By Peter Braun
In the interest of enhancing rational discussion about the proposed rezoning options, I am repeating and elaborating on the gist of a comment I posted a couple of days ago in the Lincoln Squirrel in response to Ruth Ann Hendrickson’s article.
This is not just an Option C vs. Option E debate. The Working Group and Select Board have wisely offered us some potential alternatives, which I view as potential compromise solutions. As a lawyer, I was always interested in potential compromises, so I appreciate their having offered some more choices than just Option C or bust.
Options D-1, D-2, and D-3 all offer the same benefit as Option C in terms of rezoning the mall and rezoning some other parcels in South Lincoln. In fact, they could have been labeled C-1, C-2, and C-3. And they all include large amounts of areas that are understood to be highly unlikely to be developed (Lincoln Woods and Ryan Estate). Those unlikely-to-be-developed areas, as well as the unlikely-to-be-developed areas in North Lincoln included in several options, are, to my mind, just benign puzzle pieces to satisfy the state’s 42-acre requirement.
Rather than be distracted by these benign puzzle pieces, I have tried to focus on where the real action is, in South Lincoln. That’s where the public transit is. That’s where our commercial area is. That’s where we have pointed to for many years as the area for some sort of “walkable village.” That’s where the Working Group has appropriately focused.
In trying to sort out which of these four “C-related” options are preferable, the question for me is how much South Lincoln development besides the mall itself are we willing to enable by right, now and forever. I am totally in favor of by-right rezoning for the mall itself, and I trust their judgment. That will entail a large addition of housing and much-needed revamping of the mall’s commercial and public spaces. How much more by-right development in South Lincoln do we want, and how likely is it to occur?
Jennifer Glass’s excellent presentation materials at this week’s Mothers Out Front meeting very well articulated what our choices are in terms of what areas could be developed in reality, depending on what the property owners and potential developers decide to do. As I understand what was presented, in the case of D-3, our choice is the mall plus the properties across the street (essentially between Ridge Road and the Ryan Estates, going several blocks in from the road), with a maximum collective potential of 262 new housing units. For D-1 or D-2, focusing only on their South Lincoln aspects, it’s the mall plus the properties across the street and the properties within the Lincoln Road/Codman Road/Lewis Street/railroad tracks rectangle, with a maximum collective potential of 383 new units. For Option C, it’s the mall plus the properties across the street, the properties within the aforementioned rectangle, and the properties further along Codman Road down to 117, with a maximum collective potential of 480 new units. The tale of the numbers: 480 vs. 383 vs. 262.
There are many factors that would drive whether and how much of these areas other than the mall (which has its own development trajectory) will actually be redeveloped for multi-family housing. Among these factors are assembling (buying) enough contiguous parcels, septic infrastructure, wetlands, and parking (which, in my mind, could realistically necessitate designing for one or possibly two cars per housing unit). As others have mentioned, all of these factors and their cost would be balanced by potential developers against the multiple other opportunities that are sure to arise in other communities as the impact of the HCA takes hold. In the meantime, in the absence of an effective crystal ball, all we have to go on are the maximum developable units articulated by Jennifer.
My personal opinion is that D-3 offers us a big chunk of what many want — redevelop the mall and open the door to nearby by-right multi-family housing (across the street) — and offers what some, like me, may want, which is a chance to see what happens if as many as 262 new housing units and the inevitable car-usage are added to that area, before we enable even more within the aforementioned rectangle and along Codman. Others may have a different risk tolerances and/or may anticipate that the amount of development enabled by Option C or one of the other Ds will be significantly less than the maximums.
Reasonable people can debate the merits of all options. But, again, we do have multiple options. My two cents, in hopes of stimulating rational dialogue.
“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.
The advantage of Option E, to be tweaked as noted by the Selects, provides exactly what my former colleague Peter endorses, except, it holds out the mall for a separate redevelopment vote.
This will come in March, as promised by the Selects, and allow the months before for the town to better understand those plans.
I believe there is a better chance for passage for ALL rezoning once we see what our village center will look like in March.
That is the benefit of Option E- a better shot at passage for compliance.
Thank you Peter for that helpful analysis