- Greetings everyone,
Congratulations to the Brookline Community Development Corporation (BCDC) on their successful (and fun!) First Annual Gala last night at the Hilton Garden Inn, and to their three honorees: Danielle Mendola, Resident Services Coordinator at the Brookline Housing Authority, Amy Schectman, CEO of 2Life Communities, and James Dyalchand-Ericson, a BHS senior and BCDC volunteer. There was eating, drinking, and dancing (and a little politicking on the side), with a great time had by all. If you’d like to support the important work of the BCDC, you can donate here.
On to the week. If this looks a little like last week, you’re right, but there is lots of important information below on how to support meaningful compliance with the MBTA-CA, our most important priority this fall, so we hope you will read carefully and take action on the items that work for you — and thanks!
Immediate Actions to Support the MBTA-CA Consensus Warrant Article
- Sign the Yes in Brookline! petition calling on Town Meeting to pass the MBTA-CA. We will deliver your message to your Town Meeting members before the big vote. Click here to sign the petition.
- Sign up to help at community events. We will be tabling in Coolidge Corner, the Farmer’s Market, and at other local events. Sign up for a shift here.
- For more detailed information about MBTA-CA, including a helpful Frequently Asked Questions, check out the Yes! In Brookline website, and if you haven’t done so already, sign up here to join the YIB Coalition and get targeted notices about how you can help — we need your active support!
Next Steps to Support the MBTA-CA Consensus Warrant Article
- The Planning Board’s Public Hearing on the MBTA-CA Warrant Articles (and one other) is on Wednesday starting at 7:00pm (via Zoom, register here, with the detailed agenda here). It’s a complicated meeting schedule as follows:
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- 7:00-7:15 Public Hearing on WA 6, a modest rezoning to allow multifamily housing on 3 lots on Mason Terrace (see the B4E support letter here)
- 7:15-8:00 Presentations on the MBTA-CA Warrant Articles
- 8:00-9:00 Public Hearing open for public comments
- 9:00-9:40 Planning Board preliminary discussion
So, if you want to hear the public presentations, come at 7:00, if you want to comment, come at 8:00, and if you can’t attend, consider sending written comments to the Planning Board c/o Polly Selkoe (Pselkoe@brooklinema.gov)
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- Earlier on Wednesday, at 4:00pm, the MBTA-CA Ad Hoc Subcommittee of the Advisory Committee holds its next meeting via Zoom (register here). While this is not technically a “public hearing,” public comments will probably be allowed at the beginning of the meeting; however, if you can’t attend both, we strongly recommend the Planning Board’s Public Hearing. If you are sending written comments to the Planning Board you could send similar comments to this committee c/o the Committee Chair, David Pollak (dpollak@abacusarchitects.com).
- SAVE THE DATE: Next Wednesday, Oct. 25, there will be a forum on the MBTA-CA co-sponsored by League of Women Voters, the Town Meeting Members Association, and the Brookline Neighborhood Alliance. The meeting will be in-person/hybrid at the Select Board Meeting Room on the 6th floor of Town Hall, with refreshments at 6:30pm and the program beginning at 7:00pm. For the Zoom click here, or you can also watch on BIG’s livestream here.
Three additional meetings this week that may be of interest:
- The final Community Preservation Act Committee is meeting Monday, Oct. 16., at 6:30 pm via Zoom (register here) to review the “pre-application eligibility forms” they received. This will be the first public preview of the organizations that intend to apply for funding in the 2024 round, with successful applications being approved at the May 2024 Town Meeting. For more information, contact the Town’s CPA staff at cpa@brooklinema.gov.
- The Affordable Housing Overlay District (AHOD) Study Subcommittee will also be meeting Monday, via Zoom, at 7:30-8:30 pm (register here). This month’s meeting includes consideration of a “Request for Proposals” for a consultant to assist the Committee identify where and how an affordable housing overlay (which would provide zoning incentives for 100% affordable developments) would be feasible in Brookline.
- The Advisory Committee on Public Health has a hybrid meeting on Wednesday, Oct 18, at 5:30 in the Denny Room of the Public Health Building and via Zoom (register here). They will be considering several items, including a possible vote supporting the MBTA-CA Consensus Warrant Article, based on the view that a severe shortage of affordable housing is a public health issue.
What we’re watching and reading this week. The Boston Globe Spotlight Team is working on a major series entitled Beyond the Gilded Gate: A Boston Globe Spotlight Team Report into the Massachusetts Housing Crisis. You can view their excellent, illustrated preview here, or watch a short video preview here.
Have a great week.
Jonathan Klein,
on behalf of Brookline for Everyone