We want to start this week off with important news from this past week’s Select Board meeting with regard to funding the planning process to comply with the MBTA Communities Act. After a fantastic presentation from the Planning Department’s Maria Morelli, lots of great comments in support from many of you, and an extensive discussion among Select Board members, the Select Board voted 3-0 with 2 abstentions to provide ARPA funds to hire a Form Based Zoning consultant. This consultant will work with our Town planners to develop the zoning changes to allow new mixed use, 4 story, multi-family buildings along Harvard Street by right. This is an early, but crucial, step in the process to bring Brookline into compliance with the MBTA Communities Act guidelines. Huge thank you to Maria Morelli, Kara Brewton, and the entire Planning Department for all their work to get us to this point. Stay tuned for how you’ll be able to help with this important effort!
Special Event: Please join Brookline for Everyone and Abundant Housing MA at 6:30pm on Tuesday, February 28th at Hops N Scotch for Brookline’s 2023 MBTA Communities Kickoff. Brookline has an opportunity to take advantage of the MBTA Communities Act to enact a set of reforms that allows more transit-oriented housing our community needs. This is an important chance to promote economic diversity, environmental sustainability, and racial inclusion through housing. Join us to hear a bit about zoning for MBTA Communities Act compliance, but, more importantly, to connect and share a drink with pro-housing neighbors and friends. Register for your ticket today! (Event is free, but contributions accepted.)
Upcoming May Election: Brookline’s local May election is just around the corner, and candidates for Select Board, Town Meeting, and more are gathering signatures and developing outreach plans. Brookline for Everyone is working on our May electoral strategy, too, and we need your help! Are you interested in running for local office? Do you want to help with our campaign strategy, door knocking efforts, phone banking, or any other electoral ideas and tactics? Let us know! We’ve already heard from folks wanting to help, but we can always use more hands and energy. And if you’re in position to do so, consider donating to our election efforts either by check or electronically via ActBlue.
Learning Item: To kick off Black History Month, we want to highlight Samuel J. Cullers, the “first professionally trained African American urban planner.” Born in 1918 in Chicago, Cullers earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and sociology from Fisk University before attending MIT and earning a master’s degree in city and regional planning in 1952. Cullers plied his trade in planning positions in Hartford, Bangkok, Chicago, Toronto, and California. Cullers used his position and writings to advocate against discrimination in the planning profession specifically, and society at large. Read more about Cullers’ life in this piece from the American Planning Association or this article in coUrbanize.
Thanks and have a great week,
Jeff Wachter, on behalf of Brookline for Everyone