It is a vibrant and varied community, one that broadcasts an ethos of inclusivity: Outside Town Hall, a rainbow-striped crosswalk leads to a “Black Lives Matter” sign so enormous, it might be the name of the building.
But the town’s history on zoning has long broadcast a very different message — one of exclusion. Brookline has become a preserve for the privileged, with homes priced out of reach for many who want to live here, including children raised in town and hoping to make their adult home here and many of its municipal employees. Housing built to be affordable is also in short supply; the local inventory falls slightly below the 10 percent threshold set by the state anti-snob zoning law.
Source: Brookline homes: One wealthy liberal town reckons with its past
