Burney dives into Lincoln planning and land use

Jennifer Burney

By Alice Waugh

Jennifer Burney’s opinion after a week in Lincoln? “I love it!”

Burney is starting her second week as Lincoln’s new director of planning and land use, was director of planning in Southborough for three years. Before that, she held the same post in Bolton for six years, and assistant town planner and director of community development in Sudbury from 2006-07. Burney succeeds Chris Reilly, who held the position for five years until becoming planning director in Billerica in late 2015.

Planning is something of a second career for Burney. She earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the UMass-Dartmouth in 2005 and a Master of Regional Planning degree from Umass-Amherst in 2007. From 1985 to 2004, she worked at the Eye Health Vision Center in North Dartmouth, starting as a receptionist and going on to become a certified ophthalmological technician. She was eventually named director of clinical operations, managing a staff of 125 in four locations.

Lincoln is “a very progressive town as far as planning and forward thinking,” Burney said, citing its open space and the fact that it has met it state-mandated 10 percent affordable housing requirement.

Asked about her first areas of focus, Burney said Lincoln Station is “one item I’ll be looking closely at,” along with the MBTA commuter rail issue and the possibility of putting a solar installation on the capped landfill next to the transfer station.

Even before being hired, Burney studied the planning issues in Lincoln and offered a sketch of priorities during the interview process. Among the ideas she listed:

• Update the town’s Affordable Housing Plan
• Form an Economic Development Committee to promote local businesses and nonprofits and reach out to other businesses that could be interested in coming to Lincoln
• Beef up communications via online permit tracking, web updates and a blog (such as this one Burney wrote in Southborough)
• Examine options such as ECHO (elder cottage housing opportunities), which are small, temporary housing units that can be installed in a backyard of a home occupied by a senior’s adult child
• Explore affordable housing initiatives with Habitat for Humanity
• Look into by-laws governing great estates, big houses, back lots and demolition

Working in a small town where agriculture and open space figure prominently is “comfortable territory for me,” Burney said. “I’m enjoying it very much.”