Sumner Rd. Tenants Withdraw Charges

Tenants in University-owned apartments at 7 Sumner Rd. who charged in December that Harvard was illegally renovating the building last week withdrew those charges.

In a letter mailed to the city Rent Control Board, members of the Tenants Committee said they had mistakenly charged Harvard with violating a Cambridge ordinance requiring developers to obtain permits before renovating.

Never mind

"Although the University refused to make its intentions clear, present evidence indicates that Harvard University is not proceeding with conversion of these units into offices, and the Tenants Committee has therefore withdrawn its complaint," the letter states.

The tenants had charged that the University, which is trying to evict them to make room for Graduate School of Design office space, renovated two occupied units after the renovation ordinance went into effect last August. Under the ordinance, designed to protect the city's rental housing supply, developers must obtain permits before renovating buildings.

Harvard was not renovating the units Lewis A. Armistead, acting assistant vice president for government and community relations, said yesterday.

Nothing Cookin'

Armistead added that Harvard officials have not yet decided whether to ask for renovation permits for the apartments. "There's nothing cooking right now. We just haven't gotten to the point of making a decision," Armistead said.

The University began eviction proceedings against the tenants more than a year ago. Currently Harvard is appealing a city rent board decision prohibiting them from evicting the tenants.

Only five of the original 16 tenants remain in the building, Donald Cohen, a tenant, said.

"There is no question that we will continue to watch for any violations by Harvard," Cohen added.