To the editor:
Although the body of the article is accurate, the headline of the Lincoln Squirrel article “Town officials marshal arguments against housing rules” (posted March 3, 2022) is somewhat misleading.
It is important to emphasize that Lincoln is not against the Housing Choice Act, nor is it opposing the Department of Housing and Community Development’s (DHCD’s) draft guidelines, which are the focus of this article. The concern is that the DHCD’s proposed rules, as currently written, do not accomplish their intent of providing support and usable guidance on conforming to the Housing Choice Act for smaller towns (like Lincoln). They would have the opposite effect.
Lincoln has a long history of being proactive and diligent in the development and support of affordable housing and still is, as the ongoing support and leadership in this regard from the Planning Board, Board of Selects, SLPAC, COA&HS, Housing Commission, Housing Trust, and many other town bodies and departments demonstrate.
The goal of the town’s response is to encourage the state (and DHCD) to work with Lincoln and other smaller towns to craft a more effective, and comprehensive, approach in support of the Housing Choice Act. We must avoid creating a set of rules that will discourage smaller towns from participating in the effort to address our state’s severe shortage of affordable housing with viable public transit options.
Sincerely,
Allen Vander Meulen
Chair, Lincoln Housing Commission
“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.
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