Monday, January 10, 2011
In email to neighbors, two selectmen cite "concerns" about recent analysis.
Two Brookline selectmen have joined a growing number of town officials and neighbors in questioning a recent fiscal impact study commissioned by the developer behind a proposed housing project at Hancock Village. In an email sent to neighbors this morning, selectmen Nancy Daly and Ken Goldstein wrote that they “agree that more rigorous scrutiny needs to be applied to the economic analysis” and said they share neighbors’ “concern that public costs will equal or outweigh any tax revenue from the expansion.” The email comes more than two months after the developer behind the project, Chestnut Hill Realty, released a new proposal that it says would reduce the development’s economic impact on the town by restricting many of the new units to …
42.298955
-71.156342
140 Independence Dr, Chestnut Hill, MA
/articles/selectmen-hancock-village-studies-deserve-rigorous-scrutiny
/locations/5771354
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Neighbors question claim that 466 new homes would bring in new tax revenue for Brookline without overburdening schools.
Neighbors are raising new questions about how a major residential development in South Brookline could impact the town—particularly on the already-crowded Baker School. At a packed community meeting last night, neighbors sought to cast doubts on two studies showing that new development at Hancock Village, an 80-acre suburban rental community on Independence Drive, could bring in new tax revenue for the town while having little impact on the overburdened school system. The developer, Chestnut Hill Realty, is seeking to increase the size of the property by 466 units. The latest plan for the site, released last October, calls for 172 one-bedroom homes and 48 two-bedroom homes scattered around the Brookline side of the property, as well as 260…
42.298955
-71.156342
140 Independence Dr, Chestnut Hill, MA
/articles/doubt-cast-on-hancock-village-studies
/locations/5771394
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Developer says new project would bring in more tax revenue for town once built.
Representatives for Chestnut Hill Realty say they've found a way to build more housing on the grounds of Hancock Village without pushing the town's budget into the red. The latest plan from the Brookline developer calls for a total of 466 new rental units, including 260 age-restricted senior housing units and 172 in single-bedroom apartments. Representatives for the developer say the new plan would draw far fewer children than earlier versions and therefore cost the town less in school and town services. "This is the development that Chestnut Hill Realty would like to build," said Margaret Murphy, a consultant for the developer. "This is the preferred plan." According to a fiscal impact report prepared for the developer, the new housing …
Sunday, October 10, 2010
New proposal expected 'within a month.'
A representative for the owner of the Hancock Village housing development says the company is less than a month away from offering a new proposal that would have no negative impact on town finances. Chestnut Hill Realty, a Brookline-based real estate firm that owns the 80-acre site on the West Roxbury border, has floated a variety of development options for the property over the last two years, but dropped its latest plans earlier this year when two separate studies found the development would come at a high cost for the town. But Margaret Murphy, a real estate consultant working with the firm, said a new plan is in the works that won't cost the town anything at all. "Chestnut Hill Realty is not going to propose anything that will have a …
42.297075
-71.157637
298 Independence Dr, Chestnut Hill, MA
/articles/hancock-village-developer-promises-project-wont-hurt-town-budget
/locations/5771359
Monday, August 23, 2010
State representative candidate Ed Coppinger argues that a South Brookline developer should not try to circumvent neighborhood review.
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Monday, August 23, 2010
The following opinion piece was submitted by Ed Coppinger, a Democratic candidate for state representative in the 10th Suffolk District, which includes precincts 14, 15 and 16 in Brookline. As I walked through the neighborhoods of the 10th Suffolk District and spoke to residents, I realized what makes a community. It's not just about houses, businesses and parks. Rather, community is about relationships, respect and the ways we interact with each other. Regretfully, the controversies and uncertainties surrounding past proposals for the expansion of Hancock Village illustrate what happens when people stop interacting with each other, when communication shuts down and voices go unheard. Clearly, those working to break ground at Hancock …
42.297075
-71.157637
298 Independence Dr, Chestnut Hill, MA
/articles/hancock-village-expansion-project-needs-to-include-community-input
/locations/5771355
Daphne Wisnitzky
7:12 am on Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Well, at least Joe Geller is now getting paid by Chestnut Hill Realty above board. The Selectmen's stipend isn't the only compensation they get, you know. more ›