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

land use

Family to fund awards honoring Lincoln woman

The giving spirit is certainly in evidence at this time of year. A new town committee backed by a Lincoln family who wants to remain anonymous will award grants to charities every month to recognize women — and in an unrelated development, another family has donated a piece of property to the town for conservation purposes.

In its first year, the Women Positively Impacting Lincoln Lives program, known as WILL, will honor “women who have lived or worked in Lincoln and whose contributions have benefited the town of Lincoln, the local area, or society at large,” said Select Board Chair Kim Bodnar. The group will seek nominations of “women of today” and will award 12 monthly grants of $2,500 to the organization of the winning nominee’s choice. Once a year, it will also select women from history who have had an impact on Lincoln and award $2,500 in her name. 

The family initially offered to appoint and run the committee to spare the town the administrative work that accompanies an official committee. But the Select Board ultimately decided that such a group should be operated by the town under its usual procedures, even though it’s administering private funds, much as the Lincoln Scholarship Committee does.

The identity of the philanthropic family is still a mystery, but that may change at some point. “The donor family would like to remain anonymous but recognize that it might be challenging should they participate in the committee’s meetings, which are subject to the requirements of Open Meeting Law,” Bodnar said. 

The parcel abutting Trapelo Road and the Cambridge Water Dept. land that will be known as “Le Champ du Maroni.”

New town-owned parcel

The parcel of vacant land being donated to the town is on the south side of Trapelo Road abutting the Cambridge Water Department’s land abutting the reservoir (see map at right). It’s one of two adjoining parcels that were once owned by the parents of Kevin Maroni (the second lot abutting Huckleberry Hill includes a home and has been sold). The lot will be left in a natural state as a memorial to his parents and will eventually bear a sign marking it as “Le Champ du Maroni,” said Conservation Director Michele Grzenda. 

Updates to outdoor lighting rules mulled

Examples of permitted and unacceptable outdoor lighting from 2015. The yellow dots indicates the position of the lightbulb.

At the December 7 State of the Town meeting, the Dark Skies Committee will give an update on its work to update rules on outdoor lighting to reflect changes in technology since they were last amended in 2016.

Artificial light at night keeps away wildlife (thus reducing their habitat), kills insects, and interferes with nocturnal breeding cycles and bird migration, said Louise Bergeron, head of the Planning Board subcommittee, in a presentation at the November 18 Select Board meeting.

Current zoning rules require permanent lighting to be installed or shielded to “prevent direct light or glare from the light source from interfering with the vision of motorists or pedestrians” or illuminating neighboring properties, and exterior lamps to have a color temperature of 3,000K or below. Lights must also be no more than 900 lumens (a measure of brightness). Color temperature refers to the color of the light — the lower the temperature, the more orange it appears, whereas higher-temperature numbers indicate bluer light.

Outdoor lighting was the topic of heated debate at Town Meeting in 2015, when voters rejected some rule changes.

In recent years, LED lights — which tend to have a cooler color temperature than incandescent lights — have become commonplace, and people are often tempted to buy the brightest outdoor lights they can, Bergeron said. Her group is also studying ideas such as allowing only activated lights in certain circumstances, and asking or requiring owners of larger buildings to turn off outdoor lights that currently shine all night, such as those in parking lots, schools, churches, and the Water Department.

Town officials can grant exceptions if warranted, and the public safety will continue to be exempt.

“This is a lot about education,” Select Board member Jennifer Glass said. “You’re going to get the best result when you educate people, because we don’t have the capacity to go around policing everyone.”

Construction at The Commons to begin in early 2025

An illustration showing proposed new construction in yellow and new walking paths are shown in bright green. Click image to enlarge.

The owners of The Commons in Lincoln won approval for their planned expansion earlier this month, though the exact construction schedule is still unclear.

The Planning Board gave its thumbs-up on November 12 after the close of public hearings, concluding a process that began in February 2023. Residents of the senior living community objected to the original plan for 47 new independent living units, so The Commons returned with scaled-down plan for 23 units, and voters approved a zoning amendment to allows the project in December 2023. More recently, owners updated the plans for landscaping and the location of new parking spaces.

At the hearing in September, representatives for The Commons said that construction would begin with the additions to the main building. Cottages will be on their own timeframe and isolated with fencing as separate construction sites. sites

“We are excited to get started in Q1 of 2025 and will be happy to share more phasing details after our financing on the project has closed,” Rey LeBlanc, executive director of The Commons, told the Squirrel last week.

My Turn: Climate bill gives hope to opponents of Hanscom expansion

By Alex Chatfield, Trish O’Hagan, Lara Sullivan, and Kati Winchell

The climate bill just signed by Gov. Healey contains a provision that was not noted in the official summary but is profoundly important — an update to the Massport charter. From now on, Massport will be required to promote “environmental protection and resilience, reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, and environmental justice principles” in its decisions regarding its responsibilities and the entities with which it does business. Massport’s responsibilities, currently limited to the narrow roles of promoting commerce and economic growth, will therefore expand to include climate priorities. 

This update is encouraging to advocates across Massachusetts who oppose the proposed expansion of private jet infrastructure at Massport-owned Hanscom Field (separate from Hanscom Air Force Base). Massport is currently working with private developers to build a 522,380-square-foot expansion in hangar space for private jets — the largest such expansion in Hanscom’s history. An October 2023 study documented that at least half the private jet flights out of Hanscom go to vacation destinations like Martha’s Vineyard or the Super Bowl. They are airborne yachts for the ultra-wealthy.

Massport’s and Runway Realty Venture Inc.’s proposal for expansion has generated a storm of controversy. Opposition has been led by Stop Private Jet Expansion at Hanscom or Anywhere (SPJE). SPJE observes, based on an April independent analysis, that the proposed private jet hangar development at Hanscom alone could result in as many as 6,000 additional private jet flights annually, producing about 150,000 tons of carbon equivalent emissions every single year. If the expansion goes forward, private jet emissions from Hanscom alone could cancel nearly 70% of the environmental benefits of all the solar PV ever installed in Massachusetts and would offset the investment and hard work of many towns and cities to help the state meet the goals of its ambitious climate plans.

The legislation updating Massport’s charter follows EEA Secretary Tepper’s rejection of the developers’ draft environmental impact report (DEIR) in June. More than 1,500 public comments and over 13,500 petition signatures critical of the developers’ plans were submitted to MEPA (Mass. Office of Environmental Policy Act). Based in part on the volume of public response, as well as on independent analyses that were submitted, Tepper criticized the developers’ argument that the massive hangar expansion would decrease operations and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, calling it unsupported. She found that the report did not meet the requirements of Massachusetts law and directed the developers to produce a Supplemental DEIR that would address the many questions that the initial draft failed to consider adequately.

This was the context in which state Sen. Mike Barrett and Reps. Simon Cataldo, Michelle Ciccolo, Carmine Gentile, Ken Gordon, and Alice Peisch introduced language into the Mass. Climate Bill that would update Massport’s charter to prioritize reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The Senate passed the bill on October 24 with a vote of 38-2, followed by a House vote of 128-17 on November 14. And on November 20, Gov. Healey signed it.

Sen. Barrett left no doubt that he expected the new language to prompt Massport to reconsider the project. “We live in an age where rampant economic growth is no longer sufficient as a raison d’etre for public agencies,” he said. “The governor has said that an all-government approach to climate change is needed, so now we ask of every single organization — Massport included — ‘What’s your role in fighting the existential crisis of our time?’” 

This is a pivotal moment. The legislature’s overwhelming support for a change in Massport’s charter sends a powerful message that the agency needs to align its own approach to climate change with the approach taken by the rest of the state. Massport’s first chance to show that it understands this new environment will be its stance toward the proposed Hanscom expansion. It’s already clear that that expansion is completely inconsistent with state climate change policy. It’s time for Massport to just say no.

“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.

Town to relax some rules for accessory apartments

The state recently relaxed some of its rules on building accessory dwelling units (ADUs, or accessory apartments), and Lincoln residents will be asked at Town Meeting in March to amend the town’s zoning bylaw to match.

The state law, which was enacted in August and goes into effect on Feb. 2, 2025, allows ADUs smaller than 900 square feet to be built as of right in single family residential districts. Updating Lincoln’s rules “is technically not necessary as state law trumps our bylaw, but it removes potential confusion,” Planning Board Chair Margaret Olson said.

Lincoln allows ADUs of up to 1,200 square feet. For ADUs to which the new state law doesn’t apply (those measuring 900–1,200 square feet), the town will still require owner occupancy and also a special permit if the unit is in a separate building.

Previous changes to the town’s ADU rules in town were made in 2023, when ADUs were permitted in a home’s main dwelling by right (as long as applicants followed the rest of the bylaw’s rules), and in 2021, when Town Meeting approved language on ADU leases and the total number of ADUs allowed.

Olson didn’t immediately know how many ADUs currently exist in town but said most of them are family-related — usually occupied by older residents whose adult children move into the main house.

Property sales in September 2024

3A South Commons — Brian Hurley to Roberto Mercado Jr. and Kalsey Mercado for $590,000 (September 30)

133 Bedford Rd. — Dorothy Taylor Trust to Kelsey Flynn and Justin Saglio for $1,130,000 (September 30)

41 Todd Pond Rd. — Susan Peacock to Greg Salomon for $604,500 (September 26)

16A North Commons — Marissa Lisec to Rezarta Memelli for $270,000 (September 24)

36 Old Sudbury Rd. — Karl Zuelke to Karl L. Zuelke Trust and Marichu Zuekle Trust for $600,000 (September 20)

41 Stony Brook Rd. — Lochiel Crafter to Rastislav Vazny for $3,750,000 (September 10)

24 Sandy Pond Rd. — Douglas A. Melton Trust to Timothy P. von Hermann Trust and Susan M. von Hermann Trust for $2,050,000 (September 4)

Property sales in August 2024

15 Greenridge Lane — Lisa Patterson to Apurv Gupta and Celia Chang for $705,000 (August 29)

15 Orchard Lane — Augustine Lin Trust to Marchese Development LLC for $775,000 (August 29)

43 Deerhaven Rd. — Chauncy C. Chu Trust to the Fatmata Osesina Trust and the Olukayode Isaac Osesina Trust for $1,150,000 (August 28)

90 Winter St. — Elisa Soykan to Evan and Christy Cull for $2,290,000 (August 27)

22 Juniper Ridge Rd. — Jinquan Liu to Douglas and Shahinaz Carson for $45,000 (sic) (August 15)

17 Bedford Lane — Deborah Dorsey to HSBC Bank USA c/o Nationstar Mortgage LLC for $890,514 (August 8)

95 Tower Rd.— Sherine Freeth to David and Sarah DeBlasio for $1,387,000 (August 8)

105 Tower Rd. — Shawn Lyons to Sian and Philip McGurk for $1,750,000 (August 1)

With HCA-compliant rezoning, town now qualifies for new state grants

A podium at an October 1 ceremony recognizing the 33 cities and towns that are now eligible for HCA-related state grants.

Lincoln is one of 33 towns that are now eligible for a new state grant program by virtue of having its rezoning approved by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.

The rezoning measure to allow more multifamily housing was required to comply with the Housing Choice Act. It was mired in controversy last winter in Lincoln but ultimately passed in March. More than 70 cities and towns have passed HCA zoning, with many more expected at Town Meetings this fall.

Earlier this year, the Healey-Driscoll Administration created the $15 million MBTA Communities Catalyst Fund, a capital grant program that recognizes that promoting housing growth in communities requires additional resources and makes available funding to support activities related to housing creation, infrastructure projects associated with housing, and acquisition of property to promote housing.

Funding for the Catalyst program is available for fiscal 2025, fiscal 2026 and fiscal 2027.  Awards will typically fund projects with grant requests between $250,000 and $1 million, according to the EOHLC. Conversely, the state has said that cities and towns that don’t approve HCA-friendly doing by their given deadline will become ineligible for several existing grant programs.

The Catalyst program allows towns to partner with private companies in enabling multifamily housing projects, Tim Higgins noted at the October 7 Select Board meeting. Upgrading the South Lincoln wastewater treatment plant, among other Lincoln-specific ideas, would seem to qualify.

“That gets my wheels spinning,” Select Board member Jim Hutchinson said.

The Commons presents details on plan; hopes to break ground in winter

Green numbers show where parking will be added. New surface spaces are shown in purple (click to enlarge). Existing tree are shown as circles with dotted lines.

At the first session this week of a public hearing on the site plan for expanding The Commons in Lincoln, presenters outlined some minor changes from the plan that was first aired almost a year ago. The Planning Board’s September 10 hearing will be continued to October 2 at 7:05 p.m.

At a Special Town Meeting in December 2023, residents approved rezoning the parcel, a first step in a process that also requires additional approvals from the Planning Board and others, including environmental officials.

As before, the plan calls for 28 new independent living units (14 two-bedroom units in the Flint building, six one-bedroom units in the Russell building, and eight new cottages). The Flint units will be in a separate structure connected to the main building with a sky bridge on the second and third floors.

The net addition of 52 parking spaces on the campus and more connecting sidewalks also hasn’t changed. However, the surface parking will be slightly rearranged so they’re located where they’re most needed on a campus where parking is tight for aides and visitors.

New trees to be planted are indicated in green (click to enlarge).

“The issue wasn’t the quantity of spaces but the location,” said Chris Fee of landscape architecture firm Stantec. “We tried to locate the new parking at three locations where we have problems, in addition to spots for [residents of] new buildings, so this should go a long way to help solve the parking problem.”

Another landscaping change from the previous plan: the existing community garden will be relocated, but a new bocce court and two additional smaller gardens are being deferred. Some trees that weren’t specified at the public hearing will be removed, but several dozen new ones will be planted, along with native plants are also being chosen in coordination with a resident group.

If all goes as planned, construction will begin in the first quarter of 2025 and will take a total of almost two years, though the cottages will be treated as separate construction sites and built on their own timeframe.

Property sales in May and June 2024

113 Tower Rd. — David K. Bruenner Trust to Boris Nicolas and Elisha Saad for $1,923,750 (June 27)

8 Upland Field Rd. — Britta Das to David and Phyllis Clark for $1,735,000 (June 27)

30 Beaver Pond Rd. — Petticoat Pastures Realty Trust to Samuel Newell Trust and Teresa Victoria Trust for $4,530,000 (June 25)

3 South Brook Rd. — David Levy to Paul and Karen Neurath for $2,131,000 (June 20)

8 Todd Pond Rd. — John Robinson to Benjamin Schrieheim and Emma Nathanson for $1,715,000 (June 18)

169 Lexington Rd. — Yunfei Cao to Andrew and Karina Collins for $1,275,000 (June 14)

58 Todd Pond Rd. — Jane L. Barter Trust to Naila Karamally for $653,300 (June 14)

64 Trapelo Rd. — Mark Hewitt to Vijay Gadepally and Shruthi Bharadwaj for $1,075,000 (June 14)

4 Deerhaven Rd. — Joseph Fiscale to Devin Morris and Anna Baglan for $975,000 (June 7)

311 Hemlock Circle — Michael Trembicki to Phoebe Haberkorn for $750,000 (May 31)

24 Greenridge Lane #7 — Zhou Jiang to Glenn Camilien for $685,000 (May 30)

13R South Commons — Susan Wolff to Matthew and Valerie Finnemeyer for $778,000 (May 30)

176 Bedford Rd. — Geoffrey P. Moore Trust to Erica Zheng and James Stropoli for $1,302,000 (May 22)

127 Bedford Rd. — William Sahlein to Srinivas Anantha and Bolla Saritha for $850,000 (May 18)

2 Huckleberry Hill — Kevin J. Maroni Trust to Dean Elwell for $1,927,500 (May 16)

72 Winter St. — Harrison Shulman to William Settel for $2,106,000 (May 3)

12 Old Winter St. — George Thomas Jr. to Maura Kelly for $1,050,000 (May 1)