Good morning,

Today’s newsletter brings worrisome news about the cost of health insurance for small businesses, immigration changes and Needham’s long-awaited decision on Great Plain Ave.

But first, good news for Brookline.

Brookline says ‘yes’ to Chestnut Hill growth

Brookline Town Meeting resoundingly approved a major upzoning in Chestnut Hill last night, setting the stage for significant mixed-use redevelopment along Route 9 and many millions in new tax revenue for the town.

After shooing away a motion to remove an area immediately adjacent to the Star Market from the overlay district, members voted 217-20 in favor of the complete package.  

Then, in a stunning 230-6 vote, members authorized an agreement with City Realty to build three buildings of 14, 12 and seven stories, including a 200-room hotel, 266 apartments and condos, plus retail, restaurants and medical offices.

Last night’s debate was remarkably brief for an initiative that’s been through the sausage-maker for two years, including multiple iterations of the City Realty project.

And it could still be two years before City Realty breaks ground.  There are no known proposals for the remaining parcels.

That’s all too long if we ever want to build our way out of a housing crisis and the town hopes to stop asking voters for overrides.

But it does buy time for Brookline, Newton and MassDOT officials to address much-needed traffic mitigation for the corridor — a process that can now be guided by the certainty of knowing how the area may evolve in the coming years.

Plus, at least now Brookline knows where it's headed.

Brookline.news has more.

Two immigration changes employers should be watching

Two recent federal immigration changes could disrupt employers, workers and families  — including folks long considered legally eligible to work here.

First, the Trump administration says many green card applicants may soon have to leave the U.S. and apply from abroad.  

If the administration follows through (and you know they don’t always) or it’s not successfully challenged in court, that would end a decades-old legal practice of allowing immigrants to apply for a green card while living and often working here.

Business leaders warn it would divide families for years and harm a broad array of industries, affecting everyone from top scientists, tech leaders and founders of billion-dollar companies to workers in health care, hospitality and other fields.

Second, NPR reported this week that immigration courts in Boston, Chelmsford and Chicago have begun using a new tactic to accelerate deportations.

The courts are now scheduling immigrants to make their case in groups of 100 or more, up from two to three dozen previously. Attorneys say the larger hearings appear aimed largely at people without lawyers. Those who arrive late or fail to appear are reportedly receiving removal orders.

In some cases, NPR adds, the government provides little or no notice by mail or electronically, meaning anyone not regularly checking could miss a hearing change and face deportation.

The practice is expected to be extended to other cities soon.

ALSO: Yesterday, Governor Maura Healey issued new statewide guidance for schools, child care providers, higher ed campuses, health care facilities and places of worship regarding interactions with ICE agents.

Health insurance costs for small businesses show no signs of slowing

On the heels of double-digit health insurance increases this year, small businesses could be staring at another big hike next year.

Insurers collectively want to raise 2027 premiums by nearly 13% for many employers and individuals, reports Chris Lisinski at CommonWealth Beacon.

Fallon Community Health Plan is seeking the largest increase, at 25%.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, which has the most members among small-business-dependent merged-market insurers, wants to raise premiums by 15.3%. Boston Medical Center Health Plan and Tufts Health Public Plans, the second- and third-largest insurers in the group, are seeking increases of about 12%.

In contrast, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care is seeking a more modest 6.7% increase, Lisinski adds.

These rates aren’t final. They’re part of a months-long process that will likely involve negotiations between health plans and state regulators.

Jon Hurst said he doesn’t think insurers are fully responsible for the strain. Instead, he directed most of his frustration at lawmakers and the governor for failing to “mitigate these costs and create some level of fairness and affordability, particularly for small businesses.”

Friday grab bag

• The correct response on “Jeopardy!” the other day  was: “What is the Charles River?” This was the clue.
  
  
• Our Women’s Conference is two weeks from today.  Visit the conference website for speaker bios, session lineup and registration.
  
  
• Building a Better Wellesley is hosting a virtual mid-year housing chat, Sunday (May 31), 3 p.m., covering the MassBay Project, MBTA Communities zoning, state housing bill and how Wellesley can realistically build housing. Register.
  
  
• Wish we had this here and wish we had this here before last week’s Springsteen concert: Vermont has passed a first-in-the-nation law that caps resale ticket prices for concerts, entertainment and sporting events at 110% of their original value. (Boston Globe)
  
  
• Watertown-based Ingenia Therapeutics received approval last week from the South Korean stock market to move forward with an IPO, marking Watertown’s first biotech public offering since Neumora in 2023. The company, located in the Lynx building, is developing a late-stage treatment for age-related macular degeneration. (Watertown BIO)
  
  
• We're building a directory of local restaurants, bars, and hotels that are showing the FIFA World Cup 2026 games within our chamber footprint.  Complete this form and we'll add your venue to our guide.
  
  
• If misery loves company, there will be plenty to share next month at the Coolidge Corner Theater. (WBUR)
  
  
• The Brookline Village Post Office is closed indefinitely after a fire in the building. (Brookline.news)
  
  
• Applications are being accepted for an affordable homeownership opportunity at 12 Hollis Street in Wellesley.
  
  
• Needham’s Jim Segel has been tapped to plan the June 8 memorial service for Barney Frank at Faneuil Hall. Segal was Frank’s lifetime friend, one-time campaign manager and counsel to the committee that wrote Dodd-Frank. (Needham Observer)
  
  
• The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center has started a new funding program to expand biomanufacturing in the state.
  
  
• There’s no fireworks this year in Framingham, due to budget cuts and staff layoffs. (Boston Globe)
  
  
• The Needham Select Board had a unique conversation this week surrounding an appointment to the Zoning Board of Appeals.
  
  
• Do you know an outstanding Brookline business or non-profit?  Nominate them for a Brookline Business Award before Tuesday’s (June 2) deadline and join us for our Brookline Night party on June 24.

Road diet is off the menu in Needham

After more than a year of debate, presentations and public hearings, the Needham Select Board voted this week to keep Great Plain Ave at four lanes — the configuration virtually every downtown business and many residents wanted.

Still, significant changes are coming.

The updated design (page 147) includes narrower travel lanes, expanded sidewalks, new pedestrian bump-outs at crosswalks and the elimination of the awkward Pickering Street slip lane.

The project also adds new trees, benches, tables, bike racks, decorative pavers and upgraded street lighting.

The roughly $13 million plan also includes major underground infrastructure work to address persistent flooding in the area.

The town anticipates it will take about 18 months to design the project and identify funding.  And while the four lanes stay, that won’t eliminate the jackhammers and years of disruption, which would pose challenges for businesses under any of the scenarios presented.

Needham Observer has more.

That’s what you need to know for today, unless you need to know how to cook like the real Chef Boyardee.

I can’t believe I’m writing this, but see you in June!

Greg Reibman (he, him)

President & CEO

Charles River Regional Chamber

617.244.1688

Looking for an earlier edition? Archive here

Max Woolf contributed to today’s newsletter.