Thank you for your email.  While we can appreciate your concerns – and those of the RANCH Triangle Community Association board – regarding the current proposal, we do feel that engagement with the Sterling Bay development team at this early juncture will be beneficial in clarifying the present status. We’ve felt the prior discussions with other organizations have been beneficial in identifying community priorities and highlighting specific elements of the proposal, which in turn, can further assist Sterling Bay as they continue to design the Lincoln Yards site.

That said, please consider our offer to meet and discuss the current status of the proposal as an open invitation, should the sentiment of the RANCH Triangle leadership change in the future.

Best,

Adam

Dear Adam:

Thanks for talking on Tuesday about Sterling Bay and RANCH Triangle meeting to discuss the Lincoln Yards development.  I wanted to make sure that you received our August 13th letter to Alderman Hopkins (attached) about the additional information needed for a productive meeting.  It is disappointing to hear from you that no new information will be made available for our meeting.

The scheduled meetings between Sterling Bay and the community, set by the Alderman and CAC, began with one community-wide meeting, to be followed by a series of meetings with individual associations, to be followed by at least one more community-wide meeting.  These were always planned to occur after the masterplan was released.  The Alderman and CAC agreed that the meetings would not be productive otherwise.

You explained you are following the instructions of Alderman Hopkins, but, it is difficult to understand that these instructions would specifically exclude any directive to share the plans with the community.

You suggested because Sterling Bay controls only 10% of the site currently that it is too early to have a masterplan in place. This begs the question, when will a masterplan become available?  Obviously summer is a difficult time to engage any community.  The series of meetings agreed to between Alderman Hopkins and the CAC, was done in the spirit of worthwhile and true community engagement.  As I mentioned to you, the community groups that drove attendance exceeding 500 people on July 17^th presumed detailed, meaningful plans would be released that night.  No such plans were shared.

Your comment that the RANCH Triangle Board of Directors could be doing a disservice to the community by not participating in the “important early part of the process” is off base.  RANCH, as the closest neighborhood to the proposed Lincoln Yards, should be an integral part of the process.  But a fair and transparent process must be based on substance.  The RANCH Board’s directive, on behalf of our neighbors, is to follow the framework for these due diligence-gathering meetings as clearly established by Alderman Hopkins and the CAC.

RANCH is certainly willing to meet with Sterling Bay.  In the meantime, we will confer with Alderman Hopkins about his instructions to Sterling Bay that no new information would be shared with residents.

Chuck Griffin, Planning Chair