Three Acres of Responsibility

HARVARD, for its $4 million, has purchased both a three-acre parking lot and a great responsibility.

The University purchased the Mt. Auburn St. site from Louis DiGiovanni--a move applauded by much of the community, since DiGiovanni threatened intermittently to use the land for high-rise housing. The purchase gives Harvard, which has a long history of angering local residents, a rare chance to improve its relations with Cambridge and help a troubled city.

First, Harvard officials should pledge firmly that the land will be used for open market, not student, housing. Cambridge is chronically in need of new construction to take a little of the pressure off its tight housing market.

But a commitment to build open housing is not enough. The University should then sit down with city and neighborhood leaders and plan development of the site. Those talks should stress the need for minimum density use of the parcel, so that it can serve as a buffer between existing neighborhoods and the planned commercial development of Parcel 1B. Finally, Harvard should include a mix of moderate and low income units in the housing it eventually builds on the site.