Brookline Could Soon Add Land To Baldwin Ninth School Site

BROOKLINE, MA — The town wants to buy property adjacent to the Baldwin School to help usher the ninth school project along, Select Board Chairman Neil Wishinsky said Friday.

The Select Board reached an agreement to purchase property next to the Baldwin school-owned land at 15 - 19 Oak Street in Brookline, according to Wishinsky.

"This is a big deal," said Wishinsky in a phone interview.

A few weeks ago, a unit in a town house right next to the Baldwin School site came on the market. When the town saw that, they jumped on a potential opportunity and met with the owners of all three town home units, said Wishinsky. And in the end they came away with three willing buyers, he said.

"It's really come together in the past few weeks," he said.

If Town Meeting, approves the $4.7 million acquisition of the property, it will add to the existing land owned at the school, expanding the town-owned land upon which school facilities can be located.

"This will provide the town with important additional flexibility in terms of locating and designing the school and amenities needed for students, faculty and families," he said.

The additional space could open up the site for consideration of different types of school designs, on-site parking, or play space in addition to the Baldwin playground. But, he said, it won't change the capacity of the school, which is set at 450 students.

For years, Brookline has been working to find and select a location to build a ninth K-8 school in town to address enrollment increases in schools. Both the School Committee and the Select Boards voted to move ahead with the project, and they're asking Town Meeting to fund it.

Not everyone has been happy about that. Neighbors have argued that the space is too cramped for the school and worry about whether the playground can be used, and then there's the matter of traffic.

But Wishinsky said if the town agrees to buy the three units next to the school, it could be used to address many of those.

"There are a number of possibilities of what we can do with this new land, and the architects are working on this now," he told Patch in a phone interview. "It could help with circulation, parking and playground and re configuring the building. There are all kinds of ways this can help us."

Tuesday evening, he said there will be a presentation with some possibilities.

After the Tuesday presentation, the Baldwin building committee will have to consider how best to utilize the land. They'll make a recommendation to the town.

Then, at a Special Town Meeting on Dec. 13, elected representatives will consider whether to fund it. Also at the special meeting will be the question of funding of the next phase for Driscoll.

Previously: Brookline Ninth School Search: What's On The List In 2018

• Brookline Passes Budget Money For Baldwin Ninth School Site
• After a firefighter shuts down Baldwin School input meeting, mixed

Photo by Jenna Fisher/Patch Staff