Town Meeting Approves Chestnut Hill Rezoning, ICE Limits
Brookline Town Meeting voted 217-26 to create the Chestnut Hill Commercial Overlay Zoning District and 192-34-14 to enact a bylaw limiting ICE enforcement on town property.
Town Meeting · Meeting of May 28, 2026
Brookline Town Meeting voted 217-26 to create the Chestnut Hill Commercial Overlay Zoning District and 192-34-14 to enact a bylaw limiting ICE enforcement on town property. Select Board Vice Chair Michael Rubenstein called the overlay a two-year effort to "incentivize net new commercial tax growth," while an Advisory Committee bid to strip a transit-oriented subdistrict failed 63-175-4. Members also approved $24 million in City Realty benefits, 230-66, with $10.93 million bound for the Affordable Housing Trust.
On immigration, co-petitioner Chi Chi Wu pushed the ICE bylaw over an Advisory Committee referral that failed 80-156-4; Police Chief Pastor warned a related BRIC withdrawal would leave the department "decimated." Members also raised ADU standards 231-12 and widened an affordable-housing cash-payment threshold 195-32-7.
In the full story:
- The complete report — 1,187 words
Source: the Town Meeting meeting of May 28, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.
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