My Turn: Why I’m voting “no” twice on March 23

(Editor’s note: Lang is a member of the Green Energy Committee but is speaking in his capacity as a private citizen.)

By Ed Lang

I am distressed when I think of how a “yes” vote for a community center and a “yes” for HCA rezoning of the mall will:

• Add hundreds of tons of greenhouse gas to the atmosphere, even though the new buildings would be net zero
• Add at least $21,640 in property tax for median Lincoln homeowners over the next 30 years
• Lose the chance for seniors to revitalize the existing mall with COA spaces for senior activities and private appointments within walking distance of grocery store, sandwich shop, walking trails and modest multifamily housing

Lincoln has done so much right over the years. I am encouraged that Lincoln has a long history of care for the environment, preserving the rural feel of the town with farming and undeveloped open space. Thanks to the 1955 establishment of the Rural Land Foundation (RLF), 40% of Lincoln is protected by conservation restrictions. Lincoln has also balanced conservation, open space and rural feeling with commitment to diversity and inclusion, adding 800 multi-family homes to the 1,200 single-family homes with mostly two-acre lots.

In the 21^st century, Lincoln has shown a commitment to sustainability. We became a Massachusetts Green Community and committed to an Energy Stretch Code with 20% municipal energy reduction in 2008. In 2013, the town offices were renovated and designed for a 55% reduction in energy use. In 2019, the school renovation design specified reduced energy use to EUI23, net zero and zero carbon. In 2022, Lincoln specified no new gas hookups and encouraged increased adoption of green electricity through community choice. In 2023, Lincoln’s Climate Action Plan recognized the importance of reducing emissions in municipal buildings, homes and cars.

Now I want to avoid adding the emissions that come along with new buildings. As a member of the Green Energy Committee for over a decade, I have helped the town focus on reducing energy use and emissions in town buildings. But emissions generated by the construction of new buildings — manufacturing, processing, transportation, and use of materials — dwarf operating emissions. These emissions are called embodied carbon, and they are vast and measurable.

Lincoln has an abundance of municipal and residential building stock. I suggest we renovate as many existing buildings as we can for the community center and apply HCA rezoning in a way that avoids demolition and rebuilding. As a town, we could use the same common sense we apply to our personal decisions.

• Repair and maintain buildings.
• Renovate, recycle, and consider adaptive reuse of buildings as we did with town offices.
• If a new building must be built, ensure that products with certified low (or negative!) embodied carbon are used in construction.
• Add high-density zoning where no existing multifamily units or key town locations could be targeted for by-right demolition.

We don’t need to build new at the school campus and the mall. The town can rent available spaces or contract for the use of venues, supporting town institutions.

I prefer taking time this year to carefully rethink our choices. That’s why I’m voting “no” twice on March 23.

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“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.