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

Corrections and more information on Farrington/Panetta proposal

The May 22 article headlined “June 25 Special Town Meeting agenda grows” misstated the proposed future ownership of the Farrington/Panetta land as well as the number of signatures required to bring a citizens’ petition (100 for a Special Town Meeting, vs. the 10 signatures need for a regular Annual Town Meeting). The article has been updated with information below from Rural Land Foundation Executive Director Geoff McGean.

The RLF is trying to arrange for Farrington Memorial, which owns 75 acres of land on the south side of Route 2, to get $3.1 million from a combination of the town’s Community Preservation Act fund, the City of Cambridge, and private donations. Farrington will retain ownership, but 65 of those acres will then have a permanent conservation restriction and trail easement held by the town. The remaining 10 acres where the Farrington Nature Linc buildings are now located will have a deed restriction that will significantly limit their future expansion.

In addition, some of the Farrington land (mostly wetlands) will be deeded by Farrington to the City of Cambridge for watershed protection purposes. That land will also have a permanent conservation restriction held by the town.

In a separate deal, developer Civico will pay $3.1 million in a single transaction for three lots that currently have houses. Two parcels (2.8 acres and 3.2 acres) are now owned by the Frank J. Panetta Trust and a third 14.1-acre lot is owned by the Paul Panetta Trust. The company will then build 20 starter homes, which will be sold to future buyers individually. The town is not involved in the financial negotiations for this transaction, and no town money will be used for land acquisition or housing construction.

After the housing is built, no major changes or additions to the Civico land can be made without the agreement of all the homeowners as well as Town Meeting, because the town is approving this specific development under the North Lincoln Overlay District. See this RLF public outreach slide deck for more details as well as maps and drawings.

Police log for May 9–20, 2025

May 9

Lincoln Road (12:38am) — An officer helped an injured owl close to the roadway.

Trapelo Road (12:49am) — Waltham Police requested assistance in checking the area for reported gunshots. Officers searched the area but heard nothing out of the ordinary.

Lincoln Road (11:47am) — An officer spoke with an individual regarding a potential fraud incident.

May 10

Wheeler Road (5:59pm) — An officer helped a motorist with a disabled vehicle. AAA was notified.

May 11

South Great Road (7:08am) — A motor vehicle and cyclist collided as the vehicle attempted to pass the cyclist. The cyclist suffered minor injuries. The operator of the vehicle was cited for a passing violation.

Minuteman Technical High School (5:31pm) — A person reported damage to their vehicle after it had been parked in a designated parking spot for approximately seven hours. The incident is under investigation.

May 12

Concord Road (2:19pm) — A dead deer was reported on the side of the roadway. The DPW was notified.

Trapelo Road (5:38pm) — Two people were advised that fishing was prohibited in the Cambridge Reservoir.

Concord Road (6:40pm) — A person whose identity may have been compromised spoke with an officer.

May 13

South Great Road (6:31am) — A caller requested police intervention for a noise complaint due to residential construction.

Longmeadow Road (2:53pm) — An officer took possession of an firearm that was to be destroyed.

Wells Road (7:14pm) — An officer spoke with a resident regarding a dispute with a neighbor.

Twin Pond Lane (7:45pm) — An officer spoke with a resident about a noise complaint.

May 14

Lincoln Road (12:48pm) — A caller asked for help in getting their dog in a car after it was apparently struck by a vehicle. Officers assisted the dog and owner with the preparation for transport.

Old Cambridge Turnpike (2:26pm) — A caller reported that a contractor was removing their trees without permission. The building inspector arrived to handle the issue related to property lines.

Lincoln Road (3:05pm) — An officer assisted two people with a parking complaint.

Cambridge Turnpike westbound (4:18pm) — Officers assisted the Massachusetts State Police with a two-vehicle crash.

Lincoln Road (5:51pm) — Two dogs were seen loose in a neighbor’s yard. The owner of the dogs was contacted.

May 15

Bedford Road (3:51pm) — A caller reported a suspicious person walking on Bedford Road. A family member was contacted. The individual is known to the department.

South Great Road (6:18pm) — A two-vehicle crash occurred at the intersection with Lincoln Road. One of the drivers was cited for failure to yield. There were no injuries reported and both vehicles were driven from the scene.

Lexington Road (7:37pm) — A caller reported a loose cow in the area of the cemetery. The owners were contacted and retrieved the animal.

May 16

Birchwood Lane (2:45pm) — An officer performed a site check on a residence under construction.

May 17

Todd Pond Road, South Great Road, Trapelo Road (6:37am to 9:33am) — Police received reports of cars being broken into and (in one case) stolen. Details here.

Todd Pond Road (4:23pm) — A caller reported seeing an owl on a low-hanging branch. The Animal Control Officer was notified.

Trapelo Road (4:49pm) — Two people were advised fishing was prohibited at the Cambridge Reservoir.

Tower Road (5:54pm) — A caller reported a man in distress on their property. The Fire Department assisted the person.

Sunnyside Lane (9:30pm) — A caller reported someone knocking on their door. Officers checked the area but were unable to locate anyone.

May 18

Mill Street (3:17pm) — A caller reported that a vehicle struck a tree and that the driver fled on foot. An investigation is ongoing.

May 19

Wells Road (8:37am) — A person reported their vehicle had been broken into and damaged. The incident appears to be related to the May 17 reports.

Weston Road (10:36am) — A caller reported their dog had been bitten by another dog. An officer is investigating the incident.

Todd Pond Road (3:34pm and 7:04pm) — An officer tried to serve a resident with Registry of Motor Vehicles paperwork. The second attempt was successful.

Sandy Pond Road (4:13pm) — An officer tried to locate two people fishing at Sandy Pond but was unable to find them

Oak Meadow Road (9:11pm) — An officer checked the area after a report of five successive noises similar to gunshots but found nothing.

Lincoln Road (10:01pm) — An officer responded to the area for an injured owl. As the officer arrived, the owl flew away.

May 20

Baker Bridge Road (8:43am) — An officer responded after a report of a motor vehicle crash. They located the vehicle and helped the driver.

South Great Road (10:58am) — An officer performed a well-being check on a person.

Ryan Estate (11:03am) — An officer helped a person get into their residence after a lockout.

June 25 Special Town Meeting agenda grows

(Editor’s note: this article was corrected and updated on May 25.)

The Special Town Meeting on Wednesday, June 25 will have up to five warrant articles — two each on the Farrington/Panetta proposal and on the community center, and one on an expected citizens’ petition.

The meeting will start at 6:30pm; barring something unforeseen, officials expect to get everything done that night. Everyone is hoping not to repeat the Special Town Meeting on Dec. 2, 2023 to vote on the Housing Choice Act measures, which stretched to 11:30pm and led to the creation of the Town Meeting Study Committee and purchase of voting clickers.

One of the warrant articles may be passed over, depending on the construction bids for the community center, which will be opened on May 29. If the low bid is higher than the $24 million budget, the town will have to find more money for the project to go ahead — either through a town fund transfer if the shortfall isn’t substantial, or a debt exclusion if more is needed. A debt exclusion measure would require a two-thirds majority at Town Meeting for approval as well as a simple majority at the ballot box at a special election the next day (Monday, June 26).

There will be a hybrid joint meeting of the Select Board, Finance Committee, and Community Center Building Committee on Monday, June 2 starting at 6:00pm to discuss funding strategy if the bids come in over budget. The agenda has not yet been posted but the Zoom link is here.

Farrington/Panetta

Two other warrant articles pertain to the Farrington/Panetta proposal. The first will ask for two separate zoning changes. One would allow a transfer of $950,000 already in the town’s Community Preservation Act fund to Farrington Memorial, which owns 75 acres. That sum is part of $3.1 million that will go to the organization from the CPA fund as well as the City of Cambridge, and private donations to the RLF. Farrington will retain ownership of the land and get a new access road from Page Road, but 65 of those 75 acres will have a permanent conservation restriction and trail easement held by the town.

In a separate deal, developer Civico will pay $3.1 million in a single transaction for three lots that currently have houses. Two parcels (2.8 acres and 3.2 acres) are now owned by the Frank J. Panetta Trust and a third 14.1-acre lot is owned by the Paul Panetta Trust. The second warrant article seeks a zoning change to allow construction of a cluster of 20 new starter homes and the other to allow Gerard’s farm stand and garden center to continue operating on the former Panetta land.

The company plans to build and sell the homes individually to future buyers individually. The town is not involved in the financial negotiations for this transaction, and no town money will be used for land acquisition or housing construction.

After the housing is built, no major changes or additions to the Civico land can be made without the agreement of all the homeowners as well as Town Meeting, because the town is approving this specific development under the North Lincoln Overlay District. See this RLF public outreach slide deck for more details as well as maps and drawings.

Other warrant articles

A fourth warrant article will seek approval to increase the town’s fiscal 2026 reserve fund “to address a couple of late-occurring budget challenges,” Town Administrator Tim Higgins said at the May 19 Select Board meeting. Those preliminary additional costs include $270,000 for remediating contaminated soil at the former Strat’s Place playground, which will be repurposed for Magic Garden; $172,000 for snow and ice mitigation; and about $100,000 for veterans’ benefits 

“These amounts are preliminary and we will have a better view of the potential recommendation on June 10,” Finance Committee chair Paul Blanchfield said. Voters OK’d an increase to the fund balance for FY26 to $849,000 in March. The reserve fund is part of the general fund and is intended to cover “extraordinary and unforeseen” needs of the town and schools.

The final Town Meeting article(s) will be a vote on at least one citizen’s petition. One has already been submitted and it’s at least possible there will be more, as the deadline for getting a petition with the required 100 signatures to the Town Clerk’s office isn’t until Tuesday, May 27 at noon.

Legal notice: Zoning Board of Appeals hearing

The Zoning Board of the Appeals of the Town of Lincoln will hold a virtual online public hearing on Thursday, June 5, 2025, at 7:00 P.M to hear and to act on the following petitions under the Zoning Bylaws:

New:

Robert Shaw and Caroline Smart, 19 Juniper Ridge Rd., M/P 119-58-0 for a special permit to install a shed on a non-conforming lot.

Note that legal notices often must be posted twice by law. For previous legal notices and details on how to submit a legal notice to the Lincoln Squirrel, click here.

Legal notice: HDC public hearing (5 Hawk Hill)

The Historic District Commission will hold a virtual online public hearing at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, to consider the application of 5 Hawk Hill Rd. M/P 182-19-0 to determine the significance of the building. Anyone wishing to be heard on this matter should be present at the designated time and place.

Note that legal notices often must be posted twice by law. For previous legal notices and details on how to submit a legal notice to the Lincoln Squirrel, click here.

Legal notice: Planning Board public hearing (Farrington/Panetta)

TOWN OF LINCOLN PLANNING BOARD

Notice of Public Hearing for Review of a Preliminary Development and Use Plan and Changes to the Zoning Map Pursuant to Section 12.5 of the Zoning Bylaw

Hybrid meeting pursuant to Chapter 2 of the Acts of 2025 which extends through June 30, 2027, the ability of public bodies to meet in a fully remote or hybrid manner. This meeting of the Planning Board will be conducted in hybrid format.

In accordance with the provisions of MGL, Chapter 40A, Section 5, the Lincoln Planning Board will hold a public hearing on Tuesday June 10, 2025, at 7:01 PM, to review a Preliminary Development and Use Plan prepared by Civico Development for the designation of Planned Development District number 7 within the North Lincoln Overlay District under Section 12.5 of the Zoning Bylaw. The plan proposes 20 detached family homes sharing common land and infrastructure, a farmstand/garden center, and an area subject to a Conservation Restriction.Designation of a Planned Development District requires a Town Meeting vote which will take place on June 25, 2025, to see if the Town will vote to approve:

  • A Preliminary Development and Use Plan which will include a 20-unit housing development with three affordable units on approximately 6.13 acres, a farmstand/garden center located at 281 Cambridge Turnpike on approximately .77 acres and an area subject to a Conservation Restriction on approximately 4.34 acres; and
  • An amendment to the Zoning Map to include the Planned Development District number #7.

Details of the proposed changes are available in the Planning Department, Town Offices, 16 Lincoln Road, Lincoln, Massachusetts, between 9:00am and 4:00pm, Monday through Friday. Emailed copies will be provided upon request. The agenda with the Zoom information will be posted to the Town website at lincolntown.org/calendar two days prior to the hearing date.

Note that legal notices often must be posted twice by law. For previous legal notices and details on how to submit a legal notice to the Lincoln Squirrel, click here.

Car break-ins reported in south Lincoln

Several vehicles in south Lincoln were broken into last weekend, police reported.

Police got reports of larcenies from motor vehicles on Todd Pond Road and South Great Road near the Weston town line, as well as a stolen car on Trapelo Road, all in the early morning hours of Saturday, May 17. The stolen car, which had the keys inside, was later recovered in Waltham.

“As of now, it appears all of the vehicles were either in driveways or parked in designated parking spots,” said Lincoln Police Sgt. Ian Spencer. “The incident is still under investigation in coordination with state and neighboring agencies.”

Police asked residents to be vigilant in locking vehicles and not leaving valuables or keys inside. Anyone whose security cameras might have captured suspicious activity are asked to contact police.

Old County Road

Old County Road will be closed from May 28 through June 10 for routine inspection and maintenance of an underground pipeline. The work will run Mondays through Saturdays from 7:00am–5:00pm. Police officers will be assigned to the area to assist with detours and residential access. 

Great Create adds color to school

Students in grades K-5 look for their contributions in the panels in art installation displayed in the main hallway across from the library in the Smith building. The annual Great Create resulted in this vibrant mixed-media sculpture evoking the colors of the rainbow on which students collaborated to decorate, design, and color small objects and attach them with fabric, string and wire. Event organizer Lincoln School Foundation collaborated with Lincoln’s Beehive ART and were supported by the Ogden Codman Trust, The Commons in Lincoln, Corey Flint Photography, The Little General, Debra’s Natural Gourmet, the Lincoln Land Conservation Trust/Rural Land Foundation, and Kirkland & Shaw.

Legal notice: Conservation Commission public hearing (18 Todd Pond)

The Lincoln Conservation Commission (LCC) will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 at 7:30pm in accordance with the Mass. Wetlands Protection Act and the Town of Lincoln Wetlands Protection Bylaw. This is in response to the duly filed Notice of Intent by Caroline Marotta and Kimberly Mooney for construction of house additions and decks within the 100-ft Buffer Zone at 18 Todd Pond Road (Parcel 162-15-0). Information on how to log onto the virtual public meeting will be included in the LCC Agenda posted on the town’s website at least 48 hours prior to the hearing. More information can be reviewed here.

Note that legal notices often must be posted twice by law. For previous legal notices and details on how to submit a legal notice to the Lincoln Squirrel, click here.

Legal notice: Conservation Commission public hearing (51 Sandy Pond)

The Lincoln Conservation Commission (LCC) will hold a public hearing on Wednesday, May 28, 2025 at 7:05PM in accordance with the MA Wetlands Protection Act and the Town of Lincoln Wetlands Protection Bylaw. This is in response to the duly filed Request for Determination of Applicability by Nancy Fincke for landscape improvements at the Lincoln Nursery School within the 100-ft Buffer Zone at 51 Sandy Pond Road (Parcels 135-2-0 and 135-3-0). Information on how to log onto the virtual public meeting will be included in the LCC Agenda posted on the town’s website at least 48 hours prior to the hearing. More information can be reviewed here.

Note that legal notices often must be posted twice by law. For previous legal notices and details on how to submit a legal notice to the Lincoln Squirrel, click here.