Greetings everyone,
It’s a busy week (see below), but we want to start by welcoming five new members to our Board of Directors, each bringing energy, expertise, and a deep commitment to making Brookline a more welcoming, affordable, and inclusive place to live.
- Elise Couture-Stone is a cultural strategist and museum professional who centers equity, placemaking, and community well-being in her work, and who serves as a Town Meeting Member for Precinct 2 and on the Advisory Committee, championing housing access as a foundation for a more inclusive and connected Brookline.
- Margaret Malloy is a longtime Brookline renter, public school teacher, and Town Meeting Member for Precinct 12 who brings her love of public transit, public spaces, and community learning to B4E’s mission of making housing and belonging accessible to more people.
- Margaret Robotham Ofoche brings a data-driven approach to housing and community problem-solving as a product strategist and Town Meeting Member for Precinct 3 and on the Advisory Committee, with a special focus on ensuring that renters and younger residents are better represented in Brookline’s civic life.
- Jonathan Phillips is an energy systems expert focused on building a climate-resilient, carbon-neutral grid and an active advocate for walkable streets and multimodal transportation, connecting Brookline’s housing future to sustainability and livability.
- Gary Shiffman is a longtime Brookline resident, former Brookline High School teacher and curriculum coordinator, and Town Meeting Member for Precinct 9 whose background in political theory and education brings a strong civic and ethical lens to B4E’s work for fairer housing and more vibrant public spaces.
These new board members join our eight continuing board members — Deborah Brown, Jonathan Klein, Brian Ladd, Al Raine, Paul Saner, Katha Seidman, Jeff Wachter, and Amanda Zimmerman — whose leadership and dedication have helped build Brookline for Everyone into a strong and effective voice for housing justice, economic development, and smart growth. (More background on our full Board is on the B4E website here.) Together, our expanded Board reflects the breadth of Brookline’s civic life and the urgency of our mission: to create a town where housing is attainable, neighborhoods are welcoming, and opportunity is shared. We are excited for the work ahead and grateful to have such a talented and committed team guiding Brookline for Everyone into its next chapter.
Meetings of interest this week
- On Monday, Feb. 2, at 7:00 PM, the Economic Development Advisory Board meets and includes a presentation and discussion on the Comprehensive Plan (at 7:05), and updates starting around 8:00 on the Centre Street Lots Study and the Chestnut Hill Commercial Area. Agenda, meeting materials, and Zoom link are here.
- On Tuesday, Feb. 3, the Select Board will receive a detailed presentation on the Chestnut Hill Commercial Area Study recommendations, which are expected to come up for a critical vote the following week (Feb. 10), and will also discuss the Centre Street Lots Committee recommendation to develop a Request for Information from potential developers. Agenda, meeting materials, and Zoom link are here.
- On Wednesday, Feb. 4, at 5:30 PM the Housing Advisory Board holds its regular monthly meeting; agenda, meeting materials, and Zoom link are here.
Looking Ahead: Plan to Attend the Comprehensive Plan Public Workshop and Brookline for Everyone’s Winter Happy Hour
Comprehensive Plan Public Workshop, Monday February 9, 7:00-8:00 PM, Town Hall, Room 103. This long-anticipated “drop-in” event kicks off the next phase of public engagement for Brookline’s Comprehensive Plan. If you can, please stop at Town Hall anytime between 7:00 and 9:00 PM next Monday to make sure the Comp Plan Steering Committee continues to hear our message that their plan must find places for more housing! We understand that this phase of public engagement will also include some smaller meetings and an online survey, but this event is a prime opportunity to make sure your views are heard. Watch this space next week for more details about the event and the survey, and check out the Town’s flyer here.
Then come to B4E’s Winter Happy Hour, Tuesday, February 10 5-7 pm at Esmai’s in Coolidge Corner. Share the warmth and a glass with new friends and old. And if you’re running for Town Meeting, come get signatures and give yours in return. RSVP here.
Speaking of the upcoming May Town election, if you’ve been considering a run for Town Meeting now is the time to get started. Let us know if you’re planning to run and definitely reach out with any questions you may have about the process or to get connected with past B4E-endorsed candidates! Email us at BrooklineForEveryone@gmail.com. And if you are able to contribute to our campaign efforts, you can donate here.
Register Now for the Brookline Community Development Corporation’s 2026 Gala
Join our friends at the Brookline Community Development Corporation (BCDC) to celebrate the organization’s 45th anniversary with an evening honoring local affordable housing champions and an opportunity to support BCDC’s important work in Brookline. The event will be at Esmai’s in Coolidge Corner on Saturday, February 28 at 6:30pm. Learn more and buy your tickets (or become a sponsor!) here.
What we’re reading: Update on the MBTA Communities Act
For housing policy wonks, check out this Boston Foundation report “An Early Look at the MBTA Communities Permitting Pipeline,” which finds that the MBTA Communities Act is generating real housing, but at a modest scale. The 2021 law has produced about 6,900 permitted homes in 102 projects across 34 communities, mostly through as-of-right zoning that reduces local approval barriers. Many of these projects likely would not have moved forward without the law. Still, even if all are built, this would add less than 1% to the housing stock in MBTA Communities. Most projects are small “missing middle” buildings, while most actual units come from a handful of large developments. The report concludes that MBTA Communities is the most effective state zoning reform in decades, but far too limited to solve the housing crisis. Sadly, in Brookline, results have been especially weak so far: the MBTA Communities Act rezoning along Harvard Street has produced only one known project so far, a childcare center plus three housing units on Harvard Street. There are many pressing issues on the Town’s agenda, but at B4E we think it’s time to revisit the Harvard Street zoning to understand why we haven’t had better results from our MBTA-CA zoning changes, and what we can do to actually encourage more housing along the corridor (and everywhere else!).
Thanks, and have a great week,
Jonathan Klein for Brookline for Everyone