Greetings, everyone, as we all adjust to early sun (mostly good) and early darkness (which can be a difficult adjustment). Some good news from the Zoning Board of Appeals this week, as it approved a proposal to add 10 residential units above existing retail space at 1020-1024 Beacon Street (a project we reported on earlier). Our zoning makes it difficult and often impossible to build apartments above our many single-story commercial buildings. This is a rare exception. Only wider reforms can speed up the rate of change.
Events of Interest this Week
On Tuesday, November 4, just after 7 pm on its long agenda, the Select Board will discuss three Warrant Articles for Fall Town Meeting: WA7 (the conversion of a former school building to housing at 2 Clark Road); WA 8 (regulating nuisance lighting); and WA9 (creating a Town Renters’ Handbook). Agenda and Zoom link here.
The next afternoon, Wednesday, November 5 at 4 pm, the Town Meeting Members Association will hold a 30-45 minute site visit at the 2 Clark Road school building. This is an opportunity for everyone to understand WA7, and how the proposed new zoning overlay districts will permit converting the former Maimonides School building and an adjacent lot into approximately 35 new rental homes, with the possibility of four additional townhouses on a currently vacant part of parcel fronting on Philbrick Road.
On Thursday, November 6 at 1-3 pm, Secretary Ed Augustus and the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) will hold the first EOHLC MetroWest Fair Housing Regional Listening Session at Newton City Hall’s War Memorial Auditorium Room (1000 Commonwealth Ave., Newton Centre). Sadly, housing discrimination is still a huge issue, both in for-sale and rental homes. Last year’s Affordable Homes Act authorizes $5.2 billion to support housing production and preservation, and establishes the state’s first Office of Fair Housing and the Fair Housing Trust Fund. Register here, space is limited.
Brookline for Everyone’s Fall Happy Hour
On Tuesday, November 11 at 5pm at Esmai’s in Coolidge Corner, join us for Brookline for Everyone’s Fall Happy Hour. Share a drink, talk about housing and the upcoming Town Meeting, and connect with the Brookline for Everyone community. Register here, or just stop by. We love to meet our friends, old and new!
And Every Week: Please sign up here if you’re interested in volunteering for future Outreach events. We’ll be in touch.
What We’re Reading
Greater Boston is special in many ways. Sadly, that includes the cost of housing. Why? A recent dip into a century of history of US cities gives us some firm numbers and possible answers. “The economists … find home prices grew faster in places with more restrictive zoning.” Make your own analysis with some fascinating charts and analysis of historical housing prices across the country in this Washington Post article: “The cities where home prices have changed the most (and least) over the past 130 years.”
Thanks, and have a great week,
Brian Ladd, for Brookline for Everyone