The Lincoln Squirrel – News, features and photos from Lincoln, Mass.

land use

Property sales in August 2025

17 Long Meadow Road — David C. Brush to Eli B. Cutler and Tania S. Benjamin for $1,700,000 (August 28) 

276 Cambridge Turnpike —  Thomas J. Aprille Jr. to Henry Donham for $705,000 (August 26)

17 Storey Drive — Lee A. O’Brien to Joshua M. and Allyson H. Joseph for $2,224,000 (August 26)

141 Old County Road — Charles E. Sizer to David Sozanski for $1,300,000 (August 22)

8 Old Winter Street — Owen Beenhouwer Trust to Margarita Rabinovich and Michael Harradon for $1,460,000 (August 15)

6 Stratford Way — Gregory H. Salvucci Trust to Haihua Feng and Ying Xu for $2,950,000 (August 12)

104 Tower Road — Albion P. Bjork Trust to Samuel Simmer for $1,250,000 (August 13)

Lincoln keeping a close eye on Carroll School plans

Carroll School’s property in Wayland. The Lincoln/Wayland town line is shown n dark red. (Click image to enlarge)

Lincoln officials are closely monitoring plans by the Carroll School to significantly expand its site in Wayland abutting the Lincoln town line and has invited the school to the board’s next meeting on October 20.

The biggest worry for Lincoln is an increase in traffic at a campus on Waltham Road (which becomes Old Sudbury Road in Lincoln) that would eventually be able to accommodate five times the number of students it now does, if current plans are approved. A traffic study the school submitted along with other documents to the Wayland Planning Board says the number of car trips would increase by more than 900 (about 450 each way) on school days.

“It appears to us that the traffic study didn’t extend into Lincoln,” which risks having traffic queues at pickup and dropoff times, Town Administrator Tim Higgins said at the October 6 Select Board meeting. The board has invited leadership team to its next meeting on October 20 to discuss its proposal.

“Given the potential impacts on Lincoln’s adjoining roadways to include Old Sudbury Road, Linway Road, and Longmeadow Road, it would seem sensible to coordinate traffic mitigation strategies,” Higgins wrote in an email on October 7 to Wayland Town Planner Robert Hummel

“I anticipate that we will be submitting initial reactions and suggestions for your consideration shortly after our meeting with the school.”   

The Wayland Planning Board will hold a hybrid public hearing on the proposal on October 15, which is expected to continue on October 29 and perhaps November 12.

Planning Board approves blasting on Old Winter St. land

The Plaut property on Old Winter Street.

The Planning Board on September 23 gave the go-ahead for owners of an Old Winter Street property to use blasting to dig a utilities trench through rocky underground ledge. The owners, Timothy and Madeleine Plaut, sought permission for the alternative method after neighbors complained about weeks of noise from rock drilling and hammering.

Neighbors within 500 feet of the blasting area accepted an offer to have pre-blasting surveys done on their property so they could have evidence of previous conditions in case the blasting caused cracks. Maine Drilling & Blasting assured them and the board that any damage was highly unlikely but promised to pay for repairs if necessary. This mollified neighbors including Tim Christenfeld, who said, “I would whole-heartedly encourage” the board to give approval.

The company expects to do two “shots” of blasting per day over a period of five to seven work days.

The board also OK’d other changes to the plan they originally approved in May, including exteriors lights that comply with the town’s “dark skies” rules that were approved in 2016, as well as a larger driveway turnaround for fire trucks and a relocated septic field that’s necessary because of poor soil conditions in the original location

Property sales in July 2025

7L South Commons — Gregory Rowe to Laura Crook Brisson and Brandon Straub for $673,500 (July 24)

36 Morningside Lane — Alan A. Asadorian to Leighanne Wang for $1,600,000 (July 24)

44 Greenridge Lane — Timothy Bruenelle to Vinay Eapen and Allison Matthews for $610,000 (July 21)

5 Grasshopper Lane — Peter A. Blackler to Jessica and Matthew Galica for $1,853,000 (July 11)

49 Tower Road — 49 Tower Road LLC to Leslie Hill for $1,200,000 (July 7)

12 Sunnyside Lane — Robert A. Peattie to Guohua Liang and Yanmei Lan for $960,000 (July 2)

 

Permission sought to blast ledge on Old Winter Street land

An architect’s sketch of the planned Plaut house and surrounding land.

The Planning Board will decide at its next meeting on September 23 whether to approve a detailed blasting plan that owners of an Old Winter Street property submitted after neighbors complained about the noise from rock hammering.

Workers on the wooded property were drilling and hammering ledge to dig an underground water and utility line to the planned future home of Timothy and Madeleine Plaut. The board gave approval in May for some clear-cutting plus replanting as well as the house, but workers paused the hammering after a neighborhood outcry. The Planning Board asked them last month to submit a plan for blasting, which the owners’ representatives say will be much less noisy and take less time, and to look at alternatives to the planned trench.

“We heard loud and clear about the disturbances that were being caused… but we’ve concluded there’s no viable alternative to eliminate the need for trenching” and town water, Jen Stephens of Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design said at the board’s September 9 meeting, adding that soil characteristics on the property make a well unfeasible. Twice-daily blasting plus minimal hammering will take five to seven days, but if approval for that is not forthcoming, it will take two to four more months of hammering, she said.

The blasting company is required to notify property owners within 250 feet of each blast and offer an inspection before and after the blasts to verify any damage from vibration. The Plauts extended that to 11 homes within 500 feet on Old Winter Steer, Winter Street, and Silver Hill Road.

A view of the middle segment of the proposed Plaut house.

“As long as we stay within the [required] limitations, it’s highly unlikely that cosmetic damage would occur to the weakest construction material” such as horsehair plaster, said Matt Shaughnessy of Maine Drilling & Blasting, adding that the firm carries a $10 million liability policy.

But some were still worried. “People have clearly had very bad experiences” with Maine Drilling & Blasting, said Old Winter Street resident Chris Murphy, citing internet research he had done. “My main concern is that if something does come up, I will have no recourse.”

Anecdotes about potential damage “make people nervous… you don’t know what to believe,” Planning Board co-chair Lynn DeLisi said.

At the September 9 meeting, the Plauts (in absentia) also requested changes to the approved site plan to allow a larger driveway turnaround for fire trucks and a relocated septic field that’s necessary because of poor soil conditions in the original location. Architect Colin Flavin showed renderings of a three-part house that’s “designed to be harmonious with the natural environment in which it sits.” The house is designed in the Midcentury Modern style. Flavin’s firm has also designed renovations to Modern houses on Moccasin Hill and Tabor Hill Road as well as a new house on Weston Road.

Carroll School plans expansion in Wayland on Lincoln town line

Carroll School’s property in Wayland. The Lincoln/Wayland town line is shown in dark red (click to enlarge).

The Carroll School is proposing a major expansion of its campus on Waltham Street abutting the Lincoln town line on Old Sudbury Road to allow it to eventually accommodate five times the number of students it now serves.

The Carroll School, a private school for students with dyslexia and other learning disabilities, has an upper school (grades 8–9) in Wayland, a middle school (grades 6–8 with some eighth-graders) on Baker Bridge Road in Lincoln, and a lower school (grades 1–5) on Trapelo Road in Waltham just over the Cambridge Reservoir causeway from Lincoln.

The Wayland site now serves about 50 students but will be able to accommodate 250 when the expansion is complete, according to documents filed with the Wayland Planning Department. The school’s total enrollment is 454 students in nine grades.

The plan is not to operate the enlarged campus at its full 250-student capacity as soon as construction is completed. It will serve grades 7-9, with the added space giving flexibility for more enrollment or grade realignment as necessary, said said Chris Renyi, assistant head of school for operations and strategy in Wayland.

“This is an early stage in long-term planning to look 10 to 15 years down the road [to see] where and how we can serve as many students as possible,” Renyi said, while also acknowledging that for middle school students, “we are at physical capacity at our locations right now.”

The school proposes to replace two of its smaller Wayland buildings (1,777 square feet and 792 square feet) with a two-story academic building on a footprint of approximately 27,056 square feet and 47,506 square feet in total. Due to the increase in traffic, a school zone with a 20mph speed limit would be created along a stretch of the road.

Although all three Carroll campuses are located in residential zones, the municipalities must allow educational or religious uses of the properties as per the state Dover amendment. As required, the proposed expansion conforms to local zoning regulations on building bulk and height of structures, yard size, lot area, setbacks, open space, and parking and building coverage. The only zoning waiver they’re requesting is so they may provide three bicycle racks rather than the required 12.

The Carroll School was founded in Newton in the 1960s and moved in 1971 to Baker Bridge Road in Lincoln. That property was formerly owned by the Storrow family, which gifted it to Massachusetts General Hospital for use as an extended care facility for convalescing patients, according to an account of the school’s history on its website. The Wayland site was purchased and approved in 2016 to accommodate athletic fields and some of its students. Four properties in Lincoln are directly across the road from the Wayland campus.

Rock hammering has Old Winter Street residents up in arms

Hammering work to break up ledge had gotten abut halfway done by mid-August as shown in orange (click to enlarge).

After an outcry from neighbors complaining about teeth-rattling noise, work being done by hammering machines to break up rock ledge off Old Winter Street has been stopped while the property owners draw up a alternative plan for blasting. 

The work is being done on a three-lot, 8.5-acre parcel owned by Timothy and Madeleine Plaut to install an underground water main that will service a new hydrant, since the house is too far from the road. The Plauts, who currently live in Europe, got Planning Board approval in April to clear-cut and replant several acres of undeveloped land between Old Winter Street and Silver Hill Road.

Since work began, more than a dozen neighbors have complained to the town about the excessive noise from machinery that drills holes in the ledge and then hammers away the rock to create a trench for the water main. Jen Stephens of Matthew Cunningham Landscape Design acknowledged at an August 12 Planning Board meeting that “it’s going very slow” and could take several more weeks to complete.

“There has been a systemic lack of transparency and effective communication, severed utilities (both water and internet), and unannounced street closures,” said Jay Donnelly of 35 Old Winter St., reading from a statement signed by about 16 area property owners. The all-day hammering has “disrupted indoor activities and prevented outdoor activities,” he added.

Planning Board Chair Lynn DeLisi was even more critical, citing harm to “the mental health of your neighbors. You’ve already ruined their summers. There has to be another way to do this.”

The meeting was held to consider a request from the owners to modify the approved plan to allow blasting instead of drilling and hammering. Permission and supervision from the Fire Department would also be required. Matt Shaughnessy of Maine Drilling and Blasting gave a detailed presentation on how blasting is done, the planning and precautions that are taken, and measures to minimize sound and vibration that could potentially damage nearby properties. State law specifies limits on changes in air pressure due to blasting, which sounds like “distant thunder,” he said.

Stephens and the Plauts’ attorney maintained that they were within their rights to remove the rock in whatever way they deemed best. Running the driveway and water main from Silver Hill Road was not an option since the Conservation Commission will not allow a pipe or driveway over the intervening wetlands.

“We have a lot of factors we’re trying to mitigate,” Stephens said. “We’re trying to save some trees [and] trying not to impact the topography with huge amounts of fill. I don’t think there is a miracle solution that is going to eliminate the need for either continued hammering or a much more efficient method of rock removal.”

Young said that in general, blasting can potentially cause “cosmetic damage to the weakest construction material” such as horsehair plaster in nearby houses, though Shaughnessy said the vibration levels would be well under state limits and pose less of a threat to foundations than seasonal temperature changes and high winds. Neighbors also worried about the possibility of radon gas release and cracked foundations, since the ledge under the Plaut property may extend under houses.

“There are a lot of unknowns [about potential damage] that make me very nervous,” said Justin Hopson, whose home at 38 Old Winter St. abutting the Plaut property dates from 1886.

One possibility is placing the hydrant farther from the house, reducing the requirement for 20 feet of trench, about half of which is complete. Stephens said they were “very open to exploring the feasibility of [having] the hydrant at the current limit of excavation” and they would confer with Fire Chief Brian Young to see if that was a workable solution. 

The board acknowledged that they didn’t have the authority to order the Plauts to stop work but asked them to do so in good faith while planning continues in preparation for the next board meeting on September 9.

“You’re hanging out a giant ‘Trust me’ card,” Donnelly said. “It’s been a very long four weeks.”

Property transactions in June 2025

15 Sunnyside Lane — Linda Laughland Trust to Sara Abbott Bellin and Adam Rieth for $1,200,000 (June 26)

15 Juniper Ridge Road — Peter W. Wyatt to Julian Kwan and Rebekah Larsen for $1,025,000 (June 23)

236 Aspen Circle — Stephen K. Geiger to Jerry J. Ding and Jessica Donahue for $930,000 (June 23)

82 Virginia Road #B405 — Madeline H. Chen Trust to Diane McElligot for $430,000 (June 18)

9 Silver Birch Lane — Peter V. Marsden to Forrest Gittleson and Melissa Fitzmaurice for $1,475,000 (June 18)

46 Bedford Road — Robert P. Hopkins to Stephen Hawley Trust and Nin You Trust for $1,260,000 (June 16)

7 Lincoln Road — Thomas W. Darling to Austin Smith and Alexandra Milne for $2,525,000 (June 9)

49 Stonehedge — Annie Knowlton Trust to Timothy and Jessica Donahue for $1,850,000 (June 6) 

Voters approve community center, Nature Link measures

(Editor’s note: this story was updated on June 27.)

At a June 25 Special Town Meeting that saw a record-setting turnout, voters approved the Nature Link deal and additional funding for the community center by comfortable margins, while a proposal to change how Finance Committee members are appointed was shot down.

Hundreds of residents waited patiently in the early evening heat in a check-in line that stretched around and down the road almost to the parking lot in front of the Hartwell pods. It was one of the most most heavily attended Town Meetings in Lincoln history, second only to the 2018 school vote, which drew 906 votes compared to the 859 who voted on the community center article, which passed 73% to 27%, achieving the required two-thirds majority.

Voters were asked to approve using $2.33 million from the stabilization fund to cover a budget shortfall that became apparent when all the construction bids were over budget. Due to the threat of tariffs on items including construction materials, “our cost estimator raised concerns in March,” but by the it was too late to revisit the design by the time bids were solicited in early May, “and unfortunately our concerns were realized when these bids came in,” Community Center Building Committee Chair Sarah Chester said.

Items including the new playground and furniture, fixtures and equipment were cut from the construction budget, but “the contingency fund was not enough to close the funding gap, and it would be fiscally irresponsible to deplete that fund before breaking ground,” Select Board member Kim Bodnar said. The CCBC also increased the contingency fund from 5% to 7% given the ongoing market uncertainties.

Comments from the floor were overwhelmingly in favor of the proposal, though the discussion was marred by shouts including “shut up” and “turn off the microphone!” when a new resident attending her first Lincoln Town Meeting persisted in speaking longer than the allotted two minutes. That limit was enforced more strictly this week than in the past with the aid of a time projected on the screen for all to see.

The woman spoke at length about the benefits of the Lincoln Extended-day After School Program, which will be housed in the new community center. Town Moderator Sarah Cannon Holden finally got her to answer which way she was planning to vote, to which the woman replied she was a “no” vote because there was no guarantee either that LEAP could be expanded to meet demand or that the playground would be built. The woman shouted from the floor again when the question was moved, but Holden shut her down, saying, “Let’s be respectful.” 

On LincolnTalk the next morning, several residents objected to what they described as “disrespectful” treatment of the woman. But Leslie Turek demurred, saying, “She was being disrespectful to the rest of us by not abiding by the rules that had been established. Yes, it is true that a few people also ran over, but they understood the restriction and did wrap up quickly. It would have been better if the moderator had calmly explained the rule to her and the crowd did not react as they did, but I also think that if there is a rule, it should apply equally to everyone.”

If residents didn’t approve the additional funding, “there’s no going back. [The community center] won’t be delayed, it will disappear for generations,” said Noah Eckhouse. “We paid the price” for pushing off approval of the school project, and as in that case, “costs will rise, the design complexity will increase, and time will slip away… There is no do-nothing option. it will never be cheaper than it is today. We have the funds — that’s what the stabilization fund is for.”

Nature Link

The first of two Nature Link articles, which also required a two-thirds majority, passed easily, 80% to 20% (644-165). That measure put the Panetta/Farrington land abutting Route 2, part the North Lincoln Overlay District, into a new Planned Development District to allow a cluster of 20 new homes to be built, pending Planning Board site plan review. 

The second Nature Link article, which asked voters to approve a transfer of funds from Community Preservation Fund to the general fund balance so the town could help gain a permanent conservation restriction on 77 acres of the Farrington land, passed 608-124 (83% to 17%). The original plan was to ask for $950,000, but it was changed to $850,000 because private fundraising exceeded expectations.

The conservation restriction, which will prevent future development on the land (including by a religious or educational organization), is costing a total of $3.1 million. Of that, the City of Cambridge is paying $800,000 due to the property’s proximity to the Cambridge Reservoir, and fundraising that included 100 private pledges plus $500,000 from the Rural Land Foundation/Lincoln Land Conservation Trust.  

In a separate deal, Civivo, which built Oriole Landing, is buying three lots from the Panetta family for $3.3 million. The company plans to build 17 starter homes (three of which will be income-restricted) and three larger homes. That housing and Farrington Nature Linc will share a new access road from Page Road (Farrington currently is accessible only from Route 2 eastbound).

At the meeting, most speakers were in favor of the deal, but some advocated for splitting up the housing and land conservation aspects. David Cuetos also argued that the RLF had an unfair advantage and implied that the proposal was brought to voters too quickly and without sufficient input from some Page Road residents who said they were not notified by the town about the proposal.

“It’s opaque, it’s undemocratic,” Cuetos said. “We should not reward secrecy and favoritism.”

Klaus Dobler, a Page Road abutter, said the deal meant that taxpayers were “indirectly supporting developer profits” by allowing the new neighborhood’s septic system to be on the Farrington land. He also objected to the argument that without the conservation restriction, the Farrington land was at risk of being sold and developed. “To me, that’s a pressure tactic and a red flag,” he said. As for the time pressure to have the vote, “It’s Email 101 — if someone is telling you right away to act quickly, watch out.”

Dobler also touted a proposal from Jeff and Arline Sutherland to purchase and “rewild” the Farrington property, which would achieve the same conservation and educational goals. But Page Road resident Joey Kolchinsky pushed back. “This alternate plan is a false promise. It comes with no guarantees and none of the key players are on board,” he said. There would also be no guarantee that the Panetta land would be safe from future development, he added.

FinCom appointments

Article 5 asked residents to have Finance Committee members appointed by the Select Board rather than the Town Moderator as they are now. The request was motivated by “recent concerns about town finances as well as the alleged loss of payments to the town for Hanscom School teacher pensions from the Department of Defense.

“These were catalysts, but we’re focusing on improving town governance going forward, not any specific financial issue,” said Bob Domnitz, who represented those who signed a citizens’ petition to bring the matter to Town Meeting.

The bigger issue, Domnitz said, is that the FinCom openings are not advertised and candidates are not interviewed in open forums. The committee is supposed to be a natural body with diverse viewpoints, “but that’s not what seems to be happening in Lincoln,” he said. The petitioners aren’t advocating for direct election of FinCom members, however; “FinCom is one of the most difficult jobs in town and asking someone to campaign for the job seems like cruel and unusual punishment.”

The Select Board voted not to recommend the change, saying the move “would have the appearance of giving us undue influence over the budget process” by naming the people who would deliberate over a town budget that the Selects themselves had submitted, board member Jim Hutchinson said. That said, “we agree that it is important to continue to review practices with an eye to transparency and improvement.”

In discussions with Holden, “we confirmed her willingness to broadly advertise, publicly interview, and consider input from the current Finance Committee about their needs and preferences, and we encourage future moderators to do the same,” he added.

Holden recused herself but spoke from the floor, agreeing that she welcomed the suggestions and “I look forward to including [them] in the Lincoln moderator handbook that I’m writing.”

“The FinCom sits between boards and the [voters] who make those decisions who are sitting in this room,” said former FinCom Chair Andy Payne. Two other residents urged defeat of the proposal, both saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The final vote was 80 in favor and 345 against.

Article 2 was actually voted on first at the meeting because it was the least controversial and attendees were still filing into the gym and auditorium. Residents unanimously approved a transfer of $25,000 from free cash to the reserve fund in the budget for the current fiscal year that ends on June 30, 2025.

My Turn: Farrington board seeks Town Meeting support to benefit kids

Dear Lincoln neighbors,

For more than a century here in Lincoln, Farrington Nature Linc has quietly and passionately served children from under-resourced communities with opportunities to experience time in nature full of wonder, play, and healing. Our land in Lincoln is a vital part of that experience, we hope for decades to come.

We are in full support of the Nature Link project before Lincoln’s Special Town Meeting on Wednesday, June 25 at 6:30pm, and we ask you to vote “yes” on both Articles 3 and 4.

The Nature Link project ensures the property around us is conserved for the nature experience our children need while also providing for our organization’s future. Additionally, this zoning offers us a unique opportunity for a secondary access road that we have sought for decades.

This project, conceived over many years with input from all land owners, takes into consideration the needs of all parties, including aligning with the Town of Lincoln’s planning goals. It permanently protects 77 acres and expands free public trail access. It provides thoughtfully scaled housing. And it helps keep Farrington rooted in Lincoln.

Voting “yes” on Articles 3 and 4 supports the hundreds of children we serve and secures this important natural space for generations.

With gratitude,

The Trustees of Farrington (see Farrington Nature Linc team page)

“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.