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Town staff seeks Select Board approval for townwide Ground Floor Commercial Incentive guidelines
Summary
Select Board heard a staff presentation extending the town’s Ground Floor Commercial Incentive (GFCI) guidelines beyond Harvard Street; the board was not asked to vote Feb. 11 but staff requested the board ratify townwide guidelines in a subsequent meeting.
Select Board members received a Feb. 11 briefing on draft townwide guidelines to implement the Ground Floor Commercial Incentive (GFCI) approved earlier at Town Meeting. The Select Board was not asked to vote at this meeting; staff said they will return with the finalized guidelines for formal ratification.
Staff recalled that a GFCI program was previously approved for Harvard Street and that the new effort broadens the same standards across Brookline’s mixed-use commercial districts. The guidelines provide a pathway for developers to receive a relaxed inclusionary housing standard (15% at 70% AMI rather than 15% at 50% AMI) in exchange for meeting minimum ground-floor baseline build-out and improvement standards intended to support viable retail and restaurant space.
The primary technical change being recommended for townwide application is to raise the GFCI requirement for minimum commercial depth from 15 feet (the bylaw baseline) to 30 feet for at least 60% of the ground-floor frontage where a developer uses the incentive. Staff said they had consulted brokers, developers and operators and that 30 feet is market-aligned and helps produce viable retail spaces. The guidelines would be applied administratively by the building commissioner once the Select Board ratifies the standards.
Staff noted early developer interest along Harvard Street and said they will continue outreach. The Select Board intends to see a final draft of the guidelines for formal adoption at a future meeting; no formal board action was taken on Feb. 11.
