Development is reshaping the city and rising rents make housing a top concern for Lynn residents, so why couldn’t the City Council hold a hearing on the subject last Tuesday night?
Council President Darren Cyr said the council’s technologically spotty track record of hosting virtual meetings precluded Tuesday’s Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) presentation on “Housing Lynn: A Plan for Inclusive Growth.”
Every Lynn resident who uses a mobile device, laptop or desktop technology, and certainly any resident under 40, must be shaking their head and wondering why city officials can’t prepare and host a virtual meeting.
The pandemic forced virtual meeting technology to the forefront more than a year ago and MAPC representatives regularly make presentations across the state and were technically equipped to host one Tuesday simply by connecting to City Hall’s Wi-Fi.
In our view, Cyr’s explanation to The Item about why MAPC could not be allowed to conduct a virtual presentation is simply a stall tactic to kick “Housing Lynn’s” council review down the road.
The most galling aspect of Cyr’s and the council’s can-kicking decision is the disrespect councilors showed Lynn Housing Authority & Neighborhood Development (LHAND) and MAPC.
LHAND is, hands down, the best of its kind in Massachusetts, with a half-dozen formerly marginal or rundown Lynn neighborhoods revived thanks to its efforts. MAPC is Massachusetts’ acknowledged preeminent planning resource.
The next council meeting — Sept. 7 — takes place during one of the busiest weeks of the year, with candidates for municipal office in their final week of campaigning and students returning to school.
Cyr said he wants “Housing Lynn” to undergo thorough council review instead of rushing into action on the plan. In reality, any initial council action on “Housing Lynn” amounts to a simple acknowledgement that the plan’s vision for improving local housing makes sense.
The detailed work on recommendations in the plan that are the product of 22 months of research and discussion will require time, especially regarding the plan’s complicated “inclusionary zoning” proposals.
Councilors — a majority of whom reportedly favor the plan — were invited individually last December to comment on it. They have had ample time to study it in detail, ask questions and analyze underlying data.
What’s the excuse, then, for kicking the plan’s review into September? Answer: There is no excuse and councilors should be embarrassed with the explanation that the city’s technology capabilities weren’t sufficient enough Tuesday to host an important discussion.
It’s time to end the excuses and start addressing one of the most critical needs facing Lynn residents — housing.
