We urge you to oppose the expansion of Lincoln School with an annex over the Lincoln School playground, which would: eliminate a greatly used children’s playground from access before and after school, weekends and summer;would increase traffic and congestion from doubling the capacity; andwould drastically and permanently alter the low density feel of the neighborhood.

Lincoln School, with its tiny gym and auditorium, postage stamp playground, and minimal pick up and drop off frontage, was intended, and functions best, for a capacity of 630 students. The proposed annex would increase the capacity of Lincoln up to 1297 students. Lincoln is already the densest school in Lincoln Park: It has the largest population with the smallest footprint and the smallest playground of all surrounding schools. Meanwhile, the neighborhood surrounding Lincoln, even currently with two shuttered hospitals, already faces intolerable congestion and traffic hazards twice a day.

Lincoln’s overcrowding can easily be solved by grandfathering in all current students and their siblings to allow them to complete their elementary school experience at Lincoln by either:

(1) at no taxpayer expense, using excess capacity at other surrounding schools to accommodate future students, or

(2) moving the proposed annex to another excellent Level I school within Lincoln’s district with the physical capacity to handle expansion while maintaining recommended playground space and square footage per student.

Both solutions would preserve all magnet school seats, preserve well spaced community playgrounds, accommodate families who would prefer a school closer to their homes, and preserve Lincoln’s K-8 neighborhood school and playground for future generations.