The business of Brookline government revs up for a short while between Thanksgiving and the December holidays. Most important, work on the Comprehensive Plan resumes after Town Meeting handed it responsibility for possible zoning changes to permit more housing.
But First, Come Celebrate at B4E’s 2024 Holiday Party
Brookline for Everyone will be celebrating the holiday season with our annual gathering on the evening of Monday, December 16th from 5:30-7:30pm. Friends, family, and neighbors are welcome! Info and RSVP here.
We know 2024 has had quite a few ups-and-downs, but what better way to leave the year behind than reflect on the year behind, discuss opportunities ahead in 2025, and raise a glass with friends, old and new.
Tell Your Housing Story
Our town’s online newspaper, Brookline.News, is seeking brief submissions from residents:
“Are you renting, or do you own? How did you find the place where you live? Can you afford it, or does it stretch your means? Is it a haven or a source of stress and insecurity? Do you think you’ll stay?” Share your housing story here.
We hope you’ll share your story – especially if you are newer to Brookline, struggling to stay in Brookline, or have had your network impacted by housing.
And make it a part of the Comprehensive Planning Process:
- The Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee will be meeting on Monday, December 9 at 7:00, in hybrid format, at Town Hall, room 103 and on Zoom. The meeting will open with an opportunity for public comment. The committee needs to hear, again and again, that their plan must find places for more housing, AND it needs to be reminded that there are underrepresented voices in town. A majority of our residents are renters, mostly younger and poorer than homeowners, but too many of them see little point in engaging in Town affairs, since they expect that the shortage and cost of housing will soon force them to move away. Agenda is here; Zoom registration is here.
Other Brookline meetings this week:
- The Planning Board is meeting Tuesday, December 10 at 7:30 pm for a site plan review of the Brookline Housing Authority’s project to replace its buildings at Walnut and High Streets with 181 new and accessible units. Project page is here; agenda is here; and Zoom registration is here.
- The Planning Board meets again the next night, Dec. 11, at 7:30, to review the site plan and design submitted by Little Children Schoolhouse to replace an existing 1-story bank building with a new 4-story daycare building at 264 Washington Street in Brookline Village. We know how hard it can be to find daycare in Brookline, so more/larger options in Town should be welcomed. This daycare is a woman & minority owned small business – exactly the type of community business so many in Town celebrate. If you have a moment to join, or submit a comment in favor if you haven’t done so already. Agenda is here; Zoom registration is here.
- The Zoning Board of Appeals meets on Thursday, Dec. 12, at 7 pm for a public hearing on the 40B project on Hammond, Heath, and Sheafe Streets that proposes a 6-story residential development with 105 much-needed units (25% affordable at 80% Area Median Income). Agenda here; Zoom registration here.
Can we do more?
We are justly proud of passing our Harvard Street zoning reform to comply with the mandate of the state’s MBTA Communities Act. In a difficult construction market, though, so far it has opened the way for few projects (mainly the proposed daycare facility to be discussed at the Planning Board meeting on Wednesday). We need to keep pushing: more is possible, as our neighbors in Lexington show. The Globe explains that their MBTA-CA reform has already given birth to several major projects there. Check out this piece from the Globe’s Andrew Brinker, “In Lexington, the state’s housing law is on track to produce nearly 1,000 new homes”.
Thanks, and have a great week,
Brian Ladd, on behalf of Brookline for Everyone