To the editor:
It doesn’t seem so long ago, but it has been three years since I declared my candidacy for the Planning Board, and I’m asking you to elect me once again for a three-year term.
In my initial letter, I summarized my previous service to Lincoln on the Finance Committee, the Housing Commission/Housing Trust and as a Selectman. Now I would point to how the Planning Board has improved since you first elected me, and commit to you that, if elected, I would continue to work to give Lincoln the forward looking planning effort that it needs and deserves.
When I asked for your support previously, I identified two objectives that I would pursue. First, the board should spend much more time actually planning and much less time in the process of negotiating with people about what they could and couldn’t do with their residential properties. The second objective, related to the first, was to make the process of residents seeking reasonable improvements to their property much simpler and less costly. We have made substantial progress on both fronts.
The process through which residents seek to develop or improve their properties has become much simpler, more efficient, and far less costly. The board now delegates to its talented staff, Jennifer Burney and Paula Vaughn-Mackenzie, the task of resolving conflicts between applicants’ plans and Lincoln’s bylaws and board policies. Most issues are addressed at the staff level, so public hearings required for approval are focused narrowly upon any conflicts that remain and any concerns raised by abutters and interested parties.
Unlike in the past, it is rare that we continue a public hearing (forcing applicants and their architects to return) except in cases of substantial public interest, such as development of the new Minuteman High School facilities, or very large and impactful residences. The board protects the town’s interests but makes the process as user-friendly as possible. Furthermore, the board is considering changes to the bylaws governing site plan review to make them much more equitable.
By making its permitting function more efficient, the board and planning staff have been able to turn their attention to the planning that Lincoln needs. In addition to following and supporting the school building and community center development committees, the board has begun efforts to revitalize the Lincoln Station/mall area and to improve wayfinding and connectivity in Lincoln. The Lincoln Station effort includes working with the MBTA to improve commuter rail facilities, alterations to zoning to improve incentives for private commercial and residential development, and creation of “spaces” to make the mall area more attractive.
Wayfinding and connectivity initiatives seek to better inform people of what Lincoln has to offer and where to find it, and to develop facilities such as walkways, crosswalks, and trails to increase foot and bicycle access to key locations and improve safety. Our staff has brought in over $600,000 in grants to support these efforts, and we are actively pursuing additional grant funding.
I ask your support in the upcoming election to further pursue these efforts.
Sincerely.
Gary Taylor
2 Beaver Pond Rd.
Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.