Brookline's biggest development proposal in decades hits its first formal permitting milestone Thursday, Aug. 20, as the Planning Board holds a hearing on City Realty's three-building mixed-use project at 1280–1330 Boylston Street.
The meeting agenda lists a possible vote to appoint a Design Advisory Team to guide the project through design review. The Charles River Regional Chamber said in its Aug. 18 newsletter that the board is expected to make the appointment. The virtual meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. via Zoom (Meeting ID: 160 362 8113).
What's proposed
City Realty plans three buildings on the mostly vacant office park it purchased for $41 million in 2024: a 12-story hotel and luxury condominium tower with ground-floor retail, a 12-story residential building with medical office and retail space, and a seven-story residential building. Together, the buildings would hold a 200-room hotel, 266 apartments and condos, restaurants and shops.
The agenda describes both taller buildings as 12 stories. Earlier plans cited heights of 14, 12 and seven stories, suggesting the design may have been revised since Town Meeting approved the project's zoning in May.
Why it matters for taxpayers
Town planners estimate the completed project would generate $4.2 million to $6.3 million per year in net new tax revenue, according to Brookline.News reporting on the proposal. Under a Memorandum of Agreement with the town, City Realty also committed to $10.93 million in payments to Brookline's Affordable Housing Trust Fund and $12 million for transportation and public safety infrastructure.
Town Meeting voted 217–20 on May 28 to approve the Chestnut Hill Commercial Overlay District zoning that enables the project. The zoning requires more than half of the project's floor area to be commercial.
What happens next
The Design Advisory Team, if appointed, would include Planning Board members, neighborhood representatives and design professionals who will work with City Realty to refine the buildings' appearance and site plan before the project moves through full permitting. The Transportation Board and Preservation Commission both took up the project in July, with the Transportation Board electing a member to the DAT at its July 15 meeting.
"We don't plan to wait. We're planning to keep going full speed ahead," City Realty director of acquisitions Cliff Kensington said after the May 28 Town Meeting vote. He noted at the time that groundbreaking would not come before spring 2028 at the earliest, given high interest rates and soaring construction costs across the Boston area.
Planning Board Chair Matt Hyatt leads the Aug. 20 hearing. Residents can register for the Zoom session or call in at 646-828-7666. The DAT, once seated, would begin shaping the project's final design before it returns to the board for full permitting review.
