Dear Fellow Lincolnites, I’m writing to ask for your support for my re-election to the Planning Board.
I first joined the planning board in 2013 as an associate member and became a full member later that year. The zoning, site plan review, and land use planning and processes for which the planning board is responsible can seem intimidating and complex. My initial goals as a board member was to make licensing and permitting friendlier to applicants and neighbors by making them clear, consistent, and transparent. The planning board has made great progress in this regard. Working with our excellent town planning staff, we developed a set of guidelines and regulations for site plan review that increased transparency for both the applicant and neighbors while reducing the amount of time required to navigate the process. Over the past eight years on the planning board I have worked with my colleagues to ensure that Lincoln’s zoning and land use policies are clear to all residents, fair to all applicants, and reflect Lincoln’s values and the will of the town. As I gained experience my goals expanded to engaging the town in the long-term planning needed to respond effectively to the challenges of the 21st century. As chair for the last six years, I have led public discussions for several major developments: the Minuteman School, the new Lincoln School, and Oriole Landing, a 60 unit, mixed-income housing development. My objectives were to ensure that Lincoln’s requirements were met, its values respected, and that neighboring property owners were given a voice and protected from negative impacts to the extent permitted by law. Ultimately, the rules around land use and the processes for important land use decisions are made not by the planning board but by town meeting through approval of zoning bylaws and other regulations. Beyond its permitting responsibilities, the role of the board is to look forward and engage the town in conversations around the challenges that arise from the changing needs within Lincoln as well as Lincoln’s part in the region. I believe it is not only necessary but part of LIncoln’s ethos to engage residents in a robust discussion of the pros and cons of possible responses and then to prepare bylaw proposals for consideration and approval by town meeting. I look forward to continuing to listen as we together seek to protect what we all love about Lincoln and position the town for success in the future. Thank you, Margaret Olson I appear on the ballet by my full name: Setha Margaret Olson
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