Residents Lash Out Against Harvard Development

Cambridge residents blasted Harvard for its still vague plans to expand into Allston and its decision to build a new art museum on the riverside site of Mahoney's Garden Center at a meeting of City of Cambridge Planning Board.

Harvard officials came before the board to present the school's annual Town Gown report.

Kathy Spiegelman, director of planning and real estate for Harvard, said most of Harvard's expansion in the future will take place across the river in Allston.

Neither she nor Paul Grogan, vice president for community and government affairs for Harvard, would elaborate on what Harvard will do with Allston land.

Spiegelman said that the relocation of one of the graduate schools and the construction of more graduate student dormitories were possibilities.

Grogan said that he understood the "widespread fear at Harvard's and MIT's presence" and the community's anxiety that Harvard would "relentlessly expand."

Grogan said the move to Allston signaled a recognition by the University that Cambridge is over-congested.

Cambridge community members, however, last night said they were not thrilled about the extension.

Saundra M. Graham, a Western Avenue resident and longtime political activist, expressed concern about the possible traffic.

"We're not even a mile from Allston-Brighton," she said. "We're only over the bridge."

The residents who attended the meeting were most outraged about Harvard's plan to build a modern art museum on Western Avenue.

"From Boylston Avenue to Western Avenue there's only one open space," Graham said. "We would like to be able to see the sun sometimes [in our community]."

Residents suggested Harvard donate the land to the city as public park space.

Spiegelman bluntly said that was unlikely to occur. She stressed Harvard's desire to build the museum on the Cambridge side of the Charles.

"I think the biggest obstacle [to donating the site]is ... Harvard has another use it would like to put the site to," Spiegelman said. "I'm not going to minimize there's a big gulf" between Harvard's needs and the community's wishes.

Cob Carlson, another Cambridge resident, claimed there were many other possible sites for the museum and accused Harvard of being selfish.

"Enough with the flowery political rhetoric. They're not solving problems in the neighborhood. They're creating them," he said.

The Harvard representatives emphasized its long history with Cambridge and its commitment to the city.

"It is our great good fortune we're in this vibrant community," Grogan said, "That compels us to be sensitive."

Grogan also briefed the community on recent progress on the Knafel Center, a new center for international affairs, and the development of computer and data centers on Hammond Street.