Brookline Town Meeting
333 Washington St, 
Brookline, MA 02445

Dear Town Meeting Members,

On behalf of the Charles River Regional Chamber and the Brookline business community, we write in strong support of Special Town Meeting Articles 1 and 2, which would rezone the Chestnut Hill Commercial Area and codify an MOA for the City Realty development.

This vote is about more than a single development proposal. It is about whether Brookline is prepared to take meaningful steps to strengthen its economic future.

For years, Brookline has struggled with rising fiscal pressure, repeated overrides and an overreliance on homeowners to fund municipal services. At the same time, neighboring communities have expanded commercial tax bases, attracted new investment and positioned themselves for long-term growth. The Select Board motion for Articles 1 and 2 gives Brookline the opportunity to begin closing that gap.

The fiscal potential is substantial. The proposed City Realty redevelopment alone would transform a largely vacant office park, generating roughly $1 million in annual property taxes, into a mixed-use campus projected to produce more than $5 million annually in new commercial tax revenue. But the broader rezoning matters just as much as the project itself.

Attracting new growth depends on predictability. Investors are far more likely to commit to communities that provide a clear vision and stable zoning framework. By rezoning the entire district, Brookline will signal that it is serious about welcoming growth, rather than forcing projects through years of uncertain, parcel-by-parcel negotiations.

Other communities offer an important lesson on this issue. Newton’s project-by-project approach has produced long delays, uncertain outcomes and relatively weak commercial growth, leading several prominent developers to choose not to invest there and likely contributing to an 11-day teacher strike two years ago. Cambridge and Watertown chose a different path. Their broader zoning reforms encouraged investment and expanded commercial revenues, allowing them to avoid overrides altogether.

That is why we strongly opposed the amendment that would remove the TOM Subdistrict from the rezoning. As the most transit-oriented area in the neighborhood, just a three-minute walk from the Green Line station, it is precisely where growth should be encouraged. Excluding it from the rezoning would be a missed opportunity that limits the neighborhood’s future potential.

The benefits of this rezoning extend well beyond tax revenue, however. New housing will help our employers attract and retain workers in an increasingly competitive region. New retail, restaurant, office and hotel activity will bring energy, visitors, and economic activity to the corridor.

For too long, the Brookline side of Route 9 has been a passive witness to Newton’s growth on this half of the corridor. This rezoning is Brookline’s opportunity to share in that prosperity.

That said, it is important to acknowledge that redevelopment of this scale deserves careful review, and traffic and parking are important concerns we also share.

We listened closely to WS Development’s concerns about parking and agree that the zoning’s minimum parking requirement is low. However, a minimum parking requirement is just that: a minimum. We believe those are questions that should be carefully considered during the design review and special permit process, not here.  In our experience, developers do not want to underpark their projects. City Realty and its investors have every incentive to ensure that tenants, residents, customers and visitors have convenient and accessible parking. 

Finally, there is no doubt that this corridor faces traffic challenges, particularly at the intersection of Route 9 and Hammond Street. Addressing those challenges will require state attention and collaboration between Brookline and Newton.  But MassDOT can only begin preparing for the future if it knows what that future looks like, which is another strong argument for rezoning the entire Chestnut Hill Commercial area now, rather than a piecemeal approach. 

We cannot let this opportunity slip away and urge Town Meeting members to vote yes on Articles 1 and 2 to put Brookline on a path toward a stronger economy, a healthier tax base, and long-term fiscal stability. 

Sincerely,

Greg Reibman

President & CEO 

Charles River Chamber

617-799-0550