Brookline celebrating completion of new housing on old reservoir

By Brock Parker, Town Correspondent

After more than a decade of work, Brookline is celebrating the completion of a subdivision called Olmsted Hill that includes 10 single family homes and 24 affordable condominiums.

The subdivision has been built along Fisher Avenue near the crest of Fisher Hill on what had been a 4.8 acre reservoir owned by the town.

The completion of the project comes 11 years after the state invited Brookline to re-use a 10-acre reservoir on the west side of Fisher Avenue. The town decided to sell its 4.8-acre reservoir to New Atlantic Development and to use proceeds from the sale to purchase the state-owned reservoir and construct a park on the 10-acre site.

Brookline’s Town Meeting approved the disposition of the town-owned land for more than $3 million in 2009. The town is also providing more than $2 million in subsidies for affordable housing in the Olmsted Hill subdivision, according to the town.

At a ceremony Saturday, Oct. 20, celebrating the completion of project, new resident Sophia Johansson said the opportunity to live in the mixed-income community has allowed her to stay in Brookline with her family.

According to a recording of a speech Johansson gave at the celebration, the Brookline native said her family had been forced to move from multiple apartments in the town as the buildings were sold, and they could not afford to rent a three-bedroom apartment.

“The opportunity to live here means that we can stay in Brookline,” Johansson said. “This is a huge relief.”