Housing for All
For-Profit and Nonprofit
Developer Perspectives
Zeina Talje and Amy Schectman
moderated by Cathleen Cavell
Wednesday, September 18, 2024
7:00 - 8:30
Select Board Hearing Room, 6th Floor,
Brookline Town Hall, 333 Washington Street, Brookline MA
Livestream by BIG
Real Estate developers play a key role in determining how our land is used and what gets built in Brookline. Whether driven by profit motives, a mission, or some combination of the two, developers understand the economic factors that make development possible and the roadblocks that increase costs and limit housing production. Their success depends on aligning their own goals with the values of the communities that they serve.
In this forum, two accomplished developers describe the hurdles they face as they plan and build multifamily homes, from project conception, permitting, and financing, to welcoming new neighbors.
Zeina Talje has over 20 years experience in real estate design, development, finance and asset management, and has worked for Fortune 500, local and national firms. She founded Zeta InSite, a real estate development and investment firm focused on mixed use projects with superior energy performance, and is a Board Member of the tech startup coUrbanize. Zeina also serves on Brookline's Economic Development Advisory Board. She holds an M.S. Architecture from McGill University & and a MBA from Columbia University, has real estate salesperson and General Contractor licenses in Massachusetts, and is certified as a Passive House consultant. Zeina lives in Brookline with her husband and two sons.
Amy Schectman is President and Chief Executive Officer of 2Life Communities, a leading mission based nonprofit developer and manager creating broadly affordable communities in and near Boston, such as Brookline’s Brown Family House at 370 Harvard Street. 2Life empowers senior adults to live with purpose and joy. She has held senior roles with the Commonwealth, including Director of Public Housing and Rental Assistance, and Director of Capital Planning. Amy also served as planning director at the Boston Housing Authority as well as Brookline’s first Economic Development Director. She holds a B.A. in political science from John Hopkins University and a master’s degree in city planning from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Amy and her husband raised three sons in North Brookline, where they still reside.
Cathleen Cavell, a longtime Town Meeting Member and former Associate Town Counsel in Brookline, is a co-founder of Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts who is passionate about progressive politics, organizing for change and skills training for activists. She has spent decades as a community organizer and public interest lawyer. She was a member of Gov. Deval Patrick’s Judicial Nominating Commission from 2008 to 2014. She has written about and taught ethics for lawyers at Boston College Law School and the Massachusetts School of Law.
Co-sponsored By
Brookline Planning Board
Brookline Housing Authority
Brookline Housing Advisory Board
