This Thursday (Jan 14), the Planning Board will hold a Public Hearing for a proposed Senior Housing amendment to be voted at Town Meeting in March.

Update – February 2021: I have changed my mind. The Planning Board’s refusal to consider any changes from the public, and the inherent flaws of the proposal lead me to say that it would be better to vote down Article 2 and ask the Board to start again. (I originally had said “Although I feel it is kind of weak tea (the language is very restrictive, which will result in expensive units), I believe this is a small step toward new kinds of housing, and that the town should approve it.” I no longer believe this proposal is a basis for moving forward.)

The amendment would be dramatically improved by permitting Senior Housing elsewhere in town so that a project isn’t burdened with the most expensive land (per acre) in town. For example, both these areas provide less expensive land yet with good access to services:

a) In the Commercial District, near 84 Dartmouth College Highway and Pond View Apartments.

b) On major roads elsewhere in town. Land is less expensive, and larger development can be built back from the road.

The purpose of the Public Hearing is for the Planning Board to present the proposal, explain their intent, and to receive feedback that they can incorporate into the amendment before it goes to Town Meeting in March.

If you have thoughts, please come (virtually) to the meeting this Thursday, January 14 at 7:00pm. The Zoom link is: https://zoom.us/j/6808321113 and the passcode, if needed, is LymePlan.

I hope to see you there. Thanks!

Rich Brown

Feel free to share this post on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or email. Any opinions expressed here are solely my own, and not those of any public body, such as the Lyme Planning Board, Budget Committee, or Trustees of the Trust Funds where I volunteer. I would be interested to hear your thoughts – you can reach me at richb.lyme@gmail.com.