We have two exciting updates this week.
- First, we are delighted to announce that Yes! In Brookline (a coalition which B4E is part of) and Brookline by Design have reached agreement on a set of amendments which, if adopted, would allow both organizations to support The Select Board’s “Consensus Plan” to comply with the MBTA Communities Act (being presented to Town Meeting as Warrant Article 1 of Special Town Meeting 4, or “STM4-WA1”). You can read YIB’s full press release here, see the memo of its agreement here, and can read a more detailed account in Brookline.News here. Special thanks to Select Board Member Paul Warren, who brought the two groups together and mediated the negotiations. As amended, STM4-WA1 creates additional housing opportunities at a range of income levels, supports commerce along our main street corridor, and presents us with an important opportunity to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels. We do need to add a note of caution: while this significantly improves the odds of passing STM4-WA1, it is not a guarantee. We will still need a 2/3 supermajority at Town Meeting, which is always hard to reach, so YIB and B4E continue to need everyone’s help. The most important thing you can do is lobby your Town Meeting Members to support STM4-WA1 for meaningful compliance with MBTA-CA. Start by signing the Petition on the Yes! in Brookline’s website.
- Next, we celebrate Governor Healy’s Administration’s release this week of its 5-year “housing bond bill,” a $4 billion plan to jumpstart the production of homes and make housing more affordable across Massachusetts. The Housing Bond Bill/Affordable Housing Act (see CHAPA’s summary here) is a comprehensive package of spending, policy, and programmatic actions, and is the largest proposed investment in housing in the state’s history! The bill, which now goes to the legislature, funds many critical housing production programs for the next five years, and includes several critical new initiatives B4E has supported. This includes allowing communities to enact a Real Estate Transfer Fee that will fund affordable housing, $1.6 billion (nearly three times the amount included in the last 5-year plan) to re-capitalize and renovate our state-funded public housing. This has been a major priority of our partner, the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization (GBIO) and their Housing Justice Campaign, and we congratulate them on this interim victory. As above, this comes with a note of caution: while the Governor’s release of this proposal is a big step forward, it still needs to pass the legislature, always a daunting task in Massachusetts. Stay tuned for ways you can help encourage our legislative delegation to provide their strong support for this package.
Now, on to the upcoming week — there is still plenty of work to do:
Immediate Actions to Support the MBTA-CA Consensus Warrant Article
- Contact your Town Meeting Members now, by phone or email, encouraging them to support the Select Board’s Consensus Warrant Article (STM4-WA1). Click here to identify your TMMs, and here and for suggestions about what to say.
- Sign the Petition to your Town Meeting Members and tell them your housing story.
- Sign up to help at community events. We will be tabling in Coolidge Corner, the Farmer’s Market, and at other local events. Sign up for a shift here.
- And finally (for this section), if you haven’t done so already, sign up to join the YIB Coalition and get targeted notices about how you can help — we need your active support!
Meetings this Week to Support the MBTA-CA Consensus Warrant Article
- The MBTA-CA Ad Hoc Subcommittee of the Advisory Committee holds its next meeting via Zoom on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 12:00-3:00 pm (register here). While this is not technically a “public hearing,” public comments will probably be allowed at the beginning of the meeting. If you haven’t already, please consider sending written comments supporting the Select Board’s Consensus Warrant Article (STM4-WA1) Committee Chair, David Pollak (dpollak@abacusarchitects.com).
- The full Advisory Committee then meets in hybrid format that evening, Tuesday, Oct. 24, 7:00 pm, at Town Hall, room 103, and via Zoom (register here). Public comments of up to 3-minutes each will be allowed right at the beginning of the meeting (7:00 pm). If you are unable to comment in person, please consider sending written comments supporting the Select Board’s Consensus Warrant Article (STM4-WA1) Committee Chair, Dennis Doughty (dennis@doughty.org).
- The Planning Board will continue its Public Hearing on the MBTA-CA Warrant Articles on Wednesday, Oct. 25, at 7:00pm (via Zoom, register here, with the detailed agenda here). There will be a staff presentation at 7:00 pm, with public comments starting at approximately 7:30 pm. If you can’t attend, consider sending written comments to the Planning Board c/o Polly Selkoe (Pselkoe@brooklinema.gov).
- Finally, also on Wednesday, Oct. 25, there will be a forum on the MBTA-CA co-sponsored by League of Women Voters, the Town Meeting Members Association, and the Brookline Neighborhood Alliance. The meeting will be in-person/hybrid at the Select Board Meeting Room on the 6th floor of Town Hall, with refreshments at 6:30pm and the program beginning at 7:00pm. For the Zoom click here, or you can also watch on BIG’s livestream here.
What we’re watching and reading this week.
- Check out Beyond the Gilded Gate: A Boston Globe Spotlight Team Report into the Massachusetts Housing Crisis. You can view their excellent, illustrated preview here, watch a short video preview here, and see a list of articles here. We expect an in-depth article on Brookline as part of the series, and expect to to drop soon.
Have a great week.
Jonathan Klein,
on behalf of Brookline for Everyone