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Camp Meade manager asks Lincoln council to consider up to 7.3-acre parking addition
Summary
Buckner Shadow, the facility's general manager, asked the Lincoln Town Council to explore use or transfer of about 7.3 acres of town land to add parking for weddings, events and a summer camp; staff and the solicitor were asked to research grant restrictions and walk the site.
Buckner Shadow, general manager of the Camp Meade facility, asked the Lincoln Town Council at its work session to consider options for up to about 7.3 acres of adjacent town land to expand parking for events and the site's summer camp. "It has become the crown or jewel for our town," he told councilors, arguing the site needs more reliable parking to sustain weddings and youth programs.
The request centered on a narrow corner of town-owned land shown in a drawing the presenter provided. Shadow said the property had once been proposed for a 48-unit condominium development, which he said the town opposed: "we had to go to court or the Supreme Court to stop it," he said. He told the council the facility currently uses a combination of a 30-space lot, about 14 spaces at the front and mowed grass for overflow, and estimated the site would need roughly "75 or 80" additional spaces in busier seasons.
Council members asked questions about woodlands, lighting, ledge and the visual impact on neighbors. One member urged a narrow approach: preserve tree cover and place small parking pockets "in between like big trees," rather than large clearcuts. Staff said directional lighting and timed shutoffs could limit impacts and noted any new parking would require ADA-accessible spaces and a review of the site's topography.
The chair and staff flagged potential restrictions tied to past acquisition funding. The council discussed a prior 99-year restriction on some purchases and asked the solicitor's office to review whether a sale, lease or easement would violate grant covenants or change how the parcel counts as protected open space. The chair asked planning staff to prepare a simple overlay sketch and to walk the property with councilors before returning with a recommendation.
The council did not take a formal vote on the request at the meeting. Next steps agreed on the record included a site visit by councilors, a planner overlay showing approximate parking locations and a legal review of deed or grant restrictions before any change in ownership or use.
Why it matters: The facility hosts events and a summer camp used by residents; limited parking has produced neighborhood concerns and constrains the site's ability to host events without overflow into residential areas. Any change may be conditioned by long-standing funding restrictions that could limit sale or conversion of town-owned open space.
