Brookline Select Board assigns towns right of first refusal for 16 William St. to Victory Programs

Brookline Select Board Chair Bernard Green on Aug. 19 voted with the full board to assign the towns right of first refusal on 16 William Street to Victory Programs Inc., authorizing the Select Board chair to execute related documents and attaching obligations that make the property subject to town lodging-house requirements and additional conditions. The board took the step after more than an hour of public comment and a discussion that referenced federal fair-housing and disability law.

The assignment matters because it transfers the towns purchase right to a nonprofit operator proposing a transitional residence for women in recovery and their children, while preserving the Select Boards ability to impose licensing conditions tied to town lodging-house regulations.

Neighbors and advocates gave sharply divided testimony during the public-comment portion of the meeting. Kevin McKenzie, a Town Meeting member for Precinct 13, urged the board to approve the transfer: "I am asking you as the Select Board to vote favorably to allow Victory Programs to purchase the property at 16 William Street," he said. Several neighbors opposed the transfer and asked for stronger…