Kirkland Residents Oppose High-Rises

Residents of historic Kirkland Place submitted last night to the Cambridge City Council a petition which proposes altering zoning laws in an attempt to prevent high-rise buildings on the street.

Residents acted to prevent plans like one last-year for an eight-story retirement home on the street. Plans for that building have been canceled, but the controversy that ensued last November over the high-rise proposal prompted residents to take preventative measures.

Area residents--who said they feared the proposed complex would create traffic problems and ruin the aesthetic appeal of the neighborhood--asked the council at that time to "downzone" the area to Ordinance A-2, which would restrict new construction to single-family residences. That proposal was never approved by the council.

The revised petition submitted last night calls for creating an "overlay" zone for the area, which would allow for institutional buildings but only if they are compatible with existing. homes.

The area was originally zoned as A-2 but waschanged in 1960 to allow for the construction ofHarvard's 15-story William James Hall, built in1963. Kirkland Place is currently zoned as C-3,which allows for institutional and multi-familyuse buildings.

The new plan was developed in cooperation withthe University, which owns some of the land thatwould be affected by the rezoning.

Kathy A. Spiegelman, Harvard's director ofplanning, helped present the proposal to councilmembers by submitting a hypothetical plan forfuture development.

Spiegelman added that "Harvard currently has nodevelopment plans" for the land.

During the meeting, Councillor Francis H.Duehay '55 questioned whether the proposal wouldeffectively preserve the residential aspect ofKirkland Place.

Residents responded that their only intent wasto maintain the beauty of the street, a cul-de-sacadjoining Kirkland St. which consists of sevenhomes, six of which were built between 1839 and1857.

The only person who spoke in objection to theresidents proposal was Robert D. Chellis, arepresentative of the developer who had planned tobuild the high rise.

"We had plans to reroute traffic to preventproblems and would have opened up the common areasto other residents," he said.

Chellis said his client did not want to disturbthe neighborhood, and that residents had earlierexpressed an interest in having a retirement homeon Kirkland Place.

Chellis added that some of the residents hadeven said they would eventually like to live inthe facility.

Helga B. Doty, a Kirkland Place resident, saidthe property in question was not sold to Chellis'sclient. The future owner of the property will notdevelop the land, Doty said.

Councillors in attendance last night voted tosend the residents' petition to City Council witha favorable review.

The final vote will likely not occur untilearly April

The area was originally zoned as A-2 but waschanged in 1960 to allow for the construction ofHarvard's 15-story William James Hall, built in1963. Kirkland Place is currently zoned as C-3,which allows for institutional and multi-familyuse buildings.

The new plan was developed in cooperation withthe University, which owns some of the land thatwould be affected by the rezoning.

Kathy A. Spiegelman, Harvard's director ofplanning, helped present the proposal to councilmembers by submitting a hypothetical plan forfuture development.

Spiegelman added that "Harvard currently has nodevelopment plans" for the land.

During the meeting, Councillor Francis H.Duehay '55 questioned whether the proposal wouldeffectively preserve the residential aspect ofKirkland Place.

Residents responded that their only intent wasto maintain the beauty of the street, a cul-de-sacadjoining Kirkland St. which consists of sevenhomes, six of which were built between 1839 and1857.

The only person who spoke in objection to theresidents proposal was Robert D. Chellis, arepresentative of the developer who had planned tobuild the high rise.

"We had plans to reroute traffic to preventproblems and would have opened up the common areasto other residents," he said.

Chellis said his client did not want to disturbthe neighborhood, and that residents had earlierexpressed an interest in having a retirement homeon Kirkland Place.

Chellis added that some of the residents hadeven said they would eventually like to live inthe facility.

Helga B. Doty, a Kirkland Place resident, saidthe property in question was not sold to Chellis'sclient. The future owner of the property will notdevelop the land, Doty said.

Councillors in attendance last night voted tosend the residents' petition to City Council witha favorable review.

The final vote will likely not occur untilearly April