Bedford Minuteman
Wednesday, March 31, 2004

Transportation study looks at Battle Road, surrounding area

By Barbara Forster / Correspondent

New housing, national park activities and community collaboration were on
the agenda for the Hanscom Area Towns Committee on Thursday, March 25, in
Lincoln.

Nancy Nelson, Superintendent of Minute Man National Historical Park, opened
the meeting with news about a new transportation study focusing on Battle
Road, which extends roughly from Meriam's Corner in Concord to Route 128.

The goal, according to Nelson, is to develop "alternate transportation
systems in the park which potentially link other units" including the Air
Force base, Massport, and even the Sheraton Hotel in Lexington.

The process, however, is only in the beginning stages.

Phase One, the overview, is currently in draft form. Nelson expects Phase
Two, which will examine routes to and from the park, types of vehicles,
length of visits, arrival/departure times, and other related issues, to
start in late spring. The Massachusetts Highway Department and federal
transportation agencies are participating, too.

Nelson wants to incorporate information from Bedford, Concord, Lexington and
Lincoln, too.

Marilyn Fenollosa of the National Trust for Historic Preservations urged
HATS selectmen to contact legislative representatives on behalf of the park.

"There are (outside) pressures that will affect the Battle Road directly,"
she said. "We need the help of the congressional delegation. They control
funds that will make a difference and we need to get their attention."

Fenollosa agreed to draft letters to area legislators. HATS selectmen will
sign and forward the missives.

Nelson also explained that because the park budget is effectively reduced
due to the current federal policy of level funding, some activities have
been curtailed, such as sheep grazing in the meadow. In addition to other
cutbacks, several comfort stations closed during the winter will open later
than usual, and selected maintenance projects are on hold.

- New housing

Larry Smith of Cranberry Hill Associates presented plans for a 28-unit
housing development in Lincoln geared to adults over the age of 55. The
project, which must be approved by Lincoln residents at Town Meeting, is on
3.65 acres in the North Lincoln Planning District and at the end of runways
to Hanscom Field.

Five years ago, Smith proposed a 26-room inn on the same site. Noting that
it was "the best project I never built," Smith explained that although he
had secured appropriate permits for the hotel, revenue sources disappeared
in 2000. "Then in 2001 the hotel industry fell apart," he added.

According to Smith, the two-bedroom units, which would average between 1,200
and 1,400 square feet and sell in the $400,000 price range, could mean
approximately $112,000 in tax revenue for Lincoln.

"It would take a 60,000-square-foot office building to generate the same
amount," he said. "I thought housing was the highest and best use for the
town."

Smith also stated that he received numerous offers for projects such as
daycare centers that he described as less desirable than senior housing.

Massport representative Richard Walsh added that Massport has submitted
comments to the Lincoln Planning Board opposing the project. "Massport does
not support housing adjacent to the airport," he said.

Plans for the residential development include aviation windows and higher
levels of insulation.

"We have dealt with the acoustical issue," said Smith.

- Developments of Regional Impact

Three years ago, in May 2001, the four towns signed a Memorandum of
Agreement to establish a review process among the towns' planning boards
that provides a way to include comments from all four towns on major
residential and non-residential projects that could have significant impacts
on the region. The process is strictly advisory and decisions to submit
projects for review are also voluntary.

The group, which adjourned to a separate room after more than a half-dozen
people were appointed, will devise its own methodology to review area
projects while following delineated guidelines. Larry Smith's senior housing
venture in Lincoln appears to be first on the list.

Projects will be reviewed against various criteria including compatibility
with "master plans" for Hanscom Field, the Air Force base, Minute Man
National Historical Park, and Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, as
well as the environmental report Massport prepares every five years for
Hanscom.

Other environmental concerns such as air quality, land use compatibility,
noise, open space, sewage facilities, water supplies, wetlands, and traffic
issues are other guidelines.

The DRI (Developments of Regional Impact) process was created because of
concerns that development in one community has ripple effects in nearby
towns. So far, the process is comment-only with no veto powers.

Not all projects are intended for the DRI process. The triggering thresholds
are residential project of five or more units, nonresidential projects of at
least 10,000 square feet or those that involve more than 34 parking spaces,
and projects within 400 feet of town borders.

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