My Turn: Almost 200 residents urge passage of Nature Link proposal

Dear friends,

We, the undersigned, are writing to express our strong support for the Nature Link (Farrington/Panetta land) proposal that will be on the June 25 Town Meeting warrant. We urge you to join us and vote in favor. We support the Nature Link proposal because we believe it is more than a win-win for the town.

• 77 acres of land — long identified as being critical — will be permanently protected. Not only is it important for habitat; it also connects to other parcels of open space to provide a significant wildlife corridor.
• Wetlands and their buffer zones will be protected permanently. Laws and bylaws can be changed. Conservation restrictions are permanent.
• The Cambridge water board has confirmed, by their large financial contribution, that the Farrington/Panetta proposal offers significant protection for their water supply.
• Townspeople can enjoy the proposed trail that provides access to this land and to adjacent trails.
• Protection of significant forestland, such as found on this site, mitigates against climate change by providing carbon sinks, absorbing and storing greenhouse gases.
• The housing would provide an appealing addition to our housing stock by creating a close-knit condominium neighborhood. Seventeen of the new single-family houses will be in the under-2,000-square-foot range; three of these will be income-restricted. The remaining three houses will be in the 3,500-square-foot range.
• The funding proposal for conservation will not add to our tax base. The funding proposal includes $500,000 from the Rural Land Foundation, $800,000 from the Cambridge Water Department, $950,000 from the Community Preservation Act (designed for both land protection and housing); and the remainder, approximately $850,000, from contributions (more than half of that amount has already been raised, dependent upon the Town Meeting Vote.)
• Farrington’s Nature Linc will be able to continue in Lincoln. Farrington, created in 1906, provides an important nature-based education program for students from low-income communities. The agreement with Farrington is dependent upon their gaining a safe access road that is not dependent upon Route 2.
• This proposal benefits the long-time Lincoln Panetta family; it also further benefits Lincoln and Massachusetts by creating mixed-income housing. It also preserves Gerard’s Farm Stand.

There will be two warrant articles* on this proposal: one that requires a two-thirds vote and one that requires a simple majority. Article 3, requiring a two-thirds vote, will extend the land area in the North Lincoln Overlay District to provide for housing and the farm stand. Article 4, requiring a majority vote, allocates existing funds from the Community Preservation Act fund to conserve the land designated as being of conservation interest.

We believe this proposal is a strong one. It follows the long range, careful planning that has made Lincoln the town that we love. The town has a long tradition of partnering with the Rural Land Foundation to protect open space, and open space linked with housing and public trails.

We hope you will join us and vote yes on Article 3 and Article 4 at Town Meeting.

Sincerely,

* Note: There are five articles on the warrant so the Town Meeting may continue on the evening of June 26. The Nature Link article is third. Please plan on attending both the evenings of June 25 and 26 in case the Nature Link article is not reached until the second night.

“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.