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Select Board authorizes Brookline Music School to pursue preconstruction permits for recital‑hall expansion
Summary
The Select Board authorized the town administrator to sign preconstruction permit documents so the Brookline Music School can move forward with a roughly $800,000 expansion and renovation of its Kennard Road recital hall; the school has raised about $670,000 to date and plans construction to begin this summer.
The Brookline Select Board on Jan. 6 authorized the town administrator to sign preconstruction permit applications on behalf of the town so the Brookline Music School can advance a planned renovation and modest expansion of its Kennard Road recital hall.
David Tierney, executive director of the Music School, told the board the project would enlarge the current recital space from about 1,000 square feet to roughly 1,464 square feet and increase audience capacity from about 60 to 120, improving accessibility and acoustics for student performances. “The projected cost of the expansion is about $800,000,” Tierney said, and the school reported about $670,000 in commitments so far, including four lead gifts totaling $325,000.
The school has received an advisory endorsement from the preservation commission and unanimous support from the school committee for moving forward. Tierney said the school would complete fundraising and hoped to begin major construction in June, with interior work finished by October so Lincoln School operations would not be affected.
Board members pressed for clarity about ownership and lease protections. Cara Bruton, the town’s director of planning and community development, said deed records indicate the town owns the property and that the school is a long‑time lessee; she said the school and the school department are negotiating an updated lease and that the revised lease and any construction permits would be returned to the Select Board for review before construction begins.
The Select Board voted unanimously to allow a town official to sign preconstruction documents that are required for zoning, preservation and similar reviews, while reserving final approvals and lease ratification for later board consideration.
Next steps: the school plans a public fundraising phase to close the final $130,000 and will proceed with construction document reviews. The revised lease and construction permit applications will come back to the board.
