By David Onigman
I have lived in Lincoln most of my life. I grew up here, my mother and her four brothers lived here. I worked for various town departments through a Massport internship growing up in town, working for the Select Board, the Finance Department, and others. I attended Town Meetings growing up, running around microphones during public comment and running the soundboard. I sit on the Parks and Recreation Committee as well as the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. I coach basketball in our Tri-Town league and I regularly perform music for my fellow residents at the Tack Room and Twisted Tree.
But none of that makes my vote any more or less important than every other voter in Lincoln. Whether you are a patriarch of the town, moved here in the 1900s, or moved here last year… whether you live in a large house on Blackburnian Lane, or live in multifamily housing on Wells Road, your vote counts once.
I have grown extremely weary of the slow drumbeat from the group of residents that opposes Article 3 at our upcoming Town Meeting that implies the will of the town is best measured by any means other than a Town Meeting vote.
Public comment at open meetings, the frequency of those comments, the passion behind those comments, LincolnTalk posts, emails to town officials, or other informal ways of gauging public opinion are no replacement for a democratic process where all votes are counted. In fact, any initiative to not have our votes be counted at the upcoming Town Meeting is a dangerous threat to our democratic process.
I applaud the members of the Planning Board that voted to move forward with the proposed bylaws so that we could indeed, as a town, all voters, vote “Yes” or “No” on the proposed zoning.
I support the proposed zoning. I believe the Housing Choice Act mandated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is long overdue. I believe one of the many contributing factors to the housing crisis that Massachusetts and the county finds itself in is due to the exclusionary zoning bylaws towns like Lincoln adopted in the mid-1900s.
It is 2024 and our commercial center of town, which is also conveniently located near the commuter rail, does not have the appropriate zoning to allow for multifamily housing development. Left to our own devices, we have not done enough. The HCA is forcing our hand, and it is long overdue.
The commercial center of our town is where this zoning makes the most sense. “Spreading this zoning around town” is not smart municipal planning, in fact it contributes to suburban sprawl, and increases — not decreases — traffic. I also believe the Rural Land Foundation have been great stewards of the town, and the frequent questioning of their motives and lack of trust in the organization has been most disappointing.
But most disheartening has been the recurring talking point that residents like myself, who both support this zoning and also live in the proposed subdistrict, are motivated by our own financial interests and not our true beliefs as housing advocates. There is no way for me to convince someone otherwise if they just continue to say it over and over again, I suppose, but I wish more of my fellow residents who oppose Article 3 would trust me at my word that:
- Yes, I support this zoning.
- No, I do not have any plans to sell my property; it is my family’s original home and I love it.
- Yes, I would be welcoming if my neighbors on either side chose to further develop their property.
In closing, I would like to extend my thanks to all of the hours invested in this process to date, by everyone involved, whether we agree on the topic or not. I look forward to the upcoming Town Meeting vote to truly see what the majority of voters in our town support.
It is my hope that the “Yesses” will have it when we vote on Article 3. But if we don’t, you have my word that I will not decry the process. I will be disappointed in the outcome, but I’ll shake it off, and see how I can best advocate for my position moving forward.
Onigman is a Codman Road resident.
“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.
“In fact, any initiative to not have our votes be counted at the upcoming Town Meeting is a dangerous threat to our democratic process.”
I have not seen anyone suggesting votes not be counted at town meeting – not even once.
What people have expressed is their immense dissatisfaction with *how* Option C has been interpreted into the bylaws. For example, Option C, as voted in December, did not include a special permit which could reduce commercial space to 0sqft nor did it include the concept of “street-activating uses” (aka lobbies and resident-only gyms).
While I appreciate that you promise not to see your property, I don’t think you can speak for all the other owners in the subdistrict.
Yes, all the work of boards and committees is to be commended, especially the Planning Board.
They worked incredibly hard to discharge duties in a very constrained timeframe.
What you and others are hearing is not disrespect for their efforts, or those who voted to send them Option C.
What you hear/ read is dismay over disrespect for the 45% who did not support Option C.
We are a very divided town and that is unhealthy.
Past practice in voting on zoning bylaw changes would have required a 2/3 majority to pass.
That practice ensures more consensus and cohesion .
And had we engaged in that practice, as we will in everything non- HCA, Option C would have failed.
We would be back at the table, seeking a middle ground to satisfy our desire for increased housing, especially affordable housing and a revitalized mall that would gain support from most of the community.
We would remain whole.
It is the Commonwealth’s intervention that has caused this division and your perception of disrespect of the vote and the process.
That is what 2 members of the Planning Board responded to, as did an experienced town father and former Select, Peter Braun.
Most recently, someone experienced in reconciling the town and challenges at DeCordova, allowing the Trustees of the Reservations to partner with us to save that institution, Linda Hammet Ory, has weighed in with similar concerns.
That is why they and others are seeking a middle path that will bring us together and not cement division.
Their efforts are to be commended, not condemned.