City Asks Delay in Sale of MTA Land

Members of the Cambridge City Council indicated in informal inter-news yesterday that the City would not oppose the University's efforts to require the Bennett St. MTA yards, which were put up for public sale last sonday.

The University would like to use the yards, which are located across Boylson St. from Kirkland and Elliot Houses, for the construction of a tenth House. "Nobody is trying to block Harvard," councillor Daniel J. Hayes explained. He said that he was opposed to the construction of dormitories on Memorial arrive along the Charles River, since the site could be more profitably used for high-rise apartments; but he approved the construction of dormitories going Boylston St.

A motion by Hayes requesting the trustees of the Metropolitan Transit authority to "retrain from selling or exposing of" the Bennett St. property ending a meeting with City representatives was passed 6-1. Councillor Joseph A. DeGuglielmo '29 cast the lone negative vote.

After the Council meeting DeGuglielmo said that the City had no legal right to take the property from the MTA, and that in his opinion a private purchaser should be able to do what he wants with the land. DeGuglielmo said that if the University were to devote two thirds of the 12-acre site for tax-producing purposes--as was suggested by L. Gard Wiggins, administrative vice-President, last week--"I think they'd be treating us damn fine."

"A Very Good Proposal"

Several other Councillors said that a 2/3-1/3 split would be acceptable. Mrs. Cornelia B. Wheeler called the University's suggestion "a very, very good proposal."

Councillor Bernard Goldberg pointed out that if the University were to set aside two thirds of the land for tax-purposes the acquisition of the yards by Harvard "would be beneficial to Cambridge;" he said the proposal was evidence of Harvard's willingness to cooperate with the city.

However Councillor Walter J. Sullivan said he was opposed to letting the University obtain the land, and indicated that Harvard would have to agree to pay taxes on an even larger share of the property before he would agree to the acquisition.

The motion which the Council passed was much milder than the demands heard previously in the Council that the City seize the MTA yards by eminent domain to keep Harvard from getting them. Speaking in favor of his motion, Hayes cited legal opinion that such a seizure would be illegal.

But Hayes said it was very important for the City to have a say in what the land was used for. He said that taxed from fire property could amount to as much as $1 million, and called his motion "one of the most important actions of the Council to protect the people of Cambridge in their interests and property."

He suggested that Cambridge might be able to have the yards condemned as a blighted area under the Urban Redevelopment Act, and would then be in a position to specify exactly what kind of development private builders should undertake.