Brookline Town Meeting OK's $14.8M Purchase Of Newbury Property

BROOKLINE, MA — Tuesday night, the legislative body of the town authorized the select board to acquire the property on the west side of the old Newbury College land, appropriating some $14.8 million, contingent on an override put to the voters at large.

Town Meeting started with a moment of silence.

"We have three crises in this country in this society," said Brookline Town Meeting Moderator Sandy Gadsby from his podium in an empty Brookline High School auditorium as Town Meeting members watched from home. "We have a pandemic; We have a recession and we have systemic racism. I would like to have a moment of silence for the victims of the pandemic and particularly the recent victims of our racism problem."

Gadsby added that he'd like Town Meeting to mark a further moment for appreciation for the unsung heroes amid the pandemic.

And with that, and a mini tutorial of how the meeting would work online, Spring Town Meeting began virtually. According to an early poll, 90 percent of the 240 Town Meeting Members were present the moderator said. The first vote clocked 231 Town Meeting Members. The final vote clocked 234.

The Spring Warrant originally included more than 40 warrant articles before more than a dozen were deferred to the November Town Meeting. Still, the meeting appears set to last four days.

Tuesday night the discussion largely centered on what to do about the former Newbury College property. The articles include proposing a special zoning district in Fisher Hill, that would allow Welltower, the developer, to create a senior living community on a portion of the old Newbury College campus.

The legislative body won't discuss the town's FY21 budget and adding another $32 million to the high school expansion and renovation project until Thursday.

The tentative schedule:

• Tuesday, the legislative body is set to review three routine "housekeeping" articles.
• Wednesday and Monday, Town Meeting will address Articles 16, 18, 19, and 25.
• On Thursday Town Meeting is set to review to the budget.
• Articles 1, 2, 7, 17, 20-24, and 26-42 will be held until the November Town Meeting.

See all the Town Meeting files here and here: Brookline Town Meeting.

How Town Meeting voted Tuesday Night:

Article 3: to maintain deposits in banks without fees

Article 4: to close out accounts. There are no accounts.

Article 5: to pay a $51,000 bill owed to Simmons' College

Article 6: for property tax exemptions

• Voted together: Passes 226 in favor, 1 opposed, 4 abstentions
  

Articles 9-12: Newbury College related

• Voted together: Passes 226 in favor, 7 opposed 1 abstentions
  

Article 13:

• Voted: Fails 23 in favor, 208 opposed 4 abstentions

Article 15: Authorizing the acquisition of the west campus of Newbury College

• Voted: Passes 201 in favor, 28 opposed 7 abstentions

Article 14: Amends zoning

• Voted: passes. 216 in favor, 10 opposed, 8 abstentions

Brookline Interactive is streaming the meeting:

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna). Have a press release you'd like posted on the Patch? Here's how to post a press release, a column, event or opinion piece.