As a resident of Lincoln, I was disheartened to read in the July 14-20 issue of The Valley Breeze that the town of Lincoln has opted to challenge the recent unanimous State Housing Appeals Board decision regarding Breakneck Hill Hollow.
Bringing suit in Superior Court would incur additional costs to the town when taxpayer dollars could be better spent. The fact that the SHAB decision was unanimous, with a composition of one Housing Advocate and three representatives from City, Planning and Council boards representing R.I. communities, suggested a fair evaluation of evidence presented.
Having attended several of the SHAB hearings (virtually and in person), I took note of many issues presented by the attorneys and addressed by the developer concerning traffic on Breakneck Hill Road and density of the proposed development. A solution was offered for the former, and having a visit from a SHAB member, disputed the latter.
As the state of Rhode Island is moving forward to solving the crisis of affordable housing, I would like to see Lincoln more strongly commit to improving the situation on our own town. Having reached only 6.78 percent of the mandated 10 percent affordability threshold (according to 2020 House Facts Book, Housing Works RI), Breakneck Hollow would help advance to the goal, adding 44 units to the current 327 unit target. Affordable Housing is a term so often misunderstood and abused. Thirty-80 percent of income could represent those who may have been raised in Lincoln but cannot afford to pay the average rent.
Women’s Development Corporation is a non-profit developer with an outstanding performance record. Unlike for profit developers, many of whom are currently active in Lincoln, WDC has an institutional commitment to produce affordable housing in R.I. It has been costly indeed for them to continue this quest in Lincoln. I say, let them proceed.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.