B3 Expand Your Land

Expand Your Land September 24, 2015

Kara Brewton, Economic Development Director, Brookline, MASusan Silberberg, CivicMoxie, LLC,

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Expand your Land

What’s it all about?

› Cities and towns grow and change.› What happens when you need to site a new school? Library?

Community center?› How do you define what you need? set criteria? Oversee a

consultants work?› What can you learn by modeling the process?

› We’re about to find out.› Brookline’s school enrollment is expanding and it’s time to think about

another school…› Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to lead the way in the

site identification process

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Expand your Land

Some Disclaimers…

› All the details of this Brookline study are not public yet so we have changed sites, site names, details, and other elements to protect the innocent and guilty!

› Our changes do not affect the underlying methodologies and process for site identification in this study.

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Expand your Land

Our Workshop…

› Phase A: Recognizing the Need, Deciding on a Course of Action› Phase B: Setting the Study Parameters › Phase C: Rolling up your sleeves and setting to work› Phase D: Decisions and Next Steps

› Everyone….put on your town planner hat.

› Let’s get started!

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Expand your Land

Phase A: Recognizing the Need

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Expand your Land

Phase A: Recognizing the Need

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Expand your Land

Phase A: Recognizing the Need

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Expand your Land

Phase A: Deciding on a Course of Action

• Everyone’s looking to you…• What would you do and why? • Who needs to be involved?• What are you worried about?• Do you see any creative opportunities here?

• Please Open Envelope A

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• Study Scope?• Criteria to select a Consultant?• Who will be involved from the Town side of things?

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Phase A: Report Back

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• Study Scope:– Identify & characterize sites for a new K-8 school site– Use Town-generated basic selection criteria– Collect and organize information to provide a sound basis for Town

decision-making– Focus on private property

• Criteria to Select a Consultant:– Knowledge of Town– Combination of urban planning, architecture, real estate development

expertise– Excels at representing large amounts of data in clear and concise manner– Teflon coated

• Town lead– Economic development director as project manager– BSC and BOS, Town manager, various departments

• To keep in mind: any construction or creation of a 9th Elementary School will require redistricting

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Phase A: What Happened

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• Brookline has approx. 60k residents in 6.8 sq mi, almost all of which is land.

• North Brookline is urban in character, highly walkable and transit rich. Population density is nearly 20k residents/sq mi, on par with the densest neighborhoods in nearby Cambridge, Somerville, Chelsea.

• Denser than many southern and western cities in the US• Town is built-out, with very little land or large developable parcels in

North Brookline and only some in South Brookline• Tradition of neighborhood K-8 schools• Goal is walkable for majority of kids at each school, where possible

Expand your Land

Phase B: Setting the Study Parameters

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• Map of Brookline at your tables

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Phase B: Setting the Study Parameters

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• Photos of existing schools and map of existing school locations at your tables

Expand your Land

Phase B: Setting the Study Parameters

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Expand your Land

Phase B: Setting the Study Parameters

• What will be the criteria used in site identification?• What process will be used to narrow the field? Select a site?• Private land brings up the possibility of eminent domain…how will the

public be involved? Private property owners?

• Please Open Envelope B

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Phase B: Report Back

• Site selection criteria?• Process to select finalists? A site?• How will you manage discussing private land?• What does the public process look like?

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Access/Location

• Minimizes walking distances• Good pedestrian/bike access• Good vehicular access• Proximity to public transportation• Central to student density and

growth

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Criteria for Selection Process – Neighborhood School

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Site Characteristics

• Site or combined site size (target of 3-3.5 acres or urban)

• Topography• Environmental issues/wetlands• Can accommodate playing fields or

adjacent to same• Possible reuse of any existing

buildings• Shape of parcel or combined

parcels can accommodate traditional or other school

• Parking – 60% of staff and zoning

Expanding your Land

Criteria for Selection Process – Neighborhood School

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Legal and Regulatory

• Deed restrictions• Open space (Article 97)• Relocation of existing uses • Historic District (local and/or

national)• Historic buildings• Conservation land

Expanding your Land

Criteria for Selection Process – Neighborhood School

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Ownership

• Ownership• Politically sensitive• Potential property swaps• Possible integration of

complimentary uses• Other Town needs

Expanding your Land

Criteria for Selection Process – Neighborhood School

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Expanding your Land

Criteria for Selection Process – Neighborhood School

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• Process to select finalists? A site?– Consultant prioritized some criteria over others– Decision for consultant to provide three finalists but not select – More than three sites were considered as finalists– BOS, BSC will select final site

• How will you manage discussing private land?– Study discussion and progress in executive session only – it’s about the

identification and acquisition of private land (possibly)• What does the public process look like?

• Think continuously about public input…how to include at appropriate point and incorporate feedback into study

• Roll out to public when information on finalist sites is ready• Meet with any owners of finalist sites first to inform them their property is being

discussed but is one of many

• To keep in mind: any construction or creation of a 9th Elementary School will require redistricting

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Phase B: What Happened

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• How do you begin to set a methodology for site selection?• What resources and processes are needed to identify possible sites?

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Phase C: Doing the Work

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• Target areas• Town-owned and private• Single site and site assembly

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Phase C: The Field of Choices…

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Phase C: Doing the Work

• Look at the Map and a “target area” (made up for this workshop)• On a simple “drive by” through aerial maps and Town-owned map,

make your first assessment of sites

• Please Open Envelope C

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• What sites interest you? Why?• Which ones rise to the top after applying the criteria?• What are your worries or what additional information is needed for

you to move forward?

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Phase C: Report Back

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1. Review criteria, adjust and clarify2. Target locations3. Investigate all properties (assessor data, Town-owned)

1. Google maps2. GIS maps3. Drive tours

4. Expand search/examine alternative models/typologies5. Case study research on typologies6. Identify sites, investigate questions, criteria fit, other issues7. Choose finalist sites based on criteria8. Site feasibility, preliminary cost estimates9. Identify strategic next steps, solicit questions

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Phase C: What Happenedss

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Phase C: What Happened

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• Special Considerations– Historic– Open space– Construction conditions– Development complexity– Traffic patterns– Possible phases– Improvement of public realm– Opportunities to incorporate other uses, town needs– Commercial tax base?

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Site Considerations and Information

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• How would you move forward?• What are the next steps?• Opportunities?• Risks?

• Discussion…..

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Phase D: Decisions and Next Steps

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Stand-alone• Further assess feasibility and

cost (design, geo-environment, cost)

• Acquire site through negotiation or taking process

• Design, finance and construct the school

Mixed-use Site • Further assess feasibility and

cost (design, geo-environment, cost)

• Determine whether to engage a development consultant, or elect to utilize a turnkey approach

• Acquire site through negotiation or taking process

Development Consultant Turnkey

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Strategic Next Steps – Decisions to be Made

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• Select developer• Enter into Development

Agreement with the selected developer

• Developer completes design, structures the financing together with the Town, constructs, and delivers the school

Development Consultant

• Select development consultant• Design school• Finance purchase and construction

(Town would finance non-education portions of the project)

• Development Consultant would oversee execution of project

• Town could retain commercial, sell it, or enter into long-term lease

Turnkey

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Strategic Next Steps – Decisions to be Made