It feels like spring outside, and that means –
Brookline Town Election Season is Ramping Up!
Only 51 Days until the May 6 Town Elections! And with the promise of warmer weather it’s time to join us for an event. Our volunteer efforts are already up and running! We’re tabling next weekend at Trader Joe’s, and every other weekend until Election Day. (Give it a try: I’m one of those people who thinks he doesn’t like talking to other people–but I have enjoyed it!)
We also need help with flyering, contacting voters, and working the polls. So sign up and tell us how YOU want to help elect pro-housing candidates this May! Sign up here for tabling or anything else.
And while you’re at it, SAVE THE DATE AND SIGN UP NOW for the Brookline for Everyone March Happy Hour. We look forward to seeing you on March 31st, 5:30-7:30, at The Washington Square Tavern for our next B4E Happy Hour.
And please remember that reaching out to thousands of Brookline voters costs money. If you’re in a position to contribute to this effort please do so here.
The Spring Town Meeting and Warrant
Soon after the election, our Town Meeting Members, new and old, will meet. The “Warrant” has been issued, with 31 Warrant Articles to vote on. Among them, in addition to the Town budget (as we watch the school funding challenges with concern), are:
- Article 22, establishing a Good Landlord Tax Abatement Program;
- Article 24, a Home Rule Petition asking the state to permit us to levy a Real Estate Transfer Fee that would fund affordable housing;
- Article 26, a resolution asking the state to forbid requiring tenants to pay broker fees.
Full text of Warrant Articles and Explanations are available online here.
Meetings of Interest This Week
Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee – Monday, March 17 at 7pm (in-person in room 111 at Town Hall and virtual on Zoom)
- The committee will continue to discuss how the plan might promote public well-being, livable neighborhoods, and mobility & accessibility. There will be an opportunity for public comment. Click here for the agenda and meeting registration.
And then, on Tuesday at 9:45 a.m, there will be a joint Select Board-Planning Board Comprehensive Plan update at the Select Board’s Work Session. Zoom registration here.
Our statewide friends at the Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA) are holding one of their Municipal Engagement Initiative’s Affordable Housing 101 training sessions on Tuesday March 18th at 6:30pm – 8pm, on Zoom.
- You can see the topics to be covered and register here. These sessions are intended for advocates, planners, elected officials, board and committee members, developers, and anyone who wants to understand more about how affordable housing is built, funded, and preserved in Massachusetts.
On Wednesday, March 19, there will be two meetings with overlapping agendas:
- At 5 PM, the Advisory Committee’s Land Use subcommittee will hold a public hearing on Warrant Article 24, a Home rule petition to authorize the Town to implement a real estate transfer fee on certain property transactions to generate funding specifically designated for affordable housing projects. This would be a great source of much-needed funding, and we encourage everyone to support it. Zoom registration is here.
- At 7 PM, the Housing Advisory Board will discuss that Warrant Article as well as Articles 22 and 26 (see above). The agenda, and the text of the Warrant Articles to be discussed, are here. Zoom registration is here.
And looking to next week: on Monday, March 24, the Chestnut Hill Commercial Area Study Community Advisory Group will have its first meeting in several weeks, at 6:30 PM, to examine the latest proposal for this potentially major mixed-use development (and tax revenue boost). Stay tuned for the agenda and link.
What we’re reading
If you enjoyed last week’s suggested podcast on the importance of housing and land use for climate, or if you prefer reading to listening, here is another clear explanation with a lot of useful data from RMI titled “It’s Time to Put Urban Form on the Climate Agenda.” The upshot: Every person who can move to new multifamily housing in Brookline is one person NOT moving to a newly bulldozed, car-dependent greenfield development.
Thanks, and have a great week,
Brian Ladd, on behalf of Brookline for Everyone