City, Developer Unveil Building Plans, Seek Zoning Changes for Holiday Inn

The developer of the proposed Harvard Square Holiday Inn and the City of Cambridge presented plans last night for the development of the Harvard Square area to the Cambridge Zoning Board of Appeals.

Included in these plans is an agreement by the developer, Peter J. Kanavos, to reduce the height of the proposed motel from 18 to 8 stories. The building--now interrupted in construction--is located on Mt. Auburn St., near the site of the proposed John F. Kennedy Memorial Library.

Also, Robert A. Bowyer, head of the Cambridge Planning Department, outlined City guidelines for development of the entire area around the Kennedy Library, an area in which he claimed "considerable private development" will soon begin.

Bowyer said the City envisions the motel as a "transitional structure," setting off the Square's business district from the residential areas west of the Square.

His plans included provisions for diverting through traffic from the Brattle Square area and for establishing pedestrian walkways from Harvard Square to the Kennedy Library.

In return for an agreement to reduce the height of the Holiday Inn, Kavavos is seeking zoning changes which will allow him to increase the Inn's capacity. The City is a co-petitioner in this action before the Zoning Board of Appeals, marking the first time the City has filled that role.

The Zoning Board of Appeals last night took the matter under advisement and will announce a decision within the next few weeks.

Zoning Permit

Robert Cicchetti, chief architect for Kanavos, said last night that Kanavos already holds a building permit for the property. If the request for zoning changes is denied, Kanavos will proceed with construction of an 18-story inn, which would require no zoning changes, he said.

Guy B. Moss, attorney for the Treadway Motor Inn, also on Mt. Auburn St., opposed granting the zoning changes, terming them "illegal." He said after the hearing "Calling the Holiday Inn property transitional is a sham." He noted that Cambridge is currently negotiating with another developer concerning the commercial development of land on the "residential [west] side" of the Holiday Inn site.