Voters to Face Arboretum Referendum

A group of Boston residents has filed a referendum that calls for the sale of portions of the Arnold Aboretum, a 265-acre park located in Jamaica Plain and affiliated with Harvard University.

The referendum will appear on the ballot in the Eleventh Suffolk District, which includes parts of Boston and Brookline, in next Tuesday's general election.

Under the referendum, portions of the Arboretum would become available for private development and the revenue would be used for increasing security in remaining areas of the park, which serves as a botanical research facility for Harvard.

Concern over park security surfaced last spring when a series of rapes and violent attacks occurred on or near the Arboretum property.

One woman was jumped and stabbed in broad daylight on park grounds, and two others were attacked nearby.

Richard Doherty, a spokesman for Harvard's Department of Government of Community Affairs, said that the referendum, if passed would cause "real practical problems."

Doherty noted that although the park is owned by the City of Boston, Harvard has a 999-year lease that allows the University to conduct research there. Because of this lease, Doherty said, potential developers would be forced to negotiate with Harvard.

"I'm sure the referendum was fueled by good intentions, but in practice its objections are not really feasible," Doherty said.

The referendum was initiated in July by a group of Jamaica Plain residents who presented a petition with 200 signatures to the Attorney General.

Kathleen A. Nixon, a spokesman for the Arboretum, predicted yesterday that voters will reject the referendum. She added that even if it receives approval, the chances of a developer buying the land are minimal.

"Trying to sell the Arboretum is like trying to sell the Boston Commons," she said.

Doherty and Nixon agreed that the referendum is not a major concern of Harvard administrators.

Nixon said that "the best way to make the park more secure" is through a "park manager" program, which the Arboretum began last spring after a series of assualts.

Nixon said fundraising for the program is continuing.