I was totally clueless about Article 34 until March 2024 when I received an abutters notification about a proposed development at 231 Bedford Street. The proposal was to replace a 2,500-square-foot building with a 60-foot-tall, 30,000-square-foot building on a .32-acre sensitive piece of land with the North Lexington Brook and wetlands in the backyard. This seemed outrageous to me. 

Yes, I had heard about the MBTA Communities Act, but I was juggling many family and work priorities and didn’t pay much attention in March 2023 when Town Meeting passed Article 34. My hope is that residents similar to myself will become more informed and join me in voting for Tina McBride, Planning Board candidate, on Monday, March 3. 

Since March 2024, I’ve educated myself about Article 34, Section 3A (the “MBTA Communities Act”), the planning process, and the town’s wetlands bylaws. The more I studied the Section 3A guidelines, the more I noticed major discrepancies between Lexington’s new bylaws and the state’s guidelines. We didn’t need to lessen setbacks—we could have created density caps, we could have smaller buildings, and we could have started out closer to the state-mandated 50 acres of rezoned land.  

This is why I’m voting for Tina McBride. She voted ‘no’ on Article 34—not because she didn’t want to comply with the state’s mandate, but because she foresaw how the very ample ‘as-of-right’ new zoning bylaws would place pressure on parcels of land, as developers push to build the biggest, densest structures for maximum profits, with little concern for impacts on neighbors or the community.  

Tina McBride has the fortitude and sensibility to stand up for what she believes is in the best interest of the town and residents like myself, who were not involved and were unaware as Article 34 quickly passed. If elected to the Planning Board, Tina will continue to advocate for the quality of life for all residents while balancing housing needs from the MBTA Communities Act and addressing future issues facing our town. 

On Monday, March 3, please join me in voting for Tina McBride—Every vote counts in this very important town election! 

www.tinamcbridelex.org

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