I have no idea what I’m talking about here, other than growing up in Brookline, but I imagine that, given the fact that Brookline has always been a solid place to invest in property, and prices have been generally resistant to overall market downturns, there’s less urgency for owners to sell at any particular time, which is what leads to development. If you’re a shop owner on Harvard, you’re always going to get a good price when you sell regardless of how the market’s doing, so if you’re not ready to sell, you’re not going to sell.
