My name is Ilhan Gundogan. I have been a Lexington resident for more than 27 years and live within the Historic Battle Green District.

I am writing to express strong opposition to the proposed 50-unit development at 16 Clarke Street. The scale of this project is wholly incompatible with its surroundings. The narrow, one-way residential streets cannot absorb the increased traffic, noise, and activity that such a dense development would bring. The size and massing of the proposed building are disproportionate to the lot, and the architectural style does not respect or reflect the historic character of the neighborhood.

This project represents an urban-scale development being placed in a clearly non-urban, historically significant setting. Unfortunately, this follows other recent decisions—such as the approval of the Verizon building at 73 Waltham Street with an industrial-scale transformer placed just feet from the sidewalk—that demonstrate a pattern of the HDC failing to protect the historic integrity of the Battle Green District.

Residents have made it clear: the current proposal for 16 Clarke Street is not acceptable. Its height, mass, and overall impact do not align with the character of the neighborhood or the values Lexington residents expect to be upheld.

We respectfully urge the HDC to deny this project as currently designed.

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