Greetings,
This Mother’s Day, Brookline for Everyone honors the mothers, grandmothers, stepmothers, and caregivers whose daily acts of love, sacrifice, and persistence hold families and communities together. It is also a reminder that the strength of a community is measured not by exclusivity, but by whether ordinary families can afford to live, grow, and remain there over time. For many households across Greater Boston, stable housing has become increasingly fragile — squeezed by rising costs, limited supply, and policies that too often reserve opportunity for those who already have it. A town that values families must make room for them: young families starting out, older residents hoping to remain near children and grandchildren, and working people who sustain the life of the community every day. On this Mother’s Day, we recommit ourselves to the work of building a Brookline that is more welcoming, more inclusive, and more secure for all families.
We are still glowing fromTuesday’s Town election, where Brookline for Everyone helped elect one of our co-founders and Board Members, Amanda Zimmerman, to the Select Board, along with our endorsee Anthony Buono. We are also thrilled with the significant victory of YES for Brookline on the Override, the (unopposed) election of Board Member Jonathan Klein as a BHA Commissioner, and the victories of 95% of our endorsed Town Meeting candidates. Congratulations all! For more details, see our special Election Recap Newsletter here and Brookline.News coverage here.
Now, on to the week.
Town Meeting Updates
The Spring Annual Town Meeting begins at 7:00 pm on Tuesday May 26, and continues on May 27 and 28 and, if necessary, on June 2, 3 and 4.
There is also a Special Town Meeting (STM) within the regular Town Meeting to consider Warrant Articles 1 and 2 which will rezone the Chestnut Hill Commercial Area along Boylston Street (Route 9) near the Newton border to allow a thriving multi-use district with housing, walkable retail, open space, a hotel and other commercial uses. For background, see this very helpful (but unofficial) website created by Select Board Member Michael Rubenstein. The two Warrant Articles have been debated extensively, including multiple hearings before the Planning Board, the Economic Development Advisory Board, and the Housing Advisory Board, and the Select Board, all of which have approved them enthusiastically. The Advisory Committee will continue its already lengthy discussion of STM WAs 1 and 2 at its meeting on Tuesday, May 12, at 7:00 pm (agenda here, Zoom registration here).
For those who want to learn more, we encourage you to consider attending a “guided walking tour” organized by the Town Meeting Member Association (TMMA) and the Brookline Neighborhood Alliance (BNA) on Monday, May 18, starting at 6:00 pm in front of the Citizens Bank at 1330 Boylston Street. While everyone is welcome, this may be an especially good opportunity for newly-elected Town Meeting Members and other TMMs who are not familiar with the site to better understand the neighborhood and the potential of this exciting rezoning proposal. No pre-registration is required, just show up with your walking shoes.
Watch this space for our forthcoming Town Meeting Warrant Article endorsements.
Meetings of Note this Week
- The Community Preservation Act Committee (CPAC) will be meeting on Monday, May 11, at 5:30 pm via Zoom only. The meeting will include the CPA recommendations for the upcoming Town Meeting, along with an overview of the timeline for the next year’s application cycle, which begins with the mandatory information sessions for applicants on June 15 (Historic Preservation), June 16 (Open Space and Recreation), and June 17 (Community Housing), all at 2:00 pm. The CPAC agenda and meeting materials are here, and you can register here.
- Also on Monday, the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee (CPSC) will meet at 7:00 pm by Zoom. The agenda with Zoom link is here, and focuses primarily on a review and discussion of transportation goals.
- Then on Tuesday, the regular Select Board Meeting begins at 5:30 pm, on the 6th floor of Town Hall and via Zoom, welcoming newly-elected Select Board members Amanda Zimmerman and Anthony Buono and the election of a new Chair and Vice-Chair. The full agenda also includes continued review of Warrant Articles, including the Annual Budget (WA 8) and CPA Appropriations (WA 9). You can register here for the Zoom link.
Planning Ahead
Brookline Interactive Group Open House Fundraiser Sunday May 17, 1:00-4:00: If you’ve ever spoken at a meeting of one of Brookline’s boards or commissions on Zoom, this is your opportunity to go behind the scenes and see how BIG provides this invaluable service to our community – and, at the same time, help them fund these essential services. With activities designed for adults and children of all ages, come learn about BIG’s youth media program from teen media apprentices. And if you’re interested in starting your own show, ask a current producer how they got started. B4E is one of a number of civic advocacy groups sponsoring this event. Get tickets here.
Abundant Housing MA’s Lobby Day on May 27: Our statewide partner, Abundant Housing Massachusetts, is hosting their Lobby Day on May 27th to advocate for more homes for all residents across the state. This is a great way to connect and meet with advocates, speak directly with our elected officials, and lobby for more homes. The day will begin with a noon rally on the front steps of the State House featuring State Senator Brendan Crighton and State Representative Andy Vargas, followed by scheduled meetings with state officials. AHMA is also hosting a virtual training session on Tuesday, May 12th at 12:00 pm for those who want a little prep. You can sign up for Lobby Day here and the Training Session here. Contact Mike Kriesberg at AHMA with questions.
What we are reading this week
Our next Brookline for Everyone book club, on June 17, 7:00-8:00 at Brookline High School (MLK Room), will discuss Common Ground: A Turbulent Decade in the Lives of Three American Families by J. Anthony Lukas — the Pulitzer Prize-winning classic about Boston, school desegregation, race, housing, and politics in the 1960s and 1970s. Through the stories of three families, Lukas explores how neighborhood boundaries, housing policy, and political decisions shaped opportunity and division across Greater Boston in ways that still resonate today. At 600+ pages, this is admittedly an ambitious selection, but it’s also an unusually compelling and readable one — and if you’re planning to join us, now would be a good time to get started. As Brookline continues debating housing and zoning policy, the book remains a powerful nearby case study of how these issues have played out in our own region.
Thanks, and have a great week,
Jonathan Klein, for Brookline for Everyone