News Archive

Greetings, everyone. Decisions have been made about two issues we have highlighted in recent weeks. 16 Williams Street single-room occupancy property: on Tuesday the Select Board voted unanimously to assign the Town’s Right of First Refusal to Victory Programs, Inc., a mission-driven provider of supportive housing for families recovering from substance use disorders (Brookline.News covered it). The right of first…

Greetings, everyone. It may feel like the news this week isn’t much different than last week, but with several ongoing issues before the Select Board this Tuesday, we want to keep you updated. News Updates and This Week’s Meetings The 16 Williams Street debate has continued, and even heated up, with opponents continuing to stir up fear that use of…

Greetings, everyone. Summer continues to deprive us of the meetings we all love, but important things are in motion nonetheless. News Update In last week’s newsletter, we reported that the Town had received two strong responses from nonprofit developers to its Request for Information (RFI) for the acquisition and preservation of 16 Williams Street, a 10-12 bedroom single-room occupancy property.…

Greetings, everyone. It’s another quiet summer week with only a few meetings, but we do have news on several significant items we’ve been following, some good and some not-so-good. The Town received two very good responses from nonprofit developers to its formal Request for Information to acquire and preserve the single room occupancy property at 16 Williams Street and has,…

Greetings, everyone. A week ago we were pleased to see many of you at B4E’s summer garden party, a chance to celebrate our progress, lament some setbacks, and mostly to enjoy a moment of low-key solidarity. Thanks for coming! Crucial meetings this week Actually, there aren’t any that I know of. It must really be summer. Two town surveys on…

Greetings, everyone. We hope everyone enjoyed the long Independence Day weekend as we now begin our 250th year as a nation. First, let’s start with follow up notes on two of the stories we covered last week in our “news” edition: The Town released a formal Request for Information (RFI) for potential sponsors/owners to acquire the single room occupancy property…

Greetings everyone, Summer’s on the calendar: school’s almost out and the weather’s hot. Some Town matters will slow down or take a break, but many of our Town Staff and Committees will keep working. Meetings of interest this week On Monday, June 23, the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee meets at 7 pm on Zoom to continue its work. It will…

Before reminding folks about the Town’s Juneteenth Block Party and the Chestnut Hill meeting, we want to condemn the violent anti-semitic attack in Brookline this weekend, when someone threw a brick labeled “Free Palestine” through the window of the Butcherie on Harvard Street. We join our Town government, many Town Meeting Members, and Representative Vitolo in condemning this act of…

Greetings everyone, Brookline’s 2025 Spring Town Meeting has now ended after four (long) nights at the Brookline High School Auditorium -- and we are delighted to report that all our priorities were approved! We are especially thrilled that Warrant Article 24, the Home Rule Petition (HRP) for a Real Estate Transfer Fee sponsored by several B4E activists, including lead petitioner…

Greetings everyone, Town Meeting held two lengthy sessions this past Tuesday and Wednesday and made it partway through its agenda. As we hoped, it approved the projects funded by the Community Preservation Act, including much-needed renovations at the Brookline Housing Authority’s Egmont Street complex; and it approved new bylaws easing the way through zoning and preservation rules to make reasonable…