Brookline's Community Preservation Act (CPA) Committee received nearly $9 million in funding requests for fiscal year 2028. The 22 submissions span community housing, historic preservation and open space.

Community Preservation Planner Laura Smead reported the totals at the committee's Aug. 10 meeting, according to draft minutes included in the Monday, Sept. 14 CPAC agenda packet. The committee described FY28 as expected to be highly competitive given limited available funds. Six of the 22 submissions were flagged as needing additional information or eligibility guidance.

The program has a track record of stretching dollars. Between FY25 and FY27, Brookline funded 37 CPA projects totaling over $16.5 million, leveraging an additional $15.9 million in outside funding for a combined $32.5 million, according to a town newsletter.

The FY28 requests touch several well-known landmarks. The Coolidge Corner Theater submitted a renovation proposal, though the committee questioned whether the work qualifies as eligible historic preservation. Smead was directed to seek additional guidance and clarify the scope with the applicant.

The committee also discussed the 16 Williams Street rehabilitation project, debating whether it fits better under historic preservation, affordable housing or some combination. A submission involving the Olmsted Park building, a former Free Hospital for Women now converted to private condominiums, raised broader questions about using CPA funds for privately owned residential historic properties.

Other proposals under review include a South Brookline Trail Connectivity Master Plan, a Walnut Hills Cemetery Master Plan, a connector between the public health plaza and Pierce School, and the Devotion House Window Preservation project, which has been placed on hold while requesting Phase 2 funding.

Two emergency rental assistance proposals are in the mix. The Brookline Community Development Corporation is requesting $465,000 to continue its program after exhausting FY25 CPA funding. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is seeking $50,000 to expand its program, which primarily serves Section 8 households.

Chemical Firehouse gets window fix

At the Aug. 10 meeting, the committee unanimously approved a scope expansion for the Brookline Arts Center's Chemical Firehouse restoration project. Clara Batchelor moved the vote and David Lescohier seconded it. The change allocates roughly $9,000 from unspent FY26 CPA funds to remove window air-conditioning units from two windows, strip plexiglass modifications and preserve and replace the original windows. About $100,000 in unspent funds remained from the project's completed mini-split heating and cooling work.

Open space policy and Housing Advisory Board dispute

The Sept. 14 agenda also included a draft Open Space & Recreation Project Policy. The working document states that CPA open space and outdoor recreation funds should go toward land that is permanently protected. Projects on privately owned or nonprofit-owned land without permanent protection would generally be ineligible. Town- or state-owned land without permanent restrictions would remain eligible, but projects on already-protected land would receive a competitive advantage.

The draft policy also clarifies that cemeteries do not qualify as open space under the CPA statute, though they remain eligible under historic preservation.

A separate agenda item, the CPAC-Housing Advisory Board (HAB) Joint Statement of Intent, remained unresolved as of the Aug. 10 meeting. The two bodies were about 95 percent in agreement, with the sticking point being whether HAB should receive a guaranteed annual allocation. HAB proposed receiving $1 million or one-third of anticipated CPA revenue, whichever is less, in years when it holds under $10 million in unallocated funds. The CPAC's position has been that HAB should compete for funding alongside other projects.

The committee noted that if the two sides cannot reach agreement, the joint statement may not be finalized.

Full FY28 applications are due Oct. 18. The committee's next meeting is Oct. 19 at 5:30 p.m. via Zoom. Residents can email questions or comments to [email protected].