Last week we told you about the lottery for 54 new 62+ residences at 108 Centre Street. This week we want to highlight a lottery for a new, 45-unit limited-equity homeownership opportunity in nearby Jamaica Plain called Brookley Flats being developed by the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation. The project includes 45 condominium homes priced between $180,000 and $380,000 for various sized units; of those, 5 are reserved for artists and 20 units are reserved for “first-generation homebuyers” — applicants who would be the first in their US families to own their own home. Applications are now being accepted through August 7, 2024, so time is short if you or anyone you know may want to apply. To learn more about the project, income eligibility, and how to apply, click here.
Now, on to the week.
Town Meetings of Interest This Week
The Housing Advisory Board will meet on Wednesday, July 31 at 5:30-7:30 via Zoom, replacing its regular July and August meetings. The agenda will include a report on the applicability to Brookline of the likely new state law (as part of the Housing Bond Bill) on Accessory Dwelling Units, discussion of a proposed Warrant Article to index the current $5 million Affordable Housing Trust balance limit for determining Affordable Housing Trust eligibility to receive excess Free Cash, and updates on the AHOD Subcommittee, the Nexus Study Subcommittee, and the BCDC response to the RFP for an Emergency Rental Assistance program. You can find the full agenda here, and can register for the Zoom meeting here.
The Zoning Board of Appeals holds a public hearing, via Zoom, this Wednesday, July 31, 7:00 pm on a Chapter 40B application to build 105 residential units in Chestnut Hill on the block bounded by Hammond, Sheafe, and Heath Streets, with 26 of the 105 homes restricted as affordable at 80% Area Median Income. We are excited to see a substantial project being proposed on Boylston Street (Route 9) near the commercial district abutting the Newton line. The project plans are available on the Brookline Town website here, and you can register for the Zoom meeting here. We expect there to be many comments from concerned neighbors, and, if you are supportive of more housing at this site, as we are, we encourage you to attend or submit written comments for the ZBA to Polly Selkoe, Director of Regulatory Planning, at pselkoe@brooklinema.gov.
The Planning Board will be meeting via Zoom on Thursday, August 1 at 7:30pm. The agenda includes several minor matters, including at approximately 8:15 a Preliminary Preapplication Presentation of Major Impact Project and Appointment of Design Advisory Team for a propose 6-story residential building with 50 units, 24 parking spaces, and ground floor commercial at 40 Kent Street and 40 Webster Place in Brookline Village. You can find more information about the development on the Town’s Website here, and can find the full agenda here, and can register for the Zoom meeting here.
Economic Opportunity by Race and Class in America
The Brookings Institution will be holding an online event on Wednesday, July 31 at 1pm on “The changing landscape of economic opportunity by race and class in America: New data and policy implications.” Economists Raj Chetty and Benjamin Goldman will present findings from their latest paper that “show[s] how opportunity is changing rapidly by race and class in America and identifies the sociological forces that are driving these important trends.” One of the key findings, particularly relevant to Brookline, is that outcomes are “strongly related to the parental employment rates of peers they are more likely to interact with.” As past research has shown, increasing multifamily apartments can lead to higher socioeconomic diversity within a community, which in conjunction with research like Professor Chetty’s, further bolsters the case for more homes at more price points in Brookline.
What We’re Listening To
The Metropolitan Abundance Project hosts a regular podcast titled Abundance, hosted by M. Nolan Gray and Ned Resnikoff. Last week’s episode highlighted a recent book from political scientist Jessica Trounstine Segregation by Design: Local Politics and Inequality in American Cities. This is an excellent conversation that covers both the history of how American cities became as segregated as they are, and, most importantly, what policymakers can do about it. Take a listen here.