About The Newbury of Brookline
129 Fisher Ave, Brookline, Boston, MA
In 1982, the Newbury College acquired the former Cardinal Cushing College and began relocating the school to the current 7.8-acre campus in Brookline, Massachusetts. As the college began physically expanding and acquiring buildings in the surrounding area, the satellite campuses began to consolidate into one centralized college campus. In December 2018, the college announced it would shut down following the completion of the spring 2019 semester after several years of declining enrollment.
Welltower purchased the property in September 2019 and is now proposing to redevelop the eastern portion of the campus into a continuing care facility that would include independent living units, assisted living units, and memory care units for seniors. The East Campus would include approximately 160 luxury market-rate senior rental units, 80 independent living, 40 assisted living and 40 memory care units known as Balfour at Brookline.
The Town is also entering into negotiations with Welltower on the purchase of the western portion of the site. The Town has not yet identified what the property might be used for, but consideration is being given to a 3- or 4-section school, a recreational facility, a storage facility for the Building Department, a training facility for the Police Department, and other uses identified in the Town's Strategic Asset Plan. The Select Board has established the Newbury Zoning Committee to investigate and produce a recommendation on a rezoning proposal for the eastern portion of the site together with associated agreements between the Town and Welltower.
