Planning Board reviews ICON Architecture's Hartwell community center concepts and site analysis

LINCOLN — May 16, 2023 — Planning Board signals pedestrian safety, not programming, must drive Hartwell community center design. ICON Architecture's Ned Collier briefed the board May 16 on three cost tiers — 100, 75 and 50 percent of the 2018 $25 million budget — and said the current program, roughly 7,000 to 8,000 square feet smaller than the prior study, "is likely going to end up representing the 75 percent solution." Member Margaret Olson, citing MassDOT crash data on Ball Field Road and older drivers, told the team she wants a "site solution," not site plan review conditions that codify staggered programming. CCBC co-chair Sarah Chester said a proposed cafe is a gathering space, not a competitor: "No way would we want to compete with Twisted Tree." Town Administrator Tim Higgins said a preferred-option vote will come in November or early December and funding in March 2024. Project manager Mark McKevitz reported 60-percent-plus room utilization across the week.