Resident Barbara Peskin recently submitted three public records requests to the town in connection with the controversial March 23 Annual Town Meeting vote on Housing Choice Act rezoning. Town administrator Tim Higgins received the requests under the Massachusetts Public Records Law on April 5. Peskin confirmed that she had made the requests but declined further…
South Lincoln/HCA*
Planning Board discusses policies in wake of Town Meeting tumult
(Editor’s note: This article was updated on April 18 to correct the first paragraph about public comment at meetings.) In the aftermath of the last-minute Housing Choice Act amendment and pre-Town Meeting debate over who was allowed to say what and when, the Planning Board this week started formulating policies to spell out public participation…
Town resolved HCA issues soon after receiving letter from state
Alongside the controversy about how and when the HCA zoning amendment was composed and introduced, some residents on LincolnTalk have raised a hue and cry about a January document saying that the Lincoln’s proposed bylaw would not be compliant with the HCA, and that residents were not informed of this before the March 23 Town…
Officials scrambled before Town Meeting as HCA amendment took shape
The Housing Choice Act rezoning measure passed by a thin margin last month — but not until after the last-minute introduction of an amendment (ultimately approved) that blindsided many at the March 23 Town Meeting. Town officials say there was not a coordinated behind-the-scenes plan to spring the amendment on residents. But their recollections reveal…
My Turn: What happened at Town Meeting?
By Barbara Peskin We expect our elected officials to be fair and the Town Meeting moderator to be impartial. Whether you were “No for Now” or “Heck Yeah” at the March 23 Town Meeting, make a note of the following (you can watch the recording of the meeting here): Two elected Planning Board members, a…
My Turn: Postlethwait says thanks, lauds rezoning adjustments made before Town Meeting
By Sarah Postlethwait I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Gary Taylor on his victory. It was a huge turnout and you have a strong following! Thank you for the years of service you have given this town already and will continue to offer in the future. I would also like to thank…
My Turn: DeLisi’s version of HCA amendment events
By Lynn DeLisi Editor’s note: DeLisi, a member of the Planning Board, originally posted the following as a comment on the March 25 Lincoln Squirrel story headlined “HCAWG, RLF were surprised by rumored amendment to zoning motion” and is being reprinted here with her permission.) None of what is being reported here was shared with…
Contentious HCA rezoning measure squeaks by, 52%–48%
At one of the longest and most controversial Town Meetings in recent history, voters on March 23 narrowly approved the Housing Choice Act zoning amendments by a margin of 52% to 48%. The community center funding measure, which needed a two-thirds majority, was approved easily. Knowing that the meeting would be heavily attended, town officials…
HCAWG, RLF were surprised by rumored amendment to zoning motion
The Housing Choice Act Working Group first learned on the morning of March 14 that an amendment to the rezoning motion would be proposed on the floor of Town Meeting to reduce the density of allowed housing at the mall. Group members at that morning meeting (which the Lincoln Squirrel did not attend but watched…
My Turn: On the fairness or unfairness of the procedures at Town Meeting
By Edward Young Although the moderator said that none of the controversial procedures followed at [Saturday’s] Town Meeting should be considered as precedents, they raise questions that should be addressed when the town considers Town Meeting procedures comprehensively later this year, if not sooner. Here is how the moderator regulated who spoke, when and where….