Dear Lyme Neighbor,
I have filed to become a candidate for Planning Board. As you probably know, the Planning Board sets the rules (through the zoning ordinance) for where and what kind of housing can be built in town.
In my six years in Lyme, my 15 years of working for housing options, and from attending national, state, and local conferences, I have learned:
- Housing remains expensive. Reasonably-priced units are scarce
- Long-time residents end up looking outside Lyme if they want a smaller place – to downsize or simply to live lighter on the planet
- Restrictive zoning rules are a major cause of high cost and limited supply
Regrettably, the issues today are the same as in my previous campaign. You can read what I wrote last year at https://richb-lyme.com/why-im-running-for-planning-board/
The Planning Board has spent the past year arguing for the limitations of the senior housing amendment that they had produced – and pulled from consideration – before last year’s town meeting. None of the public comments were incorporated – to permit senior housing in other parts of town or to lower the age requirement. It remains a restrictive plan for expensive senior apartments in a limited district.
If elected, I will advocate for a variety of housing options that meet the needs of Lyme residents. If these issues are important to you, please vote for me on the paper ballot (absentee ballots are available now!) or in-person on Tuesday, March 9. Thank you!
Rich Brown
Where can you learn more? Visit my blog at www.richb-lyme.com, e-mail me at richb.lyme@gmail.com or call me: 795-2525. I’d love to chat!
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.