Allston Residents Feel “Steamrolled” by Harvard Development
by Kate Tighe on November 14, 2007 in News
At the Thomas Gardner Elementary School in Allston on November 5, community organizer Ava Chan greeted senior resident Lydia McLaren with an affectionate handshake and a question: “Do you think we’ll ever get them to listen to us?”
McLaren was referring to the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), Harvard University and the Harvard-Allston Task Force, which was established to represent the community as Harvard begins the first phase of its 50-year plan to develop the Allston campus.
The Task Force was created under Article 80 of the Boston Zoning Code, which intends to ensure that “every resident is given a voice so that Boston is shaped by all those who care about its future.”
But many of the residents in attendance at the meeting have lost faith in the ability of the Task Force to listen to their concerns.
Convening for the first time without the presence of the BRA and Task Force, they created a list of demands to present at the next Harvard-Allston Task Force meeting, to be held December 14.
Jeff Bryan, an Allston resident who has been active in the planning process and who co-chaired the meeting, said the Task Force was not invited to the gathering because its members are “chosen at the pleasure of the mayor.”
Several residents at the meeting said they believe Mayor Menino is more concerned with the economic value and the prestige of Harvard’s expansion than the residents of Allston and Brighton.
“Harvard presents to the BRA, not to the Task Force!” shouted Roni Komarow, 45. “The Mayor set up a Task Force to just sit and listen [to Harvard’s presentations].”
According to attendee Bob Van Meter, executive director of the Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation, this lack of representation has consequences for the community.
Last month, the city of Boston granted an environmental review waiver to Harvard for a new science center, despite the protests of community members. According to Van Meter, they are worried about environmental hazards posed by increased transportation - a concern they feel has been ignored.
Many residents petitioned the BRA to deny the waiver, as did prominent community leaders like Robert W. Healy, City Manager of Cambridge and Mark Ciommo, who is running for a city council seat in Allston/Brighton.
Despite the opposition, the waiver passed on October 3.
“As I understand it,” said Lauren Marshall, a representative of Harvard University, “MEPA [the Massachusetts Environmental Protection Act] office took public comment on the request for a waiver and issued a draft decision.” She added that Harvard responded to the community’s concerns by providing additional information to the public.
At the meeting, neighbors from Allston/Brighton voiced frustration over not being heard at the Task Force meetings.
“Harvard presents things to us in a boxed fashion,” said Liz Brown of the Joseph Smith Health Center. “We’re just here to talk about the abutments of this building. Just education. Just healthcare.” According to Brown, this format prevents the community from expressing all of its concerns.
“Frankly, they beat me down,” added another woman in attendance. “We’re being steamrolled.”
The November 5 meeting also addressed the contents of a community benefits package that Harvard has offered. According to Marshall, the University has offered between $21.2 and $25 million in community benefits during the construction of the new science center, and will offer similar packages as new projects arise.
While community suggestions included educational and public health advances and the preservation of green space, many residents at the meeting preferred the idea of a community fund, which would allow them choose where to invest the money.
Brent Whelan, community member and Task Force member who has taken issue with the way the Task Force is being led, attended the meeting as an Allston resident. He suggested refusing “Harvard’s first offer,” and demanding one percent of all Harvard’s building costs, which would amount to more support in the long run.
Ciommo, a candidate for city council in Allston, thinks the community fund is a great idea. “It would be empowering to the community. And that’s what the community needs - to feel empowered.” His opponent for the seat, Greg Glennon, also attended the meeting but departed early.
Mayor Menino’s representative at the meeting, Paul Holloway, said that the community fund is “a very interesting point,” and suggested it was “worth looking into.”
“The proposed benefits program as it exists is broad and generous,” said Susan Ellsbry of the BRA in an email. She added that they will continue looking into the idea of a community benefits trust.
However, many Allston residents at the meeting remain skeptical that the fund will receive support.
“It’s not a new idea, but certain members of the Task Force have resisted it,” said Bryan.
Other Allston residents, like Ava Chan, take a more positive view: “If you push, you’re bound to get something, and something is better than nothing.”
To read more about Harvard’s planned Science Complex in Allston, visit http://www.allston.harvard.edu/projects/projects.htm#science.
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