Planning Board closes public hearing on Commons 28-unit expansion

LINCOLN — November 21, 2023 — Lincoln Planning Board closes hearing on Commons 28-unit expansion, sending plan to Dec. 2 town meeting. The joint Planning Board and Select Board hearing drew more than a dozen speakers split between residents endorsing the New England Life Plan Communities proposal and adult children of residents urging postponement. Project lead Ryan Kershenreuther said revisions since September preserved a bank of Russell Building windows and added three 80-percent-AMI units to the town's Subsidized Housing Inventory through an amended regulatory agreement. Member Gary Taylor pressed on the community's $95 million debt load and prior-ownership distributions of roughly $21 million, telling the applicant "a lot of the position you're in right now is a function of bad past management." OnePoint analyst Ryan Larkin said October produced a 10 percent operating margin after first-half pressure from a $450,000-to-$500,000 leaching-field expense. Resident Council President Judith Foster said a phone survey found 126 of 183 residents — 89 percent — understood the rationale; Sudbury resident Becky Regan urged a no vote, citing a four-member NELP board reporting under five hours weekly per member.