Amen to June's post!
On Saturday, December 16, 2023 at 08:09:44 AM EST, Susanna Szeto
<[email protected]> wrote:
Other than contending with the height of the building inside the mall, we have
to think about the huge number of cars that come along with the high-end condo
owners who live there. Planning board wants to throw a “carrot” of more
affordable units to make the 4 story buildings more attractive! Please let a
spade be a spade! Where are we putting all the cars?!! And how many ways can
those cars enter and exit the mall?
On Dec 15, 2023, at 9:36 PM, Garrick Niemiec <[email protected]>
wrote:
So true!
On Fri, Dec 15, 2023, 8:56 AM Sara Mattes <[email protected]> wrote:
…why we need more modeling and mock-ups together understand what is being
propose.
———
Sara Mattes
Begin forwarded message:
From: Paul Rice via Lincoln <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [LincolnTalk] my take on planning board meeting 12/12
Date: December 14, 2023 at 4:54:10 PM EST
To: Laurie Gray <[email protected]>
Cc: [email protected]
Reply-To: Paul Rice <[email protected]>
Just to put some perspective on building heights being proposed.
This is a 3 story building
This is considered a 3 1/2 story building due to the roof design
I couldn’t find a true 4 story building to take a picture of.
I’m all for some improvement at that mall but Is this really what we want along
Lincoln Road in this part of town.
Paul Rice
On Dec 13, 2023, at 11:47 PM, Laurie Gray <[email protected]> wrote:
In full disclosure, I was an Option E supporter. I support development at the
mall and want town residents to have input into the process. I listened to the
planning board meeting Tuesday night. If Option C is accepted by the town in
March, the planning board bylaws are the way the town has input.
Unsurprisingly, the process of creating the guidelines is confusing. Several
times, it was mentioned that the mall is a small space and we can't have it
all. Some worry that if we ask for too much we won't get any development at
all. Creating the guidelines feels a little bit like guessing/working
backwards. >From a practical standpoint, it seems easier to have an actual
plan to look at, rather than imagining a future plan. I could be wrong on
specifics but these were the discussion points that I took home:
--Commercial space will be less than 33%, but an exact number was not agreed
upon.
--A 4 story building(s) is definitely being considered. Not everyone agreed.
Some wanted the town to have more input on whether there should be a 4th story.
Others wanted to use a 4th story as a "Carrot" to get more affordable housing
(although there was disagreement on the percentage); as in, a developer could
apply for a special permit (decided by planning board I believe) to make a 4th
story if more affordable housing was included.
Additional questions:
--Parking is going to be an issue. Will there be enough parking for commercial
customers and residents? The first floor of new buildings might be parking,
since parking likely cannot go underground.
--Space is a major issue. It is hard to understand how everything is going to
fit in. During the meeting it felt like we needed a calculator and a miniature
model of all the things we need to try to fit in. Is that what an architect
does? (This is me editorializing--but it is hard for me to see how Donelan's
is going to fit it).
2 other important points
--There were several comments about making all future meetings hybrid and
recorded. There is a lot of important work to be done over the next 2 months.
This seems like a no-brainer.
-- A resident from Lincoln woods commented how much of an impact this would
have on Lincoln Woods residents because of how little space there is. A tall
building would be very close to their buildings. I think we should take this
comment very seriously. I know we want to welcome new residents who want to
live in multifamily housing, but we also have to support and listen to our
current residents of multifamily housing. I also think June Matthews' post
from earlier this week on LT needs be considered as well and I have re-posted
it below.
Laurie Gray
And here is June's post
My Turn: Please think further about HCA Options C and E
While I was patiently waiting in line at Town Meeting to speak on the HCA
question in support of Option E I looked through my notes to decide what I
might try to fit into my two minutes. I never got a chance to speak, but the
item that I was going to mention first was CARS! If the allowed number of
housing units were built in the Mall area, we could have 1,000 more cars! That
number boggles my mind. It is disingenuous to think that people would move
there in order to live without a car. Sure, you wouldn't need one to go to the
Post Office or buy groceries, or to commute by rail to Waltham/Cambridge/Boston
if that is where your job is, but what about other destinations, e.g. the
Library, the Schools (to pick up children)? Or ... the new Community Center,
which our town in its infinite wisdom has decided to build at a location
accessible only by car? No, singles will have one car, most couples will have
two. In addition to congestion and traffic, which have not been adequately
studied, there will be more impact on town infrastructure, noise and light
pollution, more pavement (driveways and parking), fewer trees, and possible
impact on wildlife movement. Lincoln Station is already the most densely
populated area of Town: is it fair to ask those residents to assume the entire
burden of additional housing? Also, it is the most diverse: if one stands on
Lincoln Road at the entrance to the Mall, one can see the Lincoln Woods
apartments, Ryan Estate (62+), the Ridge Court ("Flying Nun") apartments, and
at a slightly farther distance, the Greenridge (where I live) and Todd Pond
condominiums. Each of these properties has its own architectural style, but
somehow they all fit together into the character and ethos of Lincoln. (And
none of the buildings are taller than the trees!) They serve a diverse range
of ages and income levels, a diversity which I believe that the town embraces.
Although I realize that only a small fraction of Lincoln's land area is being
considered for rezoning, this is an important area - not only to those of us
who live nearby but to everyone who passes through en route to or from their
residences.
When I moved to Lincoln 30+ years ago I did so on account of its semi-rural,
small-town nature, its open space, farmland, conservation land, and trails.
Let's not compromise these aspects by granting carte blanche to a developer to
build by right whatever he chooses. Any fraction of Lincoln's unique character
that we cede will be lost; we cannot, nor can future generations, get it back.
June Matthews
35 Greenridge Lane
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