Q&A with Lin

As a non-native speaker, and having been educated and worked in Finance, I gravitate toward clearly presented facts and data analysis. I have learned that good intentions are not enough, transparency and public scrutiny are key to avoiding unintended consequences and to helping us make informed decisions.

I have followed Planning Board issues for a decade, and gained deep understanding of the complexity of rezoning, which is not one-dimensional or black and white, housing vs no housing. It needs care and foresight on the impact on our lives, town services and the more vulnerable among us. I have a track record of contributing to zoning amendments to mitigate foreseeable issues and require more affordable housing. 

As a Planning Board member, I will continue to advocate for our town and residents, and for data-driven, proactive, and long-range planning. I hope to help Lexington become a more affordable, inclusive and sustainable community while preserving its historical character.

I have volunteered in town ever since the first week after moving here 20 years ago. I have built trust and connections with so many talented individuals in the community and town staff.  

Before moving to Lexington, I have lived in apartments and condos in cities and suburbs in China, the US, and Germany. Our home in Lexington is the first single family home I have ever lived in. 

My international and diverse background as a Chinese immigrant and decades-long apartment dweller allows me to recognize the extraordinary history and conservation efforts of Lexington, my adopted hometown. I think we owe it to our future generations in this beloved town to preserve our historical and leafy neighborhoods and at the same time promote smaller, more moderate sized, and more affordable dwelling units. 

This is why I have worked tirelessly to advocate for proactive, thoughtful planning, incremental zoning improvements, and data-driven community engagement before a legislation vote on Town Meeting. I opposed sweeping deregulations that are not only hard to reverse once structures are built or plots are locked in through a zoning freeze, but also they would be lost opportunities for building more moderate sized units and more affordable units that our town needs. 

Even though I supported total compliance with the state requirement, I opposed the Planning Board's overreaching proposal publicly.

In 2023, when I followed the overreaching MBTA proposal (Article 34) that zoned five times the required 50 acres, I recognized that despite its stated goals of adding housing, it would present a big lost opportunity for our town to zone thoughtfully and add - through the private sector - more affordable units than the 15% we were limited to require. 

The proposal was being rushed through weekly public hearings, and Town Meeting was asked to vote 20 months ahead of the state's deadline, without abutter notification, without the state-required unit capacity number, in most presentations without the total acreage... so the alarm bells in my head went off. 

I researched and set up a website to educate and alert the residents of the consequences of the zoning changes. When the effort to reduce the acreage by a group of Town Meeting Members (including myself) failed, I voted "No" on the original article. 

When a citizen's proposal (Article 2) was brought to scale back the MBTA zoning in December 2024, I helped organize an informational website, which listed data tables, images, maps, synopsis of background and fiscal impacts, to educate the residents on what was going on, and how they could support Article 2.

If elected - subject to changes based on input from fellow Planning Board members, Planning Department, Town staff, and constituents - my top three goals are:

1. Continue to analyze and seek practical, win-win solutions to mitigate adverse impact by the ~4,000 multifamily dwelling units that are either in the pipeline or allowed under the current zoning. The Planning Board and the 2023 multifamily articles' proponents made the commitment to the public that zoning details will be refined after projects are on line and community give feedback. Now that projects are being reviewed, approved, or built, the community has voiced their concerns, it is time to honor the commitment and close the feedback loop. 

2. Promote holistic generation of smaller dwelling units and preservation of existing units: 

   • Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) can develop small-scale "infill" housing that fits into existing neighborhoods while providing gentle/hidden density. 

   • Improved communication could help streamline processes for homeowners who want to renovate their homes and thus encourage more older homes to be preserved.

   • Reduce the square footage bonus in Special Residential Developments to better fit into the existing neighborhoods. 

3. Advocate for proactive, thoughtful, long term planning through transparency, analytical data gathering and sharing, and robust community engagement.