HCA Guidelines Established by the State for Lincoln

• Lincoln has until the end of December 2024 to comply with the HCA.
  
  

• Lincoln must identify 42 acres in total to rezone at 15 units per acre average density for a total of 635 units.
  
  

• At least 20% (8.4 acres) must be near transit. Based specifically on Lincoln’s particulars (lack of big road networks, public sewage, and other public infrastructure), the State changed its HCA guidelines to allow for only 20% of rezoning to be near the MBTA in order to relieve the stressors associated with concentrating that much housing in just one area in our circumstances.
  (click here to read more)
  
  

• The remaining 80% of acres do NOT need to be near any form of public transit. This is not a transit-oriented law, as Lincoln leadership has acknowledged.
  
  

• 50% (21 acres) need to be contiguous.
  
  

• Subdistricts with less than 5 acres and MMU acres (i.e. the Mall), do not count towards the 42 acre minimum.
  
  

• Any units zoned on public land don't count toward the total of 635 units required for compliance.
  
  

• Only a maximum of 10% Affordable Units can be required according to current State guidelines. The remaining 90% would be Market Rate (approx. $4000/mo. for a 2-bedroom apt.). This is not an affordable housing-oriented law, as Lincoln leadership has acknowledged.
  
  

• Lincoln is allowed to take credit for already existing high density housing acreage when developing a compliance model. The law is written to reward towns like Lincoln that already have a high percentage of multifamily housing.

Article 3 Compared with State Guidelines:

• State requires 42 acres. 
  Article 3 rezones 71.6 acres.
  (30 acres more than required by State guidelines)

Lincoln Woods: 20.5 acres
Lincoln Rd: 20.3 acres
Codman Rd: 23.7 acres
Village Center: 7.1 acres
Total: 71.6 acres rezoned 

• State requires 635 actual units.
  Article 3 allows 801 actual units.
  (166 more units than required by State guidelines)

Lincoln woods: 20.5 acres @ 8upa= 164
Lincoln Rd: 20.3 acres @ 11upa = 223
Codman rd: 23.7 acres @10upa = 237
Village Center: 7.1 acres @25upa = 177
Total units: 801 actual units

• State requires 20% (8.4 acres) zoned near transit. 
  Article 3 zones for 100% (71.6 acres) near transit.
  (63.2 acres more than required by State guidelines)

• State guidelines count zero (0) Mixed Use acres toward the required total acres for compliance.
  Article 3 zones for 7.1 Mixed Use acres (the Mall).
  (They add nothing to the required total acres for compliance)

• State guidelines credit zero (0) units zoned on public land  toward compliance totals.
  Article 3 includes the DPW, the Commuter Lot and the Peace Park — zoned for 94 units in total.
  (None of these units zoned on this public land can be credited to the 635 minimum. There has been no reason given for their inclusion in the rezoning that stands up to critical review. Contiguity can be resolved in other ways.)

• State guidelines have a hard limit of 10% affordable housing for Lincoln based on Lincoln's feasibility study.
  Article 3 Bylaws reference the possibility of 15% affordable housing, however that decision lies with the State—not Lincoln.
  (Added in late Feb as the Bylaws were signed, this 15% is pure speculation. The State's 10% hard limit takes precedence and would require a formal state appeal and study to request a change--which, in any case, would not be guaranteed.
  Meanwhile, Article 3 Bylaws allow a developer to include as little as 0% affordable housing by making payments to Lincoln's Affordable Housing Trust. They also allow for the use of tax payer money to incentivize a developer to include more affordable units)
  
  

• State deadline for HCA Compliance is the end of December 2024.
  Article 3 is being voted on on March 23, 2024—nine months before the compliance deadline.
  Voting No on Article 3 does not mean not complying with the HCA. Instead, voting No allows ample time to craft a better compliance solution and build consensus among Lincoln residents. "Option C" (the basis of Article 3) was only developed last Fall, after MMUs were allowed by the State. At that time, very few Lincoln residents understood the very basics of the HCA in Lincoln. Also, the State Guidelines continue to be reviewed and possibly changed based on findings in other towns.  There is no reason to rush this.