The big news this week, and for the next couple weeks, is Town Meeting, which begins on Tuesday, May 25 at 7pm. Most Town Meeting Members will return to the Brookline High School auditorium for the 1st time since 2019. Town Meeting will then continue for several more nights in the coming weeks – May 24 & 31, and if needed June 1, 6, 7, and 8. You can tune into Town Meeting through Brookline Interactive Group at this link.
Brookline for Everyone has identified 6 articles related to housing, zoning, and land use, plus the budget line that fully funds the voter approved Pierce School project. We’ll provide our shorthand endorsements here, a web link to our full endorsement explanations is here or view as a PDF here.
Article 7 – Budget Items Appropriating and Bonding the Pierce School Project
- Recommendation: FAVORABLE ACTION as written; NO ACTION on ALL amendments
Article 8 – Annual (FY24) Community Preservation Program Budget
- Recommendation: FAVORABLE ACTION on the motion as filed
Article 13 – To establish an Office of Housing Stability
- Recommendation: FAVORABLE ACTION on the petitioner’s motion
Article 14 – Amend the Inclusionary Zoning By-Law to lower the unit threshold for developments that must include onsite affordable housing units
- Recommendation: FAVORABLE ACTION on the petitioner’s motion
Article 15 – To adopt the Stretch and Specialized Energy Codes, and add fossil fuel free restrictions in accordance with the MA DOER Demonstration Project
- Recommendation: FAVORABLE ACTION on the motion as amended
Article 16 – Amend the Zoning Map and Articles 3 and 5 of the Town’s Zoning By-Laws to create a new zoning district to set forth building massing requirements in two existing T-5 (two-family) zoning districts north of Beacon Street to encourage reuse and deter demolition
- Recommendation: FAVORABLE ACTION on Article 16, as modified, in the hope that the Town will follow up on ideas to allow an additional unit in these districts as a further means of discouraging demolitions and creating much needed additional housing units
Article 24 – Resolution regarding exploring alternatives to the Planning Department’s efforts to meaningfully comply with the MBTA Communities Act
- Recommendation: NO ACTION on the motion as amended by the petitioners
We encourage you to reach out to your Town Meeting Members to let them know how you want them to vote. A handful of the above articles are likely to be larger debates which we wanted to highlight here. Ask your Town Meeting Members to:
- affirm the will of the voters by supporting full funding of the Pierce School Project
- not interrupt ongoing efforts by the Select Board and Planning Department to meaningfully comply with the MBTA Communities Act by opposing Article 24 as a meaningless distraction
- support the majority of residents who rent and owners in precarious financial situations by voting in favor of Article 13 to move the town toward the creation of an Office of Housing Stability
- keep Brookline at the forefront of climate action by adopting the Stretch Specialized Energy Codes and restrict fossil fuel infrastructure with a favorable action vote on Article 15
And if other articles coming before Town Meeting garner your attention, reach out to let your Town Meeting Members know as well. The full list of articles, with descriptions and amendments, can be found here.
You can find the list of current Town Meeting Members with contact info here. Many Town Meeting Members rarely hear from constituents, and genuinely want to consider their perspectives. Make sure to sign your name and address so they know you live in their precinct!
Learning Opportunity
Our friends at CHAPA are hosting a fantastic Zoom workshop on Tuesday, May 25 at 6:30pm, Confronting the History of Housing Discrimination. This presentation draws on the story that Richard Rothstein told in his book The Color of Law, to explain the roots of our racially segregated region and nation. They’ll discuss how that history continues to drive the racial wealth gap and many other aspects of racial inequality. And they’ll explore how that history is still a part of our communities and how we can make our communities and our region more inclusive by adopting more inclusive housing policies. The curriculum is presented in a ninety minute workshop with an opportunity for questions and discussions. If you aren’t planning to tune into Town Meeting, this is sure to be worth your time. You can register here.
Thanks,
Jeff Wachter, on behalf of Brookline for Everyone