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Brookline public hearing exposes deep divide over Chestnut Hill West rezoning
Summary
A packed Select Board hearing produced hours of testimony for and against a proposed Chestnut Hill West overlay zoning that would allow taller, mixed-use development; proponents cited millions in new revenue and housing, opponents warned of traffic, process failures and outsized height.
Brookline's Select Board on Feb. 10 heard more than two dozen residents, committee members and local boards in a public hearing on proposed overlay zoning for the Chestnut Hill West commercial area, a rezoning that backers say is needed to generate new commercial tax revenue and add housing and that opponents say is being shaped around a single developer's proposal.
The hearing opened after staff updates from Meredith Mooney, the town's economic development director, who told the board the planning team has been coordinating with neighboring Newton and expects transportation capacity testing results by the end of the week. "We've been in communications with Newton's planning staff as well as their transportation staff throughout this process," Mooney said.
Much of the testimony focused on two competing claims: proponents argued the overlay would unlock significant revenue and housing, while neighbors said the scale and process are flawed. Christopher Mutti, executive…
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