By Allen Vander Meulen
I admire the experience and track record of all three candidates for the two open Planning Board seats. If electing competent, thoughtful candidates to the Planning Board is the only concern, all have proven themselves worthy.
One major point of contention, and really what (in my mind) should be the single largest differentiating factor between the three, is the issue of how to resolve the conundrum of approval for large-scale projects in the Lincoln Station area — or anywhere in town, for that matter.
The problem is that the mechanism by which the will of the town is made known on such issues — through a Town Meeting vote — is unworkable: the perception potential investors and developers have is that the substantial investment they must make to draft and gain all the necessary approvals before ground is broken on a major project is at great risk by what they perceive as a roll of the dice at a Town Meeting vote. Recent history (in the form of Lincoln’s vote at the 2012 Special Town Meeting to defeat the proposed school project) proves this is a valid concern. No developer has approached the town with a proposal for a major project in the Lincoln Station area for at least 15 years, and that will not change as long as the current mechanism for approval of such projects remains in place, unchanged.
Now, I want to emphasize: I’m talking principle (town and Town Meeting control over the approval process) vs. mechanism (a single final vote at Town Meeting) vs. perception (of potential investors and developers). All three candidates agree the principle will not change. But for potential developers to perceive Lincoln as a viable candidate for such development, the mechanism must change.
Therefore, what sort of changes to our current process must we make to preserve the principle of the town having control over approval of a project while at the same time assuring potential developers that if they adhere to “the rules,” then their significant investment in getting a project approved in Lincoln will not be at risk due to a whim or last-minute controversy? I am not saying we should eliminate the Town Meeting vote or its central role in the process. What I am saying is that how we accomplish this must be rethought.
The SLPIC Lincoln Station zoning proposal was a start at the creation of such a mechanism. However, lack of transparency, an oversized committee, and some major missteps in communication doomed it. It is clear that the Planning Board, which will always be at the heart of this entire discussion, has learned some important lessons from the furor that arose when the proposal was first published and is retooling their approach in light of the lessons learned.
I am very interested to see if any of the three candidates can provide a vision for a path towards a solution that will address this challenge, and if they will be a positive force within the Planning Board as the task of crafting such a solution proceeds.
Based on what I’ve heard and read from Rick Rundell, he understands this challenge quite well and has the vision, political finesse, and skills needed to craft a workable solution (if anyone can). I have not yet heard or seen evidence that either of the other candidates have either a workable proposal in mind to resolve this, or the vision necessary to create one. So, which candidate (if any) I will vote for as my second choice in the coming election is still an open question.
Allen Vander Meulen
Beaver Pond Road, Lincoln
”My Turn” is a forum for Lincoln residents to offer their 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.
Dear Allen,
I appreciate your thoughtful comments. Having served with you on the SLPIC committee you can clearly see the problems. The most important aspect of all this is that we must not be operating in isolation of the current residents of Lincoln–both those who own and those who rent their homes here. Good planning is collaboration with neighborhoods. What do the Town’s residents really have as a vision for their South Lincoln? Unfortunately, a whole design for South Lincoln was side tracked to whether or not large scale Condo housing should be placed there and whether that decision would be taken away from Town meeting. As you may recall, neither of these issues were EVER discussed at the SLPIC meetings!
I suggest we get back to the whole design of the entire area, whether it should be changed and if so how to bring it up to 2021 needs and beyond. If re-elected to the Planning Board I will be an active participant in the discussions and draw in anyone from the community who has thoughts about it as well. I also will make it my priority not to miss these important meetings and discussions.
Keep our town bucolic; no ugly large constructions please!
I wish that were one of the possible choices. If the Lincoln Station area is to avoid continuing the long and slow decline it has been undergoing for years, then we must find a way to encourage investment in the area. Doing nothing – i.e., saying “No” to any development – will eventually and inevitably kill Lincoln Station as a viable business district, with likely a severe impact upon our MBTA service, among other things. What we need to see, and as Lynn Delisi says in her comment above, is a mechanism that allows for thoughtful development while requiring meaningful participation and feedback from those most affected by such projects.