Select Board Approves Pleasant Street Zoning Overlay

Select Board · Meeting of October 27, 2026

BROOKLINE — The Brookline Select Board voted 5-0 to advance zoning for a 94- to 96-unit apartment building at 26 Pleasant Street, rejecting a petition to refer the rezoning to a study committee first. Vice Chair Michael Rubenstein said an 18-month delay could cost the town $360,000 to $500,000 in deferred tax revenue, while Precinct 17 petitioner Linda Pelkey argued the process "leapfrogged" normal planning review. The board also voted 2-1, with two abstentions, to recommend no action on a resolution urging reimbursement of $24,000 in legal fees to five Town Meeting members investigated over trash-privatization advocacy; petitioner Catherine Anderson said "mistakes were made" during the town's $31,000 investigation.

Separately, the board voted 5-0 to uphold the Transportation Board's redesign of Chestnut Hill Avenue, including a protected two-way bike lane and 51 parking spaces, rejecting a 37-signature appeal. It also approved $295,000 in interim Affordable Housing Trust funding for the Brookline Community Development Corporation's rental assistance program.

In the full story:

• Announcements and Public Comment
• Consent Agenda and Licensing Items
• Brookline Interactive Group Cable Access Agreement
• Warrant Article 15: Pleasant Street Multifamily Overlay District
• Warrant Article 16: 26 Pleasant Street Memorandum of Agreement
• Warrant Article 5: Legal Fee Reimbursement for the "Casella 5"
• Warrant Articles 4 and 10: No-Action Items
• Warrant Article 14: Inclusionary Zoning Cash-Option Correction
• Warrant Article 2: Collective Bargaining
• Warrant Article 6: Legislative Immunity Bylaw
• Warrant Article 8: Election Day Meeting Ban
• Warrant Article 9: Transportation Board Home Rule Petition
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 3,640 words

Source: the Select Board meeting of October 27, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.