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

My Turn: An offer to buy and “rewild” Panetta property

The Tesla Investment Holdings LLC Board of Directors is fully committed to supporting a “no” vote on Articles 3 and 4 at the June 25, 2025 Lincoln Special Town Meeting to block the Rural Land Foundation of Lincoln’s (RLF) Nature Link project, which proposes adding a 20-home single-family condo development to the six-acre Panetta property. We stand with you to protect Lincoln’s rural character and ecological integrity.

To counter RLF and Civico’s claims that our rewilding offer is a distraction, we provide this unified, formal statement of our plan to purchase the Panetta land and rewild it, in line with Lincoln’s vision statement: “Lincoln is a town that cherishes its rural, agricultural character, its small-town heritage, its open space, and its historical legacy.”

Concerns with the Nature Link plan
  • Wildlife disruption — Developing Panetta land disrupts natural wildlife corridors revitalized by TendingYourYard.org‘s rewilding site at 100 Page Rd. in Lincoln, which has attracted bald eagles, pollinators, and other species.
  • Oversized luxury development — The 20 homes, with 17 estimated to cost ~$1 million and up, contributes only the minimum required three affordable units to the town’s housing stock. All homes carry HOA fees, making even “affordable” options out of reach for most.
  • Watershed risk — A large septic system on Farrington Trust conservation land undermining environmental integrity.
  • Taxpayer burden — Lincoln’s $950,000 taxpayer-funded Community Preservation Committee (CPC) money indirectly subsidizes developer profits, allowing Civico to build more substantially more units than they would have been able to do otherwise.
  • Lack of transparency — This deal was negotiated behind closed doors, without public input or any advance notice to abutters. Keeping the community in the dark not only excluded valuable alternatives like our rewilding proposal, it also significantly limited what was possible for the site and the town.

Longtime Lincoln residents and founders of the nonprofit Tending Your Yard, Tending the Earth will expand their nonprofit with a vision to rewild the Panetta land.

A sustainable alternative: rewilding the Panetta property
  • Farrington conservation land can still be conserved — Our plan supports all aspects of RLF’s proposal — Farrington’s conservation, Lincoln’s CPC contribution toward conservation, and Cambridge’s watershed protection. The only major difference is that Civico’s luxury condo development will be replaced with land preservation and their large septic system located in the middle of new conservation land will no longer be required. Our rewilding secures Panetta’s legacy and conserves Farrington’s future.
  • Farrington easement — We will grant Farrington Trust a vehicle easement for environmental training, aligned with TendingYourYard.org’s mission, after they transfer 2–3 acres (~$1 million value) to the Panetta property deed, as agreed in the Nature Link project, expanding conservation to 8-9 acres. As with the Nature Link proposal, the access ceases if Farrington sells their land or repurposes it against their conservation charter.
  • Rewilding vision — TendingYourYard.org will rewild the land (native plantings, trails, educational center) without disturbing existing buildings (two houses, one barn), which may need repairs. Detailed plans (e.g., budget, scope) will require weeks of on-site assessment and community input post-“no” vote.
Tesla Investment Holdings LLC’s commitment
  • On June 10, 2025, the Tesla Investment Holdings LLC board approved a $3.3 million distribution from our Schwab brokerage account, payable immediately, to replace Civico’s $3.3 million in the Nature Link plan and secure the Panetta land deed from the RLF.
  • TendingYourYard.org, a nonprofit created by Arline Sutherland’s Irrevocable Trust (a major Tesla Investment Holdings LLC shareholder), requested that Tesla allocate $3.3 million to hold the Panetta property for rewilding, similar to our successful site at 100 Page Road. Jeff and Arline Sutherland are Lincoln residents and abutters to the Panetta land.
Financial assurance
  • Tesla Investment Holdings LLC manages an $80 million fund with over $12 million in loans to partner organizations. The $3.3 million check, authorized by our board, is immediately available from our Schwab brokerage account.
  • Yesim Taskor, our CFO and a Farrington Trust abutter, can verify the offer’s legitimacy and provide financials to RLF or the Town of Lincoln upon request.
  • Dennis Murphy of Hill Law is our land trust lawyer and has reviewed this document.
Why our offer wins
  • Immediate funding — Our $3.3 million check is ready today, unlike other unfunded proposals. RLF provides the Panetta deed, and we close swiftly, no rezoning required.
  • Community benefits — Rewilding avoids oversized condo development and septic risks, supports Farrington’s conservation, and aligns with Lincoln’s vision statement and intended use of CPC funds.
  • Open discussion — A “no” vote enables community input on all proposals, unlike Nature Link’s rushed, opaque process.

Our “rewilding Panetta” proposal is a true win-win for our town, our residents, and our natural environment—but it is only possible with a “no” vote on Articles 3 and 4 at the Special Town Meeting on June 25 at 6:30pm.

Sincerely,

The Board of Directors, Tesla Investment Holdings LLC (100 Page Rd., Lincoln):

    • Jeffrey Sutherland (CEO, JVS Management Inc.; managing partner, Tesla Investment Holdings LLC)
    • Reverend Arline Conan Sutherland (Arline Sutherland’s Irrevocable Massachusetts Trust; shareholder, Tesla Investment Holdings LLC; creator, TendingYourYard.org)

“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.

My Turn: Vote “no” on community center and “re-scope” the project

Dear friends and neighbors,

The June 25th Town Meeting will decide whether to fund an additional $2.33 million for the Community Center. We urge you to vote “no” — not because we oppose better facilities for our community programs, but because we believe that this project has fundamental issues that additional money won’t fix. We are speaking up now because we are at a decision point, and this is the time to raise our voices, noting that constructive disagreement is part of healthy discourse and vibrant government. Democracy works when we all participate.

For those of you in a rush, here’s the TL;DR:

1. Please come to the upcoming Special Town Meeting on Wednesday, June 25 from 6:30-9:30pm. However you vote, please vote! There will be childcare available from 6:00-9:00pm in pod C (the LEAP pod). The community center will be the  first warrant up for voting, and:

    • A “yes” vote would see it move forward (with additional $2.33 million funding required from the town), but we feel that this increased funding still won’t solve the fundamental issues that we outline below.
    • A “no” vote will pause construction and allow for a new process to revisit the entire concept.

2. We are in favor of a “no” vote to pause and re-scope the project because:

  • This isn’t the community center that the town voted to fund. The original vision that we voted on described a “gathering place and activity center” that would “attract residents of all ages to gather for coffee and meetings and informal activities.” The reality: budget constraints have forced cuts that moved us far from this vision. The building design is now essentially an office building for three separate groups sharing utilities. The only unscheduled public space available to all residents is a lobby, labeled the “community gathering” space. All other spaces will be used “if scheduling allows” and by appointment only. In addition, there’s no gym or lecture hall or other typical community center functionality in the design.
  • It’s designed for yesterday’s needs, not tomorrow’s growth.
    • LEAP already has waitlists of 10+ families and can serve only 104 kids at capacity — no room for the growing families moving to Lincoln.
    • Council on Aging currently serves ~200-300 people but wants to reach our 1,875+ seniors — impossible in this constrained space.
    • Recreation will similarly hit capacity limits with no expansion possible.
  • Timing, functionality, location, and operations present fundamental challenges:
    • The timing of this construction brings more deep disruption to kids who have already been disrupted twice in their elementary school years (school renovation + COVID)
    • With the current design, LEAP will lose substantial functionality and autonomy, and the current budget (even with the proposed increase in funding) does not replace existing resources (e.g., play spaces, furniture)
    • The location has not been reconsidered in over a decade, and may not reflect the priorities of current town residents
    • There is no existing plan for operations, conflict resolution, and mixed use from co-location.
  • The “sunk cost” trap. Yes, we’ve invested ~$2 million in planning. But spending another $26 million+ to build the wrong solution compounds that mistake rather than fixing it. Good money after bad isn’t fiscal responsibility — it’s how small mistakes become massive ones.
  • Bottom line: We’re being asked to spend $26million + on a building that won’t serve our community’s real needs, and creates new problems we don’t currently have. Each program deserves proper, dedicated facilities — not a compromise that serves none of them well.

3. There is a new Town Meeting Survey to figure out how to make our meetings function better. Please take it!

We have taken the time to write out our thoughts and thought process in detail in this document starting on page 3, with a lot of homework behind each point. We invite and encourage correction on any misunderstandings or misinformation, and we invite and encourage dialogue from those of you who disagree with us.

According to a recent (June 10) memo from the Community Center Building Committee: The “alternative [to the Community Center] would likely require reconsidering a significant investment in Bemis Hall and Hartwell Pods — a comparable cost to the community center but a loss of shared function spaces and addition of 2+ years to the schedule.” To us, this is a vastly preferred alternative and actually addresses most of the problems we have identified above and below. We would love to hear your point of view, and are open to changing our opinions if there are compelling arguments to do so.

However you vote, please vote. Democracy works when we all participate. The vote: June 25th, 6:30-9:30pm (childcare available 6:00-9:00pm, pod C).

Sincerely,

Randi Rotjan and Jeff Chabot, 267 Concord Rd.
Kristin and Carlos Ramirez, 9 Giles Rd.

“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.

Police log for June 12–19, 2025

June 12

Weston Road (11:23am) — Several vehicles were parked on both sides of Weston Road and Lincoln Road for an event held at the Pierce House. An officer helped Pierce House staff with moving several vehicles.

Lincoln School (10:19pm) — An officer checked on a person who was waiting for a tow service due to a disabled motor vehicle.

June 13

South Great Road (11:50am) — A caller reported a damaged utility pole. An officer checked the utility poles and found no apparent damage.

Stratford Way (2:45pm) — A caller reported the unauthorized use of a leaf blower by a landscaping company. An officer spoke with a landscaper, who stated that they had not yet used a leaf blower but would refrain from doing so to comply with the town bylaw.

Birchwood Lane (2:57pm) — An officer spoke with a person regarding a possible bank fraud.

June 14

MBTA station (1:58am) — Officers responded to a physical disturbance near the train platform. They were able to deescalate the situation and remained on scene until everyone cleared from the area.

Bedford Road (8:33am) — The owner of a construction trailer parked in the roadway was asked to move as it was obstructing traffic.

Winter Street (5:19pm) — Officers were called to a residence to check the area after a caller reported seeing someone on their Ring camera. They checked the area but were unable to locate anyone.

Trapelo Road (7:19pm) — Several people were advised fishing was prohibited at the Cambridge Reservoir.

June 15

Lincoln Road (12:50pm) — An officer spoke to a caller about several possibly missing items.

Sandy Pond Road (2:20pm) — An officer remained on scene with a disabled motor vehicle until a tow truck arrived.

June 16

South Great Road (2:20am) — Officers helped Weston Police and Massachusetts State Police with a stolen motor vehicle that was reportedly passing through Lincoln via Rt. 117. An officer encountered the vehicle by Old County Road but broke off the pursuit once the vehicle turned onto Route 2. The investigation is ongoing.

Lincoln Gas and Auto (12:37pm) — An officer helped a person with a civil matter.

Wells Road (3:10pm) — A caller reported that their parked vehicle had been struck during the overnight hours.

June 17

Ballfield Road (6:59am) — An officer helped a caller contact a family member.

Old Winter Street (5:21pm) — A caller reported seeing a sick racoon on their property. The Animal Control Officer was notified.

Baker Bridge Road (5:40pm) — An officer helped a caller conduct a well-being check on a family member.

June 18

Codman Road (1:00pm) — A caller spoke to an officer regarding a possible fraud.

Trapelo Road (3:46pm) — An officer checked the area for the report of unauthorized soliciting for sales of solar equipment. The officer was unable to locate the solicitor.

Bedford Road (4:50pm) — An officer checked the area for another report of unauthorized solar solicitor. The officer was unable to locate the person but remained in the area in case they return.

Lincoln Road (5:22pm) — A caller reported that they lost their keys and were unable to access their vehicle. A tow company was called to assist.

Lincoln Police Department (11:55pm) — An officer spoke to a person in the lobby seeking assistance.

June 19

Todd Pond Road (11:38am) — A caller reported that someone at a neighboring home was using a leaf blower. An officer responded and advised the person about the town bylaw.

Stratford Way (11:38am) — A caller reported that a neighbor’s landscape company was using a leaf blower. An officer spoke to the landscaper and advised them to cease all leaf blowing operations per the town bylaw. The landscaper complied.

Trapelo Road (1:46pm) — An officer spoke to a motorist whose window had shattered window after from a rock that was launched by a piece of landscaping equipment.

North Commons (4:59pm) — The Fire Department helped a person inside their home.

My Turn: Green Energy Committee supports Nature Link

By Paul Shorb

The Lincoln Green Energy Committee (GEC) has reviewed the proposed Nature Link project that will be subject to Special Town Meeting votes on June 25, 2025  from the perspective of the GEC’s charge from the Select Board, which is “to proffer advice and make recommendations to the Select Board, other town committees and boards, town staff, and town residents and businesses on issues and potential actions related to climate change.”

In short, the GEC concludes that the project would be net positive from a climate change perspective. We reach that conclusion based mainly on (1) the design of the housing to be built, and (2) the protection of a large natural area from development. You can read our full statement here.

Shorb (99 South Great Rd.) is the chair of the Green Energy Committee.

“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.

My Turn: former Farrington trustees urge “yes” vote

As Lincoln residents who have served over the years as trustees of Farrington Nature Linc, we five fully support the proposed Nature Link project, and we ask you to join us in voting “yes” on both Articles 3 and 4 at Special Town Meeting this Wednesday evening. 

The access road included in the overlay zoning in Article 3 provides Farrington a unique and long-sought-after safety alternative to Route 2 for on-site nature programs for children.

The conservation plan in Article 4 will ensure that Farrington Nature Linc can afford to stay in Lincoln for decades to come and continue to serve children from low-income communities.

This public and private collaboration that each of us has seen develop over the years gives Farrington value for the property it has stewarded here since 1909, enhances safety of its extraordinary programs in service of children and community, and maintains a surrounding of the natural world so important for all children to experience.

Many of you know at least one of us personally, and you know we ask for your support responsibly and respectfully. Please join us at Special Town Meeting (beginning 6:30pm June 25) and, with us, vote “yes” on both Nature Link Articles 3 and 4.

Sincerely,

Sandra Bradlee, Hemlock Circle
Sue Klem, Trapelo Road
Brooks Mostue, Lexington Road
Susan Taylor, Beaver Pond Road
Susan Winship, Meadowdam Road

“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.

Corrections

  • The June 20 legal notice that was originally headlined “Legal notice: Historic District Commission (23 Beaver Pond Rd.)” had a typographical error in the headline. The correct address is 24 Beaver Pond Rd. The notice has been republished with a corrected address and new URL: lincolnsquirrel.com/2025/06/legal-notice-hdc-24bpr/.
  • Due to incomplete information supplied to the Squirrel, one of the items in the June 15 article headlined “Police log for June 1–11, 2025” has been updated. The corrected item now reads:
June 10

Upland Field Road (8:10pm) – A caller reported the odor of natural gas inside the residence. The Fire Department and National Grid were able to locate the source of the odor emanating from an exterior leak. The gas service to the residence was temporarily disabled until a faulty valve could be replaced.

Legal notice: Historic District Commission (24 Beaver Pond Rd.)

(Editor’s note: This is a republication of a June 19 legal notice that had a typo in the headline and URL.)

The Historic District Commission will hold a virtual online public hearing at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, to consider the application of 24 Beaver Pond Rd., M/P 152-12-0 to determine the significance of the garage. 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.

Hanscom developers seek to renovate just one hangar for now

The Hanscom Field expansion area is outlined in red. Lincoln’s approximate town border to the south is indicated by the green dashed line.

Faced with a possible shorter-term revenue opportunity, the developers of the proposed Hanscom expansion are seeking to renovate the old Navy hangar and lease it, though their larger hangar space expansion proposal is not off the table.

North Airfield Ventures LLC and Runway Realty Ventures LLC recently filed a Notice of Project Change with a Phase One Waiver Request to allow them to renovate the historic hangar. According to the Bedford Citizen on June 19, 2025, they are in negotiations with Merlin Labs to renovate the historic hangar and sign a long-term deal to lease 70-80% of the space for research and development space for autonomous flight control systems. Specialty medical and pharmaceutical delivery companies have also shown interest and are in negotiations for the remaining space, the Citizen reported.

The Mass. Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs issued a ruling in June 2024 saying that the developers’ Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the Hanscom Field expansion project first proposed in 2023 “does not adequately and properly comply” with Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act Office (MEPA) regulations. The Supplemental DEIR (sDEIR) for the single hangar renovation says that work does not meet the threshold for requiring MEPA approval. 

The original plan — which has engendered significant opposition from hundreds of residents, officials, scientists, and others — called for adding almost 500,000 square feet of new hangar space on a 47-acre parcel on the north side of Hanscom Field in Bedford. The developers are expected to file a DEIR for an amended version of that project later this year.

“They are not really pulling back, they are splitting the project into parts,” said Christopher Eliot of Lincoln, until recently the chair of the Hanscom Field Advisory Commission. “I think the Merlin project may be OK, or at least good enough that it is not worth asking for a major community effort to oppose it. We need to keep our powder dry and prepare for the expected sDEIR instead.”

Corrections

  • In the June 18 article headlined “Property sales in May 2025,” two transactions were inadvertently conflated. The correct transactions:
    • 140 Lincoln Rd. #313 — Zahra Shahrokh to Charles Zimmerman Trust and Cornelia Zimmerman Trust for $685,000 (May 28)
    • 45 Winter St. — Jonathan Rapaport to Joshua and Pataphone Lamstein for $2,705,000 (May 27)
  • The June 18 article headlined “My Turn: Nature Link rezoning is impermissible” by Elmer Green was published without the writer’s street address, which raised doubts as to their identity. The article has since been removed from the Lincoln Squirrel website. All future “My Turn” pieces must include the writer’s full street address to be included with publication.

Legal notice: Historic District Commission (150 Lincoln Rd.)

The Historic District Commission will hold a virtual online public hearing at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, to consider the application of 150 Lincoln Rd., M/P 168-30-0 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.