Brookline planning board recommends package of zoning amendments for March warrant

The Brookline Planning Board voted on Jan. 15 to recommend a package of zoning amendments to the select board for the March 2026 warrant, approving motions to send four sections of the draft ordinance forward after public hearings and board discussion.

The board opened and closed a public hearing on Section 610, a proposed Downtown Village District covering just over 100 lots in the town center meant to allow limited light commercial and residential mixed use on lots of 1 acre or more. Chair (Speaker 2) summarized the proposal as intended to "create a new district in Brookline" with limits on parking design, signage and design requirements for new construction to preserve a New England town center character. A submitted email from a resident identified as Linda raised concerns that the change "is not keeping with the character of the center of the town," citing parking, lot sizes, wells/septic and the potential for special exceptions; the board read and attached that email to the record.

The board also held public hearings and voted to recommend inclusion on the March warrant for Section 620 (workforce housing, including moving the multifamily definition to the master definitions and updating affordability standards to identify Brookline's HUD region) and Section 700 (a replacement manufactured housing-development section that sets density, private road/infrastructure, open-space and buffer standards and limits manufactured housing to those developments while allowing continued occupancy of existing manufactured homes).

After extensive discussion the board recommended Section 2000 (accessory dwelling units) as well. The ADU changes reflect recent state RSA changes and remove a local special-exception requirement so ADUs are allowed by right where single-dwelling units are permitted; the board discussed size, bedroom and safety limits and clarified that the municipal draft intends to follow state constraints on minimum/maximum living space.

All four recommendation motions carried by voice vote ("Aye"). The board directed that materials remain available on the town website and that, if further technicalities arise, hearings may be continued on Jan. 29, 2026. The select board will decide whether to put the sections on the March warrant and, where required, hold further hearings prior to town voting.

Votes and motions recorded in the meeting minutes reflect voice approvals; the meeting did not publish a roll-call tally for these recommendations.