University Reports on Ties to Cambridge

University officials presented their annual report on “town-gown” relations to the city planning board last night in a meeting that was subdued compared to the fireworks that greeted surprise announcements Harvard made in last year’s report on its ties to Cambridge.

On that night, residents reacted angrily to the news that Harvard had purchased a housing project on the old Polaroid site in the Cambridgeport neighborhood.

But last night’s meeting was free of unexpected developments, as Kathy A. Spiegelman, the University’s chief planner, outlined development priorities including state-of-the-art science facilities, increased housing for graduate students and faculty and more space for cultural organizations.

During the time allotted for public testimony, Cambridge residents—who were directed by planning board members to keep their comments short and avoid hostility—stuck to familiar themes. They criticized Harvard for not providing residents with a master plan for its development and said the University does not provide adequate compensation to the city for its property tax exemptions as an educational institution.

City Councillor Henrietta Davis asked the University to provide a better sense of its plans for the future.

“We have data here,” she said of the report, but criticized it for focusing on “what was, rather than what would be.”

Harvard’s future development plans hinge on using its nåearly 300 acres across the river in Allston. Either the Law School or the North Yard’s science facilities are expected to leave Cambridge, and the University will announce its decision this spring.

Members of the planning board urged Spiegelman to keep them informed of development projects in Allston, even though it is outside of the city’s jurisdiction.

Community activist John Pitkin of the Mid-Cambridge Neighborhood Association stressed the impact that expansion in Allston will have on the Charles River area, which he referred to as “Cambridge’s Central Park.”

Davis called on the planning board to make recommendations to the city council and to keep councillors involved in the process instead of leaving them to react to plans. Planning board members, who are appointed by the city manager, must approve all building projects in the city.

The board will hear reports from Cambridge College and Lesley University on Jan. 21 and from MIT on Feb. 4. After that, members said they will meet again to discuss all of the plans and decide on future steps.

—Staff writer Jessica R. Rubin-Wills can be reached at rubinwil@fas.harvard.edu.