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Brookline staff present Chestnut Hill commercial-area study; Select Board presses for traffic, fiscal details before filing warrant
Summary
Economic development staff presented a zoning overlay and tax-agreement framework intended to encourage large-scale commercial redevelopment at Chestnut Hill, including a draft memorandum with City Realty; Select Board members asked for more analysis on traffic impacts, developer economics and legal exit triggers before deciding whether to place articles on the warrant.
Meredith Mooney, Brookline's economic development director, told the Select Board that the Chestnut Hill commercial-area study covers about 27 acres, roughly 60 properties and about 30 storefronts and recommends a special-district overlay to incentivize high-impact commercial development along Route 9.
"We are requesting endorsement of the study recommendations and next steps for implementation," Mooney said, describing a proposed package of three warrant articles: a zoning by-law amendment to create the overlay, and separate articles authorizing a memorandum of agreement and a tax certainty agreement with City Realty, the owner of the Chestnut Hill Office Park.
The overlay would divide the study area into four subdistricts with different height and use rules. In commercial subdistricts staff proposed a minimum commercial-use requirement (51% of gross floor area) and a structure of height bonuses — including a bonus to 14 stories where proposals meet a 60% commercial threshold. The proposal also raises…
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