Planning Board walks through draft design guidelines for HCA districts

LINCOLN — January 30, 2024 — Lincoln Planning Board takes no vote as it works section by section through draft HCA design guidelines. Co-Chair Margaret Olson led a Jan. 30 review focused on whether to lift a ground-story height minimum from the guidelines into the zoning bylaw; Co-Chair Gary Taylor proposed raising it to 14 feet, citing Concord's 15-foot rule and the need to fit indoor air-handling for all-electric commercial space. The board reaffirmed 60 percent transparent glazing on commercial facades, 40 percent on other non-residential frontages, and a bike parking ratio of one space per 15 vehicle spaces with a minimum of two. Olson said the town cannot require EV charging beyond the state building code but is installing two Level 3 chargers at town offices. Susan Hall Mygatt told the board that "guidelines are not guardrails" — "they're sort of like using dental floss as a guardrail." Minutes for Jan. 16 and Jan. 23 were approved 5-0.