Community Profile

By Teri Borseti, Globe Correspondent,
8/25/2001

LINCOLN - Driving through town, it's hard to believe Boston is just 13 miles away. Rural charm abounds here in open fields, meadows, and woods.

Officials and residents decided in the 1960s to keep Lincoln that way by buying up open space. Today, 30 percent of the town's land has been designated as conservation land in perpetuity.

Geoff McGean, executive director of the Rural Land Foundation, a private, nonprofit
organization, said his and two similar groups work diligently to preserve the town's ruralcharacter. The other groups are the Lincoln Conservation Trust and the Town Conservation Commission.

The conservation effort began in the 1960s when pressure for suburban growth threatened open space. This town historically has been small and agricultural, and concerned residents have worked to keep it that way.

In the 1970s, the RLF built the Lincoln Mall, a retail plaza located in the town's new center. With capital derived from that development, the organization started its quest to purchase and preserve numerous parcels of land throughout the community.

"Sometimes we have to sell off a small portion of the land we acquired to keep things going, but it's well worth it for the amount of land we've been able to preserve," McGean said.

RLF's recent door-to-door fundraiser to conserve what McGean calls three
spectacular fields, totaling 38 acres, raised $2.5 million.

The old and new centers of town are about a mile apart. While the newer section offers several stores and businesses, the older center is more picturesque. The rolling lawns of Pierce Park, donated by residents over 100 years ago, are surrounded by a rock wall. A white-steepled church and a library are across from the park.

The town's back roads lead to farms, the DeCordova Museum, several residential areas and Flint's Pond. Local legend has it that before deciding on Walden Pond, Henry David Thoreau settled in Lincoln, but was asked by farmers to vacate the Flint Pond area.

Mikki Lipsey, a real estate broker for Barrett & Co., lived here for more than 20 years before downsizing to a house in Concord.

Of Lincoln, she said, "I love the town. I brought my kids up here. Real estate in Lincoln is very valuable because there isn't much available. A good deal of it is now conservation land and Lincoln has two-acre zoning so it will pretty much always be the way it is now, quiet and country-like."

Lipsey said a package delivery driver summed up Lincoln years ago when he said he delivers packages from Bloomingdale's to Weston and packages from L.L. Bean to Lincoln.

The bucolic setting and convenient location make homes here rather pricey. Lipsey said a basic Colonial lists for about $900,000.

"People like Lincoln's open-space philosophy, great schools, and a commuter train that gets to Boston in a half hour. These things make for high prices," she said.

In fact, the majority of Lipsey's listings were over $1 million, with some closer to $5 million.

She added that Lincoln is known for its progressive architecture. Contemporary houses are numerous, and the town was among the first areas to have Deck House developments built during the 1960s and -70s.

Lincoln is known for its social conscience. In the 1960s it was one of the first towns to voluntarily bus urban students to its school system. The town was a leader in working to develop The Food Project, which enables both city and suburban kids to earn money in the summer months by working on local farms. Several community gardens planted on town conservation land also grow produce donated to Boston soup kitchens.

Lincoln is one of the few towns to meet the state's 10 percent affordable housing criteria. Low- to moderate-income, single-family houses and condos can be found in many areas.

Hanscom Air Force Base is an issue troubling some residents. When the general aviation airport announced it was expanding to accommodate commercial planes, many were dismayed.

Town administrator Tim Higgins said, "We have environmental issues concerning traffic, noise and the general quality of life. There are many cultural and historic assets in the area of the airport that are visited by tourists, and we don't want those areas to be affected by additional air traffic."

This story ran in the Boston Globe on 8/25/2001.
© Copyright 2001 Globe Newspaper Company

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