City Gives Fogg Green Light

More than six months since the Fogg Art Museum first applied for a permit to build an addition, the Cambridge City Zoning Board has finally given its approval to Harvard.

Last night the Cambridge City Zoning Board dismissed the appeal of the Mid-Cambridge Neighborhood Association, which had tried to block the addition on the grounds that it would share parking spaces already assigned to workers in other buildings.

The board rejected the appeal on strictly legal grounds, including in its ruling a non-binding suggestion for both sides to "make a very earnest perusal" of the larger issue--Cambridge's burgeoning parking problem.

The board ruled that Harvard could assign two parking spots, required by law for the 3,900 foot addition, to an already existing Broadway Street garage, as the University had planned.

The garage had been constructed to contain parking spots for buildings built after a 1961 zoning regulation. Neighbors argued the garage was actually being used to park the cars of workers in older buildings and was overflowing.

The neighbors further argued "the violation [of the zoning ordinances] is that visitors do not have access to the Broadway garage." Harvard reserves spots in the garage only for employees.

But the Board ruled that zoning ordinances do not differentiate between employee and visitor parking. They agreed with City Solicitor Russell B. Higley, who wrote in a legal opinion, "Harvard's approach to its parking management comports with the requirements of the ordinance provisions."

Zoning Board Chair John Miller said the result of the 15 minute, closed-to-public-debate meeting does not mean that there is not a very serious parking problem in Cambridge. The parking ordinances themselves, he said, are not unchangeable.

"I've heard good faith offers from Harvard to meet with the neighbors and from the Planning Board to look carefully at the ordinance," Miller said.

Harvard submitted a one paragraph resolution saying it would cooperate with neighbors to solve parking problems during the Memorial Hall renovation project of this spring.

John R. Pitkin, president of the Mid-Cambridge Neighborhood Association, said after the meeting. "We've made a lot of progress... No, let me amend that, we've started to make some progress."

"I'm hopeful that the wheels really are turning within the ponderous institution that is Harvard," Pitkin said.

Head Conservator of Technical Studies Marjorie B. Cohn, whose department will be moved into the new center, said "I'm very relieved. It's been a long time coming."

"I can sympathize with the neighbors, but since the construction really doesn't affect them that much, I'm glad the issue was resolved now," Cohn said.

Cohn also said asbestos removal for the Center will begin immediately, and that a contractor has been selected for the construction.

Harvard has specifically allocated 281 of the Broadway St. garage's 446 parking spots, most of them to the Science Center and Gund Hall. It keeps the remainder unallocated for future building projects such as the Fogg and presently uses them for other buildings

"I'm hopeful that the wheels really are turning within the ponderous institution that is Harvard," Pitkin said.

Head Conservator of Technical Studies Marjorie B. Cohn, whose department will be moved into the new center, said "I'm very relieved. It's been a long time coming."

"I can sympathize with the neighbors, but since the construction really doesn't affect them that much, I'm glad the issue was resolved now," Cohn said.

Cohn also said asbestos removal for the Center will begin immediately, and that a contractor has been selected for the construction.

Harvard has specifically allocated 281 of the Broadway St. garage's 446 parking spots, most of them to the Science Center and Gund Hall. It keeps the remainder unallocated for future building projects such as the Fogg and presently uses them for other buildings