News

Welcome to the last week of summer (by some definitions). Next week brings not only the opening of many schools but the close of the fall Warrant, after which we should have a better idea how to prepare for a productive Fall Town Meeting. For now, most of the action is going on behind the scenes. Town Meetings of Interest…

Upcoming Brookline for Everyone Events in September September 8 is Brookline Day, a celebration of all things Brookline at Coolidge Corner, organized by the Brookline Recreation Department, with “vendors, games, inflatables, trucks, food, face painters, bands, prizes, and special activities,” and, best of all, you can volunteer at the Brookline for Everyone table! Come to have fun, meet your neighbors, say…

We know it is the middle of August, but there are two important meetings of the Brookline Planning Board, and we hope you can attend one or both to speak up on behalf of more housing opportunities in Brookline. On Wednesday, August 14 at 8:30 AM, there will be a Special Meeting of the Planning Board (via Zoom only) to…

Our state legislature adjourned this past week without completing work on many pressing matters, notably on energy, climate, and economic development. BUT there was one big success: a Housing Bond Bill that includes $800 million for affordable housing and $375 million for infrastructure grants in addition to $2 billion to modernize public housing, a threefold increase from the previous five-year…

Last week we told you about the lottery for 54 new 62+ residences at 108 Centre Street. This week we want to highlight a lottery for a new, 45-unit limited-equity homeownership opportunity in nearby Jamaica Plain called Brookley Flats being developed by the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation. The project includes 45 condominium homes priced  between $180,000 and $380,000 for various sized…

We are delighted to see that the new 54-unit, all affordable Chapter 40B development at 108 Centre Street, which B4E strongly supported, is making progress. While it won’t open until Winter 2025, Hebrew SeniorLife (the nonprofit developer and owner) just announced that it will be holding a lottery for the 54 affordable homes that are under construction. Applicants (or a…

Greetings all, and Happy Bastille Day, which commemorates the storming of the Bastille prison in Paris on July 14, 1789, a pivotal event at the start of the French Revolution and a symbol of freedom in France and throughout the world. We hope you enjoyed the day. Town Meetings of Interest This Week As is typical for the summer, it…

With the weather and climate on everyone’s mind, we start this week with an update from our friends at Mothers Out Front. On June 25, the Omnibus Climate Bill passed the State Senate by a resounding vote of 38-2. It included many (but not all) of Mothers Out Front's priorities to facilitate a transition off polluting gas towards clean energy to heat our homes. MOF…

Happy Fourth of July! We hope everyone takes the day to celebrate the best America has to offer, spend time with friends and family, and takes a little time to think about how we can each take steps toward fulfilling the promise of the Declaration of Independence, that “all men are created equal” and entitled to “Life, Liberty and the…

Greetings, and happy Official Summer! We start this week with a repeat Action Item which may now be critical: as regular readers know, the House version of Governor Healey’s Affordable Homes Act did not include the Real Estate Transfer Fee (see this Globe Article on how it was killed by real estate interests), and we expect it to come up THIS WEEK in…