Editor’s note: This article was amended on February 29 to include a link to remarks accompanying some of the slides. New buildings that go up in the future HCA subdistricts will have to adhere to design guidelines presented as a draft at a February 27 community forum. The slide decks from the forum (one with…
South Lincoln/HCA*
Planning Board splits 3-2 on endorsing zoning amendments
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with links for the bylaw and accompanying map, and a quote by Trish O’Hagan was removed after she said it was inaccurate. In a dramatic split echoing the townwide controversy about proposed zoning amendments, the Planning Board voted 3-2 on February 26 to endorse the bylaw they wrote…
My Turn: HCA in Lincoln – managing risks and finding solutions
By Rob Ahlert When it comes to finding a solution to the Housing Choice Act riddle for Lincoln, there are many paths the town could choose to go down. When choosing which path to go down, an organization (e.g., our town) usually carefully identifies its options and the risks vs rewards for each, ultimately choosing…
My Turn: Misconceptions about the Housing Choice Act
By Bob Domnitz It’s distressing to see the continuing confusion about the HCA and the town’s response to the HCA. From my perspective as a former member of the Planning Board and Housing Choice Act Working Group, I will address two of the most common misconceptions. Misconception #1: The HCA falls particularly hard on Lincoln….
Worries persist about HCA rezoning
The Planning Board will vote on the revised zoning bylaw on February 26, but residents still have questions, and its fate at the March 23 Town Meeting is far from certain. Echoing a frequent thread in discussions about the HCA rezoning, attendees at the February 20 public hearing worried that a site plan review won’t…
My Turn: Support for a professional 3D representation of Lincoln’s future possibilities
By Barbara Peskin I attended the Select Board meeting on Monday, Feb. 5 when a request for a massing study of Option C was discussed. Typically, a massing study is done for a proposed new building or project. In this case, because rezoning 70 acres and 38 properties under HCA has no specific project on…
Residents ask for massing study showing what the mall might look like
Uncertainty and trepidation about future changes in the look of South Lincoln have been driving much of the discussion around the Housing Choice Act rezoning, particularly with regard to the mall. That concern arose again at the February 5 Select Board meeting when residents submitted a letter asking for a massing study to get a…
Correction
The January 25 article headlined “Planning Board unveils proposed HCA rezoning rules” mistakenly said that the newer Tack Room building at the mall was not part of the Village Center zoning subdistrict. In fact, the entire Rural Land Foundation property is part of the subdistrict, but the redevelopment proposal shared by RLF does not include…
Planning Board unveils proposed HCA rezoning rules
The Planning Board has released a draft of its zoning map and bylaw amendments establishing new multifamily zoning overlay districts to comply with the Housing Choice Act on January 23. There will be several public forums and hearings before residents vote on a final draft at Town Meeting in March. The draft is summarized and…
RLF shares ideas for future of mall
The Rural Land Foundation unveiled early concept sketches of what a redeveloped Lincoln Mall might look like with two floors of housing above a commercial ground floor. At a January 18 Zoom forum, RLF Executive Director Geoff McGean recapped the RLF’s work since 2020, when they began looking at how to revitalize the mall while…