It Comes Down to Space Constraints and Money
By David Cuetos

The Mall has been historically exclusively zoned for commercial use, therefore the owner has had a financial incentive to work with retailers to ensure their continued permanence. If the Mall is zoned for mixed use, the owner can pursue both residential and commercial uses. As we have been repeatedly told by the RLF, newly built residential units are profitable—and meanwhile, newly built commercial spaces need to be subsidized. It is easy to understand why a future owner would be incentivized to minimize the amount of newly built commercial space at the Mall.

Even if commercial needn't be subsidized, due to financial incentives, a developer would still prioritize residential uses at the expense of existing commercial space. This is particularly true at the Mall, where there is physically not enough space to host all of the 125 zoned residential units, plus the associated required residential parking, commercial space and commercial parking. This space constraint in not speculation or fear mongering—rather this is a reality that is openly acknowledged by all sides:  The RLF, the town's consultant Utile, the Planning Board, and any concerned residents who have been paying attention. 

It is straightforward to see why a developer would try to find ways to get themselves extricated from any commercial requirements. They would obviously be delighted to see that the Planning Board has already considered that desire and it is providing an escape hatch in the form of a special permit to exempt a developer from ANY commercial requirement.

There is also no provision to accommodate existing business owners during construction. Many of them are single location business operators who cannot survive without working and therefore will leave Lincoln for greener pastures.

Putting it all together, it is hard to understand how anyone can argue that the currently proposed HCA rezoning will not kill retail at the Mall!