the Mall is confusing as concepts were discussed and 
>> proposals were to be offered at a later date.
>> In addition, the RLF said they were looking to most lily sell and were in 
>> discussion with a local developer-CIVICO.
>> Regardless of what is discussed now, as it stands now, once rezoned the 
>> owner, either the RLF but most like a new owner, can do whatever they see 
>> fit with that land.
>> 
>> That is why this is all so difficult and generating so much debate.
>> 
>> It is important that we all learn as much as possible and attend each and 
>> every meeting to better understand what is being proposed and what is at 
>> stake.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> --
>> Sara Mattes
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>> On Nov 6, 2023, at 1:43 PM, Deborah Greenwald >> > wrote:
>>> 
>>> Dear All,
>>> I would very much like to have David's proposals included in our vote. He 
>>> And are we taking bids from multiple developers? Some might be more 
>>> amenable to more low income units.
>>> To me it seems that considering any development near Codman Farm is akin to 
>>> building an apartment building on the Boston Public Gardens or Concord's 
>>> Monument Square. That area is one of Lincoln's jewels and should be 
>>> preserved.
>>> On Sun, Nov 5, 2023 at 10:01 PM David Cuetos >> > wrote:
 I have received some questions from residents trying to understand why our 
 HCA proposals overlay zoning over existing multi-family districts. I 
 thought the rationale was important enough to share it with the wider 
 public.
 
 I believe the town would be better served by separating as much as 
 possible the zoning exercise required for compliance approval from actual 
 development. Zoning existing multifamily developments accomplishes that 
 goal, as those properties already have the characteristics we would like 
 to see and they are unlikely to be redeveloped. Let me explain the logic 
 behind the separation.
 
 HCA compliance requires us to zone a certain number of acres to a certain 
 density by right. What that means is that as long as the developer does 
 not go past our height and setback bylaws, they do not need to ask the 
 town for feedback. This is not what historically happened in Lincoln. 
 Historically every multi-family development was a give and take between 
 the developer and the town. In that process the town was able to extract 
 important concessions like the number of affordable units, measures to 
 reduce environmental impact, etc.
 
 While that give and take was quite important, for areas rezoned under HCA 
 the town's influence is diminished even further as developers would get an 
 override over certain town bylaws the State considers too restrictive. 
 Among them two are chief: affordability and wetland setbacks. The state 
 will only allow us to ask a developer to include 10% affordable units. The 
 town’s bylaws require 15%, and historically the town has never approved 
 anything below 25%, including some units reserved for low income 
 households. 25% is also the lowest percentage of units for an entire 
 development to count towards 40B State requirements. The other requirement 
 at odds is wetlands setback. The town’s bylaws require 100’ and the State 
 only gives us 50’. This difference would be critical in some sensitive 
 areas like Codman Rd.
 
 Our view is that it is detrimental to the town’s general interest to allow 
 a developer to build a large multifamily building without going through 
 town meeting 

Re: [LincolnTalk] Why Lincoln should overlay HCA zoning over existing multi-family districts

[Jeff B]

I'm not sure why we are playing this game of hide the 'expected'
developments.

It is true that very little in life is guaranteed. However, I think smart
citizens should expect development to follow zoning.  Cautious citizens
should definitely be prepared and expect for it to follow.  I think it is
safe to say that the HCAWG also appears to expect development to follow the
zoning based on today's meeting, when more low impact zoning ideas were
rejected in favor of the current set and "getting something" as I believe
was said at the time.

There are huge financial incentives that have made the idea of joining the
HCA zoning attractive to property owners and potential developers.
Unfortunately some of those incentives might be directly at odds with the
town's interests.

The Mall has gotten the most attention, as RLF has been the only property
owner that has publicly stated that they plan to develop.  But
realistically, it is just one of the new developments that would
likely follow.

After all, if Doherty's is indeed leaving, zoning it for over 20 housing
units makes a very strong financial incentive to build something along
those lines at that location.  Being zoned mixed use doesn't require any
commercial return and we could as a town see an actual decline in our
commercial center as a result of the new zoning proposals.

If "Codman corner"  is zoned for 83 units on 4 acres, there is a very
strong financial incentive to build those 83 units there. If Codman is
zoned at 180 units, then there will be a very strong financial incentive to
build 180 units on the street.

All of these potential developments would be done under the new zoning
without the normal town approval process and without any remaining sticks
to encourage affordability above 10%, green energy goals, or almost any
other concerns the town might have.

There is a reason the town has never previously just abdicated our town
approval process like the HCA proposals suggest we do so.  A small
committee is now asking the town to do so and take that incredibly bold
leap of faith.  Asking that we further assume that this zoning doesn't
matter and maybe nothing changes feels silly at best.

I think the first question any HCA committee should have asked was how much
do we really want to tie our hands as a town and make it more difficult to
get affordability above 10% and any other town goals we might have from the
(most likely) several incoming developments.

Instead, the committee has decided to start with a position that we want to
reduce our town leverage going forward and done so to such an extent that
it even included proposing zoning municipal land that gives 0 credit to the
laws compliance.

The core issue isn't complicated -- should the town try and maintain as
much oversight as possible, or should we cater to the financial interests
of developers and affected property owners in the hopes that the
reduced oversight and regulations makes more buildings happen.

Jeff Birchby
Twin Pond Lane

On Mon, Nov 6, 2023 at 3:51 PM Margaret Olson  wrote:

> The HCA is about zoning - what property owners have a right to do with
> their property. It is not about housing production and there is no town
> project to develop housing.
>
> The Mall is private property owned by the Rural Land Foundation. The RLF
> is a private 501(c)(3) organization. It would be unusual for a private
> organization to publicly discuss their negotiations with a developer or
> developers. As a private organization the RLF is not subject to the state's
> RFP (bidding) process.
>
> I can't help but point out that the Boston Public Garden is surrounded on
> three sides by dense development, including several buildings with ground
> floor retail and apartments or offices above.
> Monument Square in Concord has multifamily housing - 30 Monument square is
> a condo building. There are additional condos and apartments within .2
> miles.
>
> On Mon, Nov 6, 2023 at 1:43 PM Deborah Greenwald <
> deborah.greenw...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Dear All,
>> I would very much like to have David's proposals included in our vote. He
>> And are we taking bids from multiple developers? Some might be more
>> amenable to more low income units.
>> To me it seems that considering any development near Codman Farm is akin
>> to building an apartment building on the Boston Public Gardens or
>> Concord's Monument Square. That area is one of Lincoln's jewels and should
>> be preserved.
>> On Sun, Nov 5, 2023 at 10:01 PM David Cuetos 
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I have received some questions from residents trying to understand why
>>> our HCA proposals overlay zoning over existing multi-family districts. I
>>> thought the rationale was important enough to share it with the wider
>>> public.
>>>
>>> I believe the town would be better served by separating as much as
>>> possible the zoning exercise required for compliance approval from actual
>>> development. Zoning existing multifamily developments accomplishes that
>>> goal, 

Re: [LincolnTalk] Why Lincoln should overlay HCA zoning over existing multi-family districts

[Peter Buchthal]

At the previous planning/hcawg meeting of October 24th, we learned that RLF
is planning to hire a consultant to draw potential renderings of a new
Lincoln Mall and present them to the town at some point.   It is really
hard for town residents to evaluate the potential impact of the proposed
changes to  the Lincoln Mall zoning without a detailed discussion.  I
understand the planning board is considering further zoning amendments for
the new overlay districts to better protect the town's interests.I
foresee several problems with this strategy.

1)  Any drawings or renderings will be purely hypothetical and not binding
on the RLF or any future owner of the Mall as there is no requirement that
they be actually submitted to the town for a building permit.
2)  Assuming a HCA Overlay district is passed at the March Town meeting, I
see very few obstacles to building whatever the developer chooses to build
as the town will have NO ability to influence a future developer to do
anything unless they need a variance for something.
3)  Hypothetically, one day after the HCA Overlay district passes the March
Town Meeting, CIVICO could submit drawings to the Town of Lincoln Building
Department and the current zoning rules would apply to their project
without the ability of the town to influence the project.  As long as
CIVICO starts construction within  12 months of submitting building plans,
the rules at the time of plan submission would govern the project. period,
full stop.  Any future safeguards that the town might want to impose on
development within the Mall area wouldn't apply to plans that were
submitted prior to the acceptance of any future zoning changes at a
different town meeting

To approve any of the current plans with the Lincoln Mall being part of a
new overlay district without any zoning amendments to be approved  at the
same time, opens the town for an unnecessary disaster.  It would be better
for the Town to NOT include the Lincoln Mall in an HCA overlay district so
that a normal vetting of plans at a town meeting will ensure that everyone
in the Town is happy with the project.  This strategy will allow more
affordable units, ensure commercial development is actually built, and will
allow a negotiation between the town and the developer for a *development
of importance to the Town.* There is no logical way to skip that
negotiation to safeguard the town that we know and love.


Peter Buchthal
Weston Rd.


On Mon, Nov 6, 2023 at 5:12 PM Sara Mattes  wrote:

> Please let us know exactly what legal teeth site plan review has.
> I have asked for that repeatedly and have heard….crickets.
> Yes there will be some wetlands protections, but not Lincoln’s set backs.
> Yes, there will be some set backs.
> But please, do tell what legal options will we have to actually control
> the look and feel of major redevelopment.
>
> The repeated reference to “existing regulations and site plan review” is
> cold comfort.
>
> The whole point of the HCA is to get around our existing bylaws…to make it
> easier for developers to create  larger, denser housing development than is
> currently allowed.
>
>
>
>
> --
> Sara Mattes
>
>
>
>
> On Nov 6, 2023, at 5:02 PM, Rich Rosenbaum  wrote:
>
> I think it is misleading to use statements such as "the developer can do
> whatever they want".
> Existing regulations and site plan review give the town oversight.
>
> After all, residential property owners have the by right ability to build
> a new home but cannot build whatever they want.
>
>
> On Mon, Nov 6, 2023 at 4:05 PM Sara Mattes  wrote:
>
>> Once rezone with the HCA, the property owner can put up pretty much
>> whatever they want.
>> That is the point of the HCA-to get around our normal process for
>> managing development in Lincoln.
>> No proposals are required for the town to see.
>> The development is *BY RIGHT*, they just need to comply with some very
>> basic zoning-wetlands setbacks, other set backs, etc.
>>
>> And, as was made clear in a public presentation, dense housing is the
>> most profitable use of the land, not retail.
>>
>> The discussion about the Mall is confusing as concepts were discussed and
>> proposals were to be offered at a later date.
>> In addition, the RLF said they were looking to most lily sell and were in
>> discussion with a local developer-CIVICO.
>> Regardless of what is discussed now, as it stands now, once rezoned the
>> owner, either the RLF but most like a new owner, can do whatever they see
>> fit with that land.
>>
>> That is why this is all so difficult and generating so much debate.
>>
>> It is important that we all learn as much as possible and attend each and
>> every meeting to better understand what is being proposed and what is at
>> stake.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Sara Mattes
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Nov 6, 2023, at 1:43 PM, Deborah Greenwald <
>> deborah.greenw...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Dear All,
>> I would very much like to have David's proposals included in our 

Re: [LincolnTalk] Why Lincoln should overlay HCA zoning over existing multi-family districts

[Susanna Szeto]

Thank you David!  We should take this letter to every district that is proposed 
by HCAWG!
Susanna

> On Nov 5, 2023, at 10:01 PM, David Cuetos  wrote:
> 
> 
> I have received some questions from residents trying to understand why our 
> HCA proposals overlay zoning over existing multi-family districts. I thought 
> the rationale was important enough to share it with the wider public.
> 
> I believe the town would be better served by separating as much as possible 
> the zoning exercise required for compliance approval from actual development. 
> Zoning existing multifamily developments accomplishes that goal, as those 
> properties already have the characteristics we would like to see and they are 
> unlikely to be redeveloped. Let me explain the logic behind the separation.
> 
> HCA compliance requires us to zone a certain number of acres to a certain 
> density by right. What that means is that as long as the developer does not 
> go past our height and setback bylaws, they do not need to ask the town for 
> feedback. This is not what historically happened in Lincoln. Historically 
> every multi-family development was a give and take between the developer and 
> the town. In that process the town was able to extract important concessions 
> like the number of affordable units, measures to reduce environmental impact, 
> etc.
> 
> While that give and take was quite important, for areas rezoned under HCA the 
> town's influence is diminished even further as developers would get an 
> override over certain town bylaws the State considers too restrictive. Among 
> them two are chief: affordability and wetland setbacks. The state will only 
> allow us to ask a developer to include 10% affordable units. The town’s 
> bylaws require 15%, and historically the town has never approved anything 
> below 25%, including some units reserved for low income households. 25% is 
> also the lowest percentage of units for an entire development to count 
> towards 40B State requirements. The other requirement at odds is wetlands 
> setback. The town’s bylaws require 100’ and the State only gives us 50’. This 
> difference would be critical in some sensitive areas like Codman Rd.
> 
> Our view is that it is detrimental to the town’s general interest to allow a 
> developer to build a large multifamily building without going through town 
> meeting approval. The success of Oriole Landing is testament to the 
> usefulness of town meeting: a win-win for the town and the developer. We have 
> actually learned from other towns like Winchester that we can drive a much 
> tougher bargain than we have done in the past.
> 
> We see with skepticism claims that the Oriole Landing developer, who made an 
> estimated $12M profit and was able to get through town meeting in nine 
> months, does not want to go through town meeting again. Lincoln has 
> historically not been an obstructive town towards multi-family developers and 
> there is no reason to think that would change now that HCA has lowered Town 
> Meeting approval thresholds from 2/3 to just a simple majority.
> 
> I ask all residents to consider that when they vote to rezone an area, they 
> are de facto abdicating their democratic right to influence future 
> development.
> 
> David Cuetos
> Weston Rd
> -- 
> The LincolnTalk mailing list.
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> 
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The LincolnTalk mailing list.
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Re: [LincolnTalk] Why Lincoln should overlay HCA zoning over existing multi-family districts

[David Cuetos]

*I am surprised to hear from an elected official who has attended the same
meetings I have that the WG proposal selection process is not about housing
production. Whenever one listens to WG discussions, it is very clear this
is very much a housing production plan. The WG is very deliberate in its
desire to rezone parcels with very low existing units that have a very
large probability of being developed at a much higher density. Conversely,
the WG is intent on shunning multi-family properties that would lead to
little redevelopment. This is the critical disagreement between the WG and
many Lincoln residents. *

*How is the redevelopment of the Mall not a housing production plan when we
hear that a developer is enlisted and basically ready to break ground as
soon as they have a chance?*


On Mon, Nov 6, 2023 at 17:47 Karla Gravis  wrote:

> This is a very interesting point. According to the post below, the RLF is
> a private organization, and we shouldn’t expect them to share their
> negotiations with Civico. Yet this private organization, which stands to
> benefit from HCA rezoning, has secured not only one but two seats on the
> working group.
>
> We are being told that residents cannot sit on the working group, yet a
> private organization can? I believe if we have one stakeholder in the
> working group we should allow residents as well.
>
> We are told that Civico refuses to go through town meeting, and now we are
> being told that the RLF, as a private organization, does not need to share
> their negotiations. Why are we forgoing the town meeting process, which
> would allow us to control the level of affordable housing beyond the 10%
> HCA allows as well as potentially many other concessions, because one
> developer refuses to go through it?
>
> In terms of site plan reviews – my understanding is they deal with
> basically 5 issues: lighting, topography, drainage, screening, traffic
> circulation.  There's also a (IMO vague) subjective requirement of
> architectural harmony.  Site plan reviews cannot really stop a project,
> they only dictate mitigation. Let’s remember the plan is to build 85 - 100
> units PLUS one level of commercial space in the mall. Why not allow
> ourselves the ability to vote on it as a town?
>
>
>
>
>
>> -- Forwarded message -----
>> From: Margaret Olson 
>> Date: Mon, Nov 6, 2023 at 15:50
>> Subject: Re: [LincolnTalk] Why Lincoln should overlay HCA zoning over
>> existing multi-family districts
>> To: Deborah Greenwald 
>> CC: David Cuetos , Lincoln Talk <
>> lincoln@lincolntalk.org>
>>
>>
>> The HCA is about zoning - what property owners have a right to do with
>> their property. It is not about housing production and there is no town
>> project to develop housing.
>>
>> The Mall is private property owned by the Rural Land Foundation. The RLF
>> is a private 501(c)(3) organization. It would be unusual for a private
>> organization to publicly discuss their negotiations with a developer or
>> developers. As a private organization the RLF is not subject to the state's
>> RFP (bidding) process.
>>
>> I can't help but point out that the Boston Public Garden is surrounded on
>> three sides by dense development, including several buildings with ground
>> floor retail and apartments or offices above.
>> Monument Square in Concord has multifamily housing - 30 Monument square
>> is a condo building. There are additional condos and apartments within .2
>> miles.
>>
>> On Mon, Nov 6, 2023 at 1:43 PM Deborah Greenwald <
>> deborah.greenw...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Dear All,
>>> I would very much like to have David's proposals included in our vote.
>>> He
>>> And are we taking bids from multiple developers? Some might be more
>>> amenable to more low income units.
>>> To me it seems that considering any development near Codman Farm is akin
>>> to building an apartment building on the Boston Public Gardens or
>>> Concord's Monument Square. That area is one of Lincoln's jewels and should
>>> be preserved.
>>> On Sun, Nov 5, 2023 at 10:01 PM David Cuetos 
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I have received some questions from residents trying to understand why
>>>> our HCA proposals overlay zoning over existing multi-family districts. I
>>>> thought the rationale was important enough to share it with the wider
>>>> public.
>>>>
>>>> I believe the town would be better served by separating as much as
>>>> possible the zoning exercise required for compliance approval from actual
>>>> development. Zoning existing mul

Re: [LincolnTalk] Why Lincoln should overlay HCA zoning over existing multi-family districts

[Karla Gravis]

This is a very interesting point. According to the post below, the RLF is a
private organization, and we shouldn’t expect them to share their
negotiations with Civico. Yet this private organization, which stands to
benefit from HCA rezoning, has secured not only one but two seats on the
working group.

We are being told that residents cannot sit on the working group, yet a
private organization can? I believe if we have one stakeholder in the
working group we should allow residents as well.

We are told that Civico refuses to go through town meeting, and now we are
being told that the RLF, as a private organization, does not need to share
their negotiations. Why are we forgoing the town meeting process, which
would allow us to control the level of affordable housing beyond the 10%
HCA allows as well as potentially many other concessions, because one
developer refuses to go through it?

In terms of site plan reviews – my understanding is they deal with
basically 5 issues: lighting, topography, drainage, screening, traffic
circulation.  There's also a (IMO vague) subjective requirement of
architectural harmony.  Site plan reviews cannot really stop a project,
they only dictate mitigation. Let’s remember the plan is to build 85 - 100
units PLUS one level of commercial space in the mall. Why not allow
ourselves the ability to vote on it as a town?





> -- Forwarded message -
> From: Margaret Olson 
> Date: Mon, Nov 6, 2023 at 15:50
> Subject: Re: [LincolnTalk] Why Lincoln should overlay HCA zoning over
> existing multi-family districts
> To: Deborah Greenwald 
> CC: David Cuetos , Lincoln Talk <
> lincoln@lincolntalk.org>
>
>
> The HCA is about zoning - what property owners have a right to do with
> their property. It is not about housing production and there is no town
> project to develop housing.
>
> The Mall is private property owned by the Rural Land Foundation. The RLF
> is a private 501(c)(3) organization. It would be unusual for a private
> organization to publicly discuss their negotiations with a developer or
> developers. As a private organization the RLF is not subject to the state's
> RFP (bidding) process.
>
> I can't help but point out that the Boston Public Garden is surrounded on
> three sides by dense development, including several buildings with ground
> floor retail and apartments or offices above.
> Monument Square in Concord has multifamily housing - 30 Monument square is
> a condo building. There are additional condos and apartments within .2
> miles.
>
> On Mon, Nov 6, 2023 at 1:43 PM Deborah Greenwald <
> deborah.greenw...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Dear All,
>> I would very much like to have David's proposals included in our vote. He
>> And are we taking bids from multiple developers? Some might be more
>> amenable to more low income units.
>> To me it seems that considering any development near Codman Farm is akin
>> to building an apartment building on the Boston Public Gardens or
>> Concord's Monument Square. That area is one of Lincoln's jewels and should
>> be preserved.
>> On Sun, Nov 5, 2023 at 10:01 PM David Cuetos 
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I have received some questions from residents trying to understand why
>>> our HCA proposals overlay zoning over existing multi-family districts. I
>>> thought the rationale was important enough to share it with the wider
>>> public.
>>>
>>> I believe the town would be better served by separating as much as
>>> possible the zoning exercise required for compliance approval from actual
>>> development. Zoning existing multifamily developments accomplishes that
>>> goal, as those properties already have the characteristics we would like to
>>> see and they are unlikely to be redeveloped. Let me explain the logic
>>> behind the separation.
>>>
>>> HCA compliance requires us to zone a certain number of acres to a
>>> certain density by right. What that means is that as long as the developer
>>> does not go past our height and setback bylaws, they do not need to ask the
>>> town for feedback. This is not what historically happened in Lincoln.
>>> Historically every multi-family development was a give and take between the
>>> developer and the town. In that process the town was able to extract
>>> important concessions like the number of affordable units, measures to
>>> reduce environmental impact, etc.
>>>
>>> While that give and take was quite important, for areas rezoned under
>>> HCA the town's influence is diminished even further as developers would get
>>> an override over certain town bylaws the State considers too
>>> restrictive. Among them t

Re: [LincolnTalk] Why Lincoln should overlay HCA zoning over existing multi-family districts

[Robert Ahlert]

Hi all -

We might want to bump up our legal budget going forward because with the
HCA behind them, developers might not be so inclined to listen to a town's
planning board.  If a developer's site plan and proposal meets the
technical requirements for the zoned area, how long can the Planning Board
hold up a 36 foot high box with windows?

Let's please not be naive and give away our prime in-town parcels to HCA
zoning, we'll regret it.  There are many, many alternatives ...

https://sites.google.com/lincolnresidentsforhousingalternatives.org/info/a-fairer-approach

Rob

On Mon, Nov 6, 2023 at 5:13 PM Sara Mattes  wrote:

> Please let us know exactly what legal teeth site plan review has.
> I have asked for that repeatedly and have heard….crickets.
> Yes there will be some wetlands protections, but not Lincoln’s set backs.
> Yes, there will be some set backs.
> But please, do tell what legal options will we have to actually control
> the look and feel of major redevelopment.
>
> The repeated reference to “existing regulations and site plan review” is
> cold comfort.
>
> The whole point of the HCA is to get around our existing bylaws…to make it
> easier for developers to create  larger, denser housing development than is
> currently allowed.
>
>
>
>
> --
> Sara Mattes
>
>
>
>
> On Nov 6, 2023, at 5:02 PM, Rich Rosenbaum  wrote:
>
> I think it is misleading to use statements such as "the developer can do
> whatever they want".
> Existing regulations and site plan review give the town oversight.
>
> After all, residential property owners have the by right ability to build
> a new home but cannot build whatever they want.
>
>
> On Mon, Nov 6, 2023 at 4:05 PM Sara Mattes  wrote:
>
>> Once rezone with the HCA, the property owner can put up pretty much
>> whatever they want.
>> That is the point of the HCA-to get around our normal process for
>> managing development in Lincoln.
>> No proposals are required for the town to see.
>> The development is *BY RIGHT*, they just need to comply with some very
>> basic zoning-wetlands setbacks, other set backs, etc.
>>
>> And, as was made clear in a public presentation, dense housing is the
>> most profitable use of the land, not retail.
>>
>> The discussion about the Mall is confusing as concepts were discussed and
>> proposals were to be offered at a later date.
>> In addition, the RLF said they were looking to most lily sell and were in
>> discussion with a local developer-CIVICO.
>> Regardless of what is discussed now, as it stands now, once rezoned the
>> owner, either the RLF but most like a new owner, can do whatever they see
>> fit with that land.
>>
>> That is why this is all so difficult and generating so much debate.
>>
>> It is important that we all learn as much as possible and attend each and
>> every meeting to better understand what is being proposed and what is at
>> stake.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Sara Mattes
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Nov 6, 2023, at 1:43 PM, Deborah Greenwald <
>> deborah.greenw...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Dear All,
>> I would very much like to have David's proposals included in our vote. He
>> And are we taking bids from multiple developers? Some might be more
>> amenable to more low income units.
>> To me it seems that considering any development near Codman Farm is akin
>> to building an apartment building on the Boston Public Gardens or
>> Concord's Monument Square. That area is one of Lincoln's jewels and should
>> be preserved.
>> On Sun, Nov 5, 2023 at 10:01 PM David Cuetos 
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I have received some questions from residents trying to understand why
>>> our HCA proposals overlay zoning over existing multi-family districts. I
>>> thought the rationale was important enough to share it with the wider
>>> public.
>>>
>>> I believe the town would be better served by separating as much as
>>> possible the zoning exercise required for compliance approval from actual
>>> development. Zoning existing multifamily developments accomplishes that
>>> goal, as those properties already have the characteristics we would like to
>>> see and they are unlikely to be redeveloped. Let me explain the logic
>>> behind the separation.
>>>
>>> HCA compliance requires us to zone a certain number of acres to a
>>> certain density by right. What that means is that as long as the developer
>>> does not go past our height and setback bylaws, they do not need to ask the
>>> town for feedback. This is not what historically happened in Lincoln.
>>> Historically every multi-family development was a give and take between the
>>> developer and the town. In that process the town was able to extract
>>> important concessions like the number of affordable units, measures to
>>> reduce environmental impact, etc.
>>>
>>> While that give and take was quite important, for areas rezoned under
>>> HCA the town's influence is diminished even further as developers would get
>>> an override over certain town bylaws the State considers too
>>> restrictive. 

Re: [LincolnTalk] Why Lincoln should overlay HCA zoning over existing multi-family districts

[Sara Mattes]

Please let us know exactly what legal teeth site plan review has.
I have asked for that repeatedly and have heard….crickets.
Yes there will be some wetlands protections, but not Lincoln’s set backs.
Yes, there will be some set backs.
But please, do tell what legal options will we have to actually control the 
look and feel of major redevelopment.

The repeated reference to “existing regulations and site plan review” is cold 
comfort.

The whole point of the HCA is to get around our existing bylaws…to make it 
easier for developers to create  larger, denser housing development than is 
currently allowed.




--
Sara Mattes




> On Nov 6, 2023, at 5:02 PM, Rich Rosenbaum  wrote:
> 
> I think it is misleading to use statements such as "the developer can do 
> whatever they want". 
> Existing regulations and site plan review give the town oversight.
> 
> After all, residential property owners have the by right ability to build a 
> new home but cannot build whatever they want.
> 
> 
> On Mon, Nov 6, 2023 at 4:05 PM Sara Mattes  > wrote:
>> Once rezone with the HCA, the property owner can put up pretty much whatever 
>> they want.
>> That is the point of the HCA-to get around our normal process for managing 
>> development in Lincoln.
>> No proposals are required for the town to see.
>> The development is BY RIGHT, they just need to comply with some very basic 
>> zoning-wetlands setbacks, other set backs, etc.
>> 
>> And, as was made clear in a public presentation, dense housing is the most 
>> profitable use of the land, not retail.
>> 
>> The discussion about the Mall is confusing as concepts were discussed and 
>> proposals were to be offered at a later date.
>> In addition, the RLF said they were looking to most lily sell and were in 
>> discussion with a local developer-CIVICO.
>> Regardless of what is discussed now, as it stands now, once rezoned the 
>> owner, either the RLF but most like a new owner, can do whatever they see 
>> fit with that land.
>> 
>> That is why this is all so difficult and generating so much debate.
>> 
>> It is important that we all learn as much as possible and attend each and 
>> every meeting to better understand what is being proposed and what is at 
>> stake.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> --
>> Sara Mattes
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>> On Nov 6, 2023, at 1:43 PM, Deborah Greenwald >> > wrote:
>>> 
>>> Dear All,
>>> I would very much like to have David's proposals included in our vote. He 
>>> And are we taking bids from multiple developers? Some might be more 
>>> amenable to more low income units.
>>> To me it seems that considering any development near Codman Farm is akin to 
>>> building an apartment building on the Boston Public Gardens or Concord's 
>>> Monument Square. That area is one of Lincoln's jewels and should be 
>>> preserved.
>>> On Sun, Nov 5, 2023 at 10:01 PM David Cuetos >> > wrote:
 I have received some questions from residents trying to understand why our 
 HCA proposals overlay zoning over existing multi-family districts. I 
 thought the rationale was important enough to share it with the wider 
 public.
 
 I believe the town would be better served by separating as much as 
 possible the zoning exercise required for compliance approval from actual 
 development. Zoning existing multifamily developments accomplishes that 
 goal, as those properties already have the characteristics we would like 
 to see and they are unlikely to be redeveloped. Let me explain the logic 
 behind the separation.
 
 HCA compliance requires us to zone a certain number of acres to a certain 
 density by right. What that means is that as long as the developer does 
 not go past our height and setback bylaws, they do not need to ask the 
 town for feedback. This is not what historically happened in Lincoln. 
 Historically every multi-family development was a give and take between 
 the developer and the town. In that process the town was able to extract 
 important concessions like the number of affordable units, measures to 
 reduce environmental impact, etc.
 
 While that give and take was quite important, for areas rezoned under HCA 
 the town's influence is diminished even further as developers would get an 
 override over certain town bylaws the State considers too restrictive. 
 Among them two are chief: affordability and wetland setbacks. The state 
 will only allow us to ask a developer to include 10% affordable units. The 
 town’s bylaws require 15%, and historically the town has never approved 
 anything below 25%, including some units reserved for low income 
 households. 25% is also the lowest percentage of units for an entire 
 development to count towards 40B State requirements. The other requirement 
 at odds is wetlands setback. The town’s 

Re: [LincolnTalk] Why Lincoln should overlay HCA zoning over existing multi-family districts

[Rich Rosenbaum]

I think it is misleading to use statements such as "the developer can do
whatever they want".
Existing regulations and site plan review give the town oversight.

After all, residential property owners have the by right ability to build a
new home but cannot build whatever they want.


On Mon, Nov 6, 2023 at 4:05 PM Sara Mattes  wrote:

> Once rezone with the HCA, the property owner can put up pretty much
> whatever they want.
> That is the point of the HCA-to get around our normal process for managing
> development in Lincoln.
> No proposals are required for the town to see.
> The development is *BY RIGHT*, they just need to comply with some very
> basic zoning-wetlands setbacks, other set backs, etc.
>
> And, as was made clear in a public presentation, dense housing is the most
> profitable use of the land, not retail.
>
> The discussion about the Mall is confusing as concepts were discussed and
> proposals were to be offered at a later date.
> In addition, the RLF said they were looking to most lily sell and were in
> discussion with a local developer-CIVICO.
> Regardless of what is discussed now, as it stands now, once rezoned the
> owner, either the RLF but most like a new owner, can do whatever they see
> fit with that land.
>
> That is why this is all so difficult and generating so much debate.
>
> It is important that we all learn as much as possible and attend each and
> every meeting to better understand what is being proposed and what is at
> stake.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --
> Sara Mattes
>
>
>
>
> On Nov 6, 2023, at 1:43 PM, Deborah Greenwald 
> wrote:
>
> Dear All,
> I would very much like to have David's proposals included in our vote. He
> And are we taking bids from multiple developers? Some might be more
> amenable to more low income units.
> To me it seems that considering any development near Codman Farm is akin
> to building an apartment building on the Boston Public Gardens or
> Concord's Monument Square. That area is one of Lincoln's jewels and should
> be preserved.
> On Sun, Nov 5, 2023 at 10:01 PM David Cuetos 
> wrote:
>
>> I have received some questions from residents trying to understand why
>> our HCA proposals overlay zoning over existing multi-family districts. I
>> thought the rationale was important enough to share it with the wider
>> public.
>>
>> I believe the town would be better served by separating as much as
>> possible the zoning exercise required for compliance approval from actual
>> development. Zoning existing multifamily developments accomplishes that
>> goal, as those properties already have the characteristics we would like to
>> see and they are unlikely to be redeveloped. Let me explain the logic
>> behind the separation.
>>
>> HCA compliance requires us to zone a certain number of acres to a certain
>> density by right. What that means is that as long as the developer does
>> not go past our height and setback bylaws, they do not need to ask the town
>> for feedback. This is not what historically happened in Lincoln.
>> Historically every multi-family development was a give and take between the
>> developer and the town. In that process the town was able to extract
>> important concessions like the number of affordable units, measures to
>> reduce environmental impact, etc.
>>
>> While that give and take was quite important, for areas rezoned under HCA
>> the town's influence is diminished even further as developers would get an
>> override over certain town bylaws the State considers too
>> restrictive. Among them two are chief: affordability and wetland setbacks.
>> The state will only allow us to ask a developer to include 10% affordable
>> units. The town’s bylaws require 15%, and historically the town has never
>> approved anything below 25%, including some units reserved for low income
>> households. 25% is also the lowest percentage of units for an entire
>> development to count towards 40B State requirements. The other requirement
>> at odds is wetlands setback. The town’s bylaws require 100’ and the State
>> only gives us 50’. This difference would be critical in some sensitive
>> areas like Codman Rd.
>>
>> Our view is that it is detrimental to the town’s general interest to
>> allow a developer to build a large multifamily building without going
>> through town meeting approval. The success of Oriole Landing is testament
>> to the usefulness of town meeting: a win-win for the town and the
>> developer. We have actually learned from other towns like Winchester that
>> we can drive a much tougher bargain than we have done in the past.
>>
>> We see with skepticism claims that the Oriole Landing developer, who made
>> an estimated $12M profit and was able to get through town meeting in nine
>> months, does not want to go through town meeting again. Lincoln has
>> historically not been an obstructive town towards multi-family developers
>> and there is no reason to think that would change now that HCA has lowered
>> Town Meeting approval thresholds 

Re: [LincolnTalk] Why Lincoln should overlay HCA zoning over existing multi-family districts

[Sara Mattes]

Once rezone with the HCA, the property owner can put up pretty much whatever 
they want.
That is the point of the HCA-to get around our normal process for managing 
development in Lincoln.
No proposals are required for the town to see.
The development is BY RIGHT, they just need to comply with some very basic 
zoning-wetlands setbacks, other set backs, etc.

And, as was made clear in a public presentation, dense housing is the most 
profitable use of the land, not retail.

The discussion about the Mall is confusing as concepts were discussed and 
proposals were to be offered at a later date.
In addition, the RLF said they were looking to most lily sell and were in 
discussion with a local developer-CIVICO.
Regardless of what is discussed now, as it stands now, once rezoned the owner, 
either the RLF but most like a new owner, can do whatever they see fit with 
that land.

That is why this is all so difficult and generating so much debate.

It is important that we all learn as much as possible and attend each and every 
meeting to better understand what is being proposed and what is at stake.








--
Sara Mattes




> On Nov 6, 2023, at 1:43 PM, Deborah Greenwald  
> wrote:
> 
> Dear All,
> I would very much like to have David's proposals included in our vote. He 
> And are we taking bids from multiple developers? Some might be more amenable 
> to more low income units.
> To me it seems that considering any development near Codman Farm is akin to 
> building an apartment building on the Boston Public Gardens or Concord's 
> Monument Square. That area is one of Lincoln's jewels and should be preserved.
> On Sun, Nov 5, 2023 at 10:01 PM David Cuetos  > wrote:
>> I have received some questions from residents trying to understand why our 
>> HCA proposals overlay zoning over existing multi-family districts. I thought 
>> the rationale was important enough to share it with the wider public.
>> 
>> I believe the town would be better served by separating as much as possible 
>> the zoning exercise required for compliance approval from actual 
>> development. Zoning existing multifamily developments accomplishes that 
>> goal, as those properties already have the characteristics we would like to 
>> see and they are unlikely to be redeveloped. Let me explain the logic behind 
>> the separation.
>> 
>> HCA compliance requires us to zone a certain number of acres to a certain 
>> density by right. What that means is that as long as the developer does not 
>> go past our height and setback bylaws, they do not need to ask the town for 
>> feedback. This is not what historically happened in Lincoln. Historically 
>> every multi-family development was a give and take between the developer and 
>> the town. In that process the town was able to extract important concessions 
>> like the number of affordable units, measures to reduce environmental 
>> impact, etc.
>> 
>> While that give and take was quite important, for areas rezoned under HCA 
>> the town's influence is diminished even further as developers would get an 
>> override over certain town bylaws the State considers too restrictive. Among 
>> them two are chief: affordability and wetland setbacks. The state will only 
>> allow us to ask a developer to include 10% affordable units. The town’s 
>> bylaws require 15%, and historically the town has never approved anything 
>> below 25%, including some units reserved for low income households. 25% is 
>> also the lowest percentage of units for an entire development to count 
>> towards 40B State requirements. The other requirement at odds is wetlands 
>> setback. The town’s bylaws require 100’ and the State only gives us 50’. 
>> This difference would be critical in some sensitive areas like Codman Rd.
>> 
>> Our view is that it is detrimental to the town’s general interest to allow a 
>> developer to build a large multifamily building without going through town 
>> meeting approval. The success of Oriole Landing is testament to the 
>> usefulness of town meeting: a win-win for the town and the developer. We 
>> have actually learned from other towns like Winchester that we can drive a 
>> much tougher bargain than we have done in the past.
>> 
>> We see with skepticism claims that the Oriole Landing developer, who made an 
>> estimated $12M profit and was able to get through town meeting in nine 
>> months, does not want to go through town meeting again. Lincoln has 
>> historically not been an obstructive town towards multi-family developers 
>> and there is no reason to think that would change now that HCA has lowered 
>> Town Meeting approval thresholds from 2/3 to just a simple majority.
>> 
>> I ask all residents to consider that when they vote to rezone an area, they 
>> are de facto abdicating their democratic right to influence future 
>> development.
>> 
>> David Cuetos
>> Weston Rd
>> -- 
>> The LincolnTalk mailing list.
>> To post, send mail to Lincoln@lincolntalk.org 

Re: [LincolnTalk] Why Lincoln should overlay HCA zoning over existing multi-family districts

[Margaret Olson]

The HCA is about zoning - what property owners have a right to do with
their property. It is not about housing production and there is no town
project to develop housing.

The Mall is private property owned by the Rural Land Foundation. The RLF is
a private 501(c)(3) organization. It would be unusual for a private
organization to publicly discuss their negotiations with a developer or
developers. As a private organization the RLF is not subject to the state's
RFP (bidding) process.

I can't help but point out that the Boston Public Garden is surrounded on
three sides by dense development, including several buildings with ground
floor retail and apartments or offices above.
Monument Square in Concord has multifamily housing - 30 Monument square is
a condo building. There are additional condos and apartments within .2
miles.

On Mon, Nov 6, 2023 at 1:43 PM Deborah Greenwald <
deborah.greenw...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Dear All,
> I would very much like to have David's proposals included in our vote. He
> And are we taking bids from multiple developers? Some might be more
> amenable to more low income units.
> To me it seems that considering any development near Codman Farm is akin
> to building an apartment building on the Boston Public Gardens or
> Concord's Monument Square. That area is one of Lincoln's jewels and should
> be preserved.
> On Sun, Nov 5, 2023 at 10:01 PM David Cuetos 
> wrote:
>
>> I have received some questions from residents trying to understand why
>> our HCA proposals overlay zoning over existing multi-family districts. I
>> thought the rationale was important enough to share it with the wider
>> public.
>>
>> I believe the town would be better served by separating as much as
>> possible the zoning exercise required for compliance approval from actual
>> development. Zoning existing multifamily developments accomplishes that
>> goal, as those properties already have the characteristics we would like to
>> see and they are unlikely to be redeveloped. Let me explain the logic
>> behind the separation.
>>
>> HCA compliance requires us to zone a certain number of acres to a certain
>> density by right. What that means is that as long as the developer does
>> not go past our height and setback bylaws, they do not need to ask the town
>> for feedback. This is not what historically happened in Lincoln.
>> Historically every multi-family development was a give and take between the
>> developer and the town. In that process the town was able to extract
>> important concessions like the number of affordable units, measures to
>> reduce environmental impact, etc.
>>
>> While that give and take was quite important, for areas rezoned under HCA
>> the town's influence is diminished even further as developers would get an
>> override over certain town bylaws the State considers too
>> restrictive. Among them two are chief: affordability and wetland setbacks.
>> The state will only allow us to ask a developer to include 10% affordable
>> units. The town’s bylaws require 15%, and historically the town has never
>> approved anything below 25%, including some units reserved for low income
>> households. 25% is also the lowest percentage of units for an entire
>> development to count towards 40B State requirements. The other requirement
>> at odds is wetlands setback. The town’s bylaws require 100’ and the State
>> only gives us 50’. This difference would be critical in some sensitive
>> areas like Codman Rd.
>>
>> Our view is that it is detrimental to the town’s general interest to
>> allow a developer to build a large multifamily building without going
>> through town meeting approval. The success of Oriole Landing is testament
>> to the usefulness of town meeting: a win-win for the town and the
>> developer. We have actually learned from other towns like Winchester that
>> we can drive a much tougher bargain than we have done in the past.
>>
>> We see with skepticism claims that the Oriole Landing developer, who made
>> an estimated $12M profit and was able to get through town meeting in nine
>> months, does not want to go through town meeting again. Lincoln has
>> historically not been an obstructive town towards multi-family developers
>> and there is no reason to think that would change now that HCA has lowered
>> Town Meeting approval thresholds from 2/3 to just a simple majority.
>>
>> I ask all residents to consider that when they vote to rezone an area,
>> they are de facto abdicating their democratic right to influence future
>> development.
>>
>> David Cuetos
>> Weston Rd
>> --
>> 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/

Re: [LincolnTalk] Why Lincoln should overlay HCA zoning over existing multi-family districts

[Deborah Greenwald]

Dear All,
I would very much like to have David's proposals included in our vote. He
And are we taking bids from multiple developers? Some might be more
amenable to more low income units.
To me it seems that considering any development near Codman Farm is akin to
building an apartment building on the Boston Public Gardens or
Concord's Monument Square. That area is one of Lincoln's jewels and should
be preserved.
On Sun, Nov 5, 2023 at 10:01 PM David Cuetos  wrote:

> I have received some questions from residents trying to understand why our
> HCA proposals overlay zoning over existing multi-family districts. I
> thought the rationale was important enough to share it with the wider
> public.
>
> I believe the town would be better served by separating as much as
> possible the zoning exercise required for compliance approval from actual
> development. Zoning existing multifamily developments accomplishes that
> goal, as those properties already have the characteristics we would like to
> see and they are unlikely to be redeveloped. Let me explain the logic
> behind the separation.
>
> HCA compliance requires us to zone a certain number of acres to a certain
> density by right. What that means is that as long as the developer does
> not go past our height and setback bylaws, they do not need to ask the town
> for feedback. This is not what historically happened in Lincoln.
> Historically every multi-family development was a give and take between the
> developer and the town. In that process the town was able to extract
> important concessions like the number of affordable units, measures to
> reduce environmental impact, etc.
>
> While that give and take was quite important, for areas rezoned under HCA
> the town's influence is diminished even further as developers would get an
> override over certain town bylaws the State considers too
> restrictive. Among them two are chief: affordability and wetland setbacks.
> The state will only allow us to ask a developer to include 10% affordable
> units. The town’s bylaws require 15%, and historically the town has never
> approved anything below 25%, including some units reserved for low income
> households. 25% is also the lowest percentage of units for an entire
> development to count towards 40B State requirements. The other requirement
> at odds is wetlands setback. The town’s bylaws require 100’ and the State
> only gives us 50’. This difference would be critical in some sensitive
> areas like Codman Rd.
>
> Our view is that it is detrimental to the town’s general interest to allow
> a developer to build a large multifamily building without going through
> town meeting approval. The success of Oriole Landing is testament to the
> usefulness of town meeting: a win-win for the town and the developer. We
> have actually learned from other towns like Winchester that we can drive a
> much tougher bargain than we have done in the past.
>
> We see with skepticism claims that the Oriole Landing developer, who made
> an estimated $12M profit and was able to get through town meeting in nine
> months, does not want to go through town meeting again. Lincoln has
> historically not been an obstructive town towards multi-family developers
> and there is no reason to think that would change now that HCA has lowered
> Town Meeting approval thresholds from 2/3 to just a simple majority.
>
> I ask all residents to consider that when they vote to rezone an area,
> they are de facto abdicating their democratic right to influence future
> development.
>
> David Cuetos
> Weston Rd
> --
> 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.

Re: [LincolnTalk] Why Lincoln should overlay HCA zoning over existing multi-family districts

[Sara Mattes]

This is quite clear and helps.
Thank you.
Sara
--
Sara Mattes




> On Nov 5, 2023, at 4:49 PM, David Cuetos  wrote:
> 
> I have received some questions from residents trying to understand why our 
> HCA proposals overlay zoning over existing multi-family districts. I thought 
> the rationale was important enough to share it with the wider public.
> 
> I believe the town would be better served by separating as much as possible 
> the zoning exercise required for compliance approval from actual development. 
> Zoning existing multifamily developments accomplishes that goal, as those 
> properties already have the characteristics we would like to see and they are 
> unlikely to be redeveloped. Let me explain the logic behind the separation.
> 
> HCA compliance requires us to zone a certain number of acres to a certain 
> density by right. What that means is that as long as the developer does not 
> go past our height and setback bylaws, they do not need to ask the town for 
> feedback. This is not what historically happened in Lincoln. Historically 
> every multi-family development was a give and take between the developer and 
> the town. In that process the town was able to extract important concessions 
> like the number of affordable units, measures to reduce environmental impact, 
> etc.
> 
> While that give and take was quite important, for areas rezoned under HCA the 
> town's influence is diminished even further as developers would get an 
> override over certain town bylaws the State considers too restrictive. Among 
> them two are chief: affordability and wetland setbacks. The state will only 
> allow us to ask a developer to include 10% affordable units. The town’s 
> bylaws require 15%, and historically the town has never approved anything 
> below 25%, including some units reserved for low income households. 25% is 
> also the lowest percentage of units for an entire development to count 
> towards 40B State requirements. The other requirement at odds is wetlands 
> setback. The town’s bylaws require 100’ and the State only gives us 50’. This 
> difference would be critical in some sensitive areas like Codman Rd.
> 
> Our view is that it is detrimental to the town’s general interest to allow a 
> developer to build a large multifamily building without going through town 
> meeting approval. The success of Oriole Landing is testament to the 
> usefulness of town meeting: a win-win for the town and the developer. We have 
> actually learned from other towns like Winchester that we can drive a much 
> tougher bargain than we have done in the past.
> 
> We see with skepticism claims that the Oriole Landing developer, who made an 
> estimated $12M profit and was able to get through town meeting in nine 
> months, does not want to go through town meeting again. Lincoln has 
> historically not been an obstructive town towards multi-family developers and 
> there is no reason to think that would change now that HCA has lowered Town 
> Meeting approval thresholds from 2/3 to just a simple majority.
> 
> I ask all residents to consider that when they vote to rezone an area, they 
> are de facto abdicating their democratic right to influence future 
> development.
> 
> David Cuetos
> Weston Rd
> -- 
> 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.