Nature Link Approved by vote of the Lincoln Green Energy Committee on 6/19/25

jahaugh
Jun 21
3 min read

Potential form of resolution:

The Lincoln Green Energy Committee (“GEC”) has reviewed the proposed Nature Link project (the “Project”) that is subject to special Town Meeting votes on June 25, 2025 from the perspective of its charge from the Select Board, which is “to proffer advice and make recommendations to the Select Board, other Town committees and boards, Town staff, and Town residents and businesses on issues and potential actions related to climate change”.

In short, the GEC concludes that the Project would be net positive from a climate change perspective, for the reasons outlined below.

Compared to alternative scenarios

Our conclusion is based on comparing the impacts of the Project to how the land likely would be developed if the Project is not approved. Although no one can know for certain exactly what will happen in that case, the ultimate result most likely would be no land conserved and substantially more development – whatever kind of single-family homes or other development seems most profitable for a developer.

Benefits from housing design

All-electric, energy-efficient buildings: Because Lincoln joined the state’s ”ten-town pilot” building code, our code requires all new construction to be not only well-insulated and otherwise energy-efficient, but also all-electric (incorporating for example electric heat pumps, induction cooking ranges, and EV chargers). That is much better for climate than using natural gas or other fossil fuels for heating and cooking. Projects such as this one are needed for evaluation and potential expansion of the ten-town pilot.
Prepared for rooftop solar photovoltaics (PV): Civico says it intends to make each house “solar-ready” and designed with optimal roof pitches and orientations for supporting rooftop solar. Although a requirement to do so is not dictated by the zoning change that Town Meeting will vote on, it can be required through the special permit approval process that would follow Town Meeting approval. Relevant factors will be house orientation, roof design, and appropriate tree plantings. The CFREE subcommittee of the GEC provides information to residents considering solar PV and battery technology.

Less embodied carbon: The Project’s 17 small houses (~1800 sq.ft., which cannot be enlarged later) will have less so-called “embodied carbon” (the carbon emissions associated with manufacturing something), relative to likely alternative development.
Potential for PV over the septic leach field. The Project’s 20 houses would be served by a common septic leach field located on the adjacent Farrington property, which could potentially have solar panels installed over it. Although an agreement to do so has not been worked out, to keep that option open, we understand that Civico is willing to install buried conduit linking the power grid to the leach field area, to allow expanding community solar in the future. That commitment would be documented in the special use permit that would be issued later for this project.

Smaller developed footprint. The Project concentrates the 20 new homes in a small portion of the total Project area, allowing the great majority of the Project area to be put into conservation, thereby minimizing adverse climate impacts from construction and increasing the climate benefits from conservation.

Benefits from conservation

There would be a substantial climate benefit from the conservation aspect of the project. Preserving mature trees rather than cutting them down helps mitigate climate change, because of the relatively high rate at which they absorb and “fix” carbon dioxide drawn from the atmosphere. Wetlands also fix atmospheric carbon. Even if one were to assume that existing regulations would prevent future development of the wetlands portions of the project area, putting over 60 acres of forested upland into conservation helps mitigate climate change. Maintaining more undeveloped forested and wetlands area would also help with climate change resilience in many ways, including reducing stormwater runoff impacting the reservoir that Cambridge relies upon.