An impressive list of people have signed a letter here endorsing Option C for the HCA zoning article, and I
applaud their cohesion. My view is similar to theirs -- to see smart redevelopment of the South Lincoln area,
and "to create a vibrant, welcoming center for this town." I absolutely agree that the Mall must be
redeveloped for mixed-use commercial/retail and multi-unit housing; I don't think anyone disputes that fact.
(I'd love to see some housing developed for those of us in the middle-tier of income; housing opportunities
for us are scant in Lincoln.) My view differs from the Option C group in that I feel extremely uncomfortable
voting for redevelopment of the Mall without seeing any site plans. The HCA Working Group held a Zoom on
9/21, and made a presentation to a small group at Lincoln Woods on 9/28. They showed a rendered perspective
of the view from Lincoln Road north to the proposed building intended to replace Something Special's
building. Unfortunately there were no other drawings of the rest of the planned development, behind the
Lincoln Road frontage. And we have not seen any drawings since, though Michelle Barnes (for whom I have a
great deal of respect) has said that Civico intends to build a U-shaped building facing Lincoln Road. When I
asked about parking at the redeveloped Mall -- parking for commercial interests and for housing residents --
Michelle explained that once construction is done, the developer would likely build a parking structure in
front of Donelan's. A two- or three-story (or, by right, even a four-story) parking structure in front of
Donelan's -- in what we'd all like to see become the "vibrant, welcoming center of town" -- would,
I think, work against that goal. Again, I am not comfortable voting for such a radical possibility without
seeing at least schematic site plans. What gets built, how the site layout is configured, how likely
commercial activity will be to stay put, given the greater profitability of housing -- right now, the RLF can
help determine those things. It will have no say once it has sold the site to a developer. And while I
support the RLF (I even contributed in 2012 to help the RLF buy the DeNormandie land north of Route 2, 5
months after I moved to Lincoln), I believe that Lincoln should retain its ability to rezone the parcel. I
support Option E because it removes the Mall from the HCA zoning process. Lincoln surrenders its ability to
determing its own home rule course for the Mall if it uses the HCA to allow by-right development rights
there. And while the Town will of course require site plan review, and can enact a demolition delay (a
one-year hold on construction, after which the developer can proceed without further intervention from the
Town), whoever owns the Mall property may build at will. And housing is a more profitable land use than
commercial use. By removing the Mall from the HCA zoning process, Lincoln will retain the right to exercise
its legacy of careful planning and design. Removing the Mall from the HCA process will give us 9 more months
to refine the HCA redevelopment plan without developer pressure. And it will let us exercise the greatest
flexibility in zoning the Mall for a thoughtful balance of housing, commercial/retail use, commuter rail and
mixed-use parking, and (I certainly hope) some open space that will be a benefit to all who visit what can
then become our "vibrant, welcoming center". Lincoln is a wonderful place; its legacy of open-space
conservation has made it an incredibly valuable asset to those of us who live here and those who visit. I
believe that -- despite other communities also releasing land under HCA for housing development -- in the
eyes of a smart developer, Lincoln is still a plum waiting to be picked. I will vote for the greatest town
participation in rezoning the Mall, and so I will be voting tomorrow for Option E. Sent from iCloud
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