Getting to YES at Harvard

Allston Brighton TAB
Harvard science complex gets green light
By Mitra Taj/Correspondent
Thu Jan 24, 2008, 01:55 PM EST
Allston, Mass. -

Allston, Mass. - After months of negotiating a benefits package for the community of Allston-Brighton, the city of Boston has given Harvard University the green light to begin building a $1-billion science complex in north Allston.

The Boston Redevelopment Authority, charged with vetting large-scale developments in the city, will sign the cooperation agreement with Harvard this week or early next week, said Mike Glavin, BRA deputy director for institutional development.

“Two weeks ago, we said we were prepared to move forward and the task force said it was disappointed,” said Glavin at Wednesday night’s Harvard-Allston Task Force meeting. “Last week we had a candid, open conversation with Harvard and now we’re moving forward seeing that Harvard has addressed the concerns raised.”

Talks that began in April between Harvard and the task force fell apart earlier this month amid complaints from residents that the proposed $21 million benefits package from Harvard wouldn’t translate into meaningful benefits for the community.

Changes to community benefits package

Harvard has since increased the package, to be distributed over ten years, to $23.9 million. Other changes to the cooperation agreement include a partnership fund to dole out $500,000 in grants over five years to neighborhood programs; expanding the education needs survey to include assessment of the community’s transportation, public health, and housing needs; a stated commitment to support a public-private partnership that will result in a “transformative project” in Allston-Brighton; and collaboration with the BRA to do something with the area west of Barry’s Corner.

Harvard has been preparing the area on Western Avenue in north Allston for construction and will probably begin building the 589,000-square-foot complex in February, said Kathy Spiegelman, Harvard’s chief planner of the initiative. The center is slated to open in 2012.

“This marks the end of the process of building consensus in the community,” said Spiegelman, “and the beginning of a process that will allow us to start an important campus project. It’s exciting.”

Neighbor’s worries

But not everyone saw a happy ending or hopeful beginning in the cooperation agreement. Task force members Brent Whelan and Harry Mattison pushed to set a deadline for finishing the needs assessment survey and asked Harvard to bump the partnership fund up from $500,000 to $2 million.

“There are a lot of things in the neighborhood that are literally or figuratively crumbling,” said Mattison. “This is our last chance to make a request that Harvard strongly support our community.”

Spiegelman rejected increasing the partnership fund but accepted task force member John Bruno’s suggestion to evaluate the distribution every year to ensure funding is meeting the community’s needs.

Task force member Michael Hanlon said he doubts Allston-Brighton residents will ever see the funds. “If 90 percent of the funds never reach here—what’s the point?”

BRA press secretary Jessica Shumaker said that of the $23.9 million, only $3.8 million allocated for the city’s housing fund won’t go directly to Allston-Brighton. She said it’s important to remember that this is the first of many benefits packages the community can expect as Harvard expands into Allston-Brighton.

Task force member Cathy Campbell, chairing the meeting in lieu of task force chairman Ray Mellone, said Harvard’s revised statement of support of a “transformative project” is worth more than a dollar figure.

“What’s important in the cooperation agreement is a permanent commitment from Harvard to something that has the ability to change the face of the neighborhood,” said Campbell. “We have that commitment from Harvard now and I hope it costs them millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions over the years!”

The Allston-Brighton task force will meet Feb. 13 to discuss proposals for the community benefits package. BRA planner Gerald Autler said he expects the task force to draft a community benefits proposal in May.

Task force member Millie Hollum McLaughlin said despite lingering disagreements, it’s important to recognize how far the task force and Harvard have come. “The community seems more together on this now,” she said. “I think there’s real compromise happening.”

breakout box
Community benefits breakdown
After nine months of talks about a community benefits package, the Boston Redevelopment Authority says it's ready to sign a cooperation agreement with Harvard University, paving the way for construction of the Harvard Allston Science Complex. How does the $24.9 million break down for Allston-Brighton?

· $11.5 million for parks, streets, sidewalks, and landscaping includes support for the creation of two new parks, upgrades to Portsmouth Park, 12 blocks of sidewalk, 150 street trees, and improvements to Barry's Corner.

· $4.7 million for education includes support for an education portal that will offer free tutoring for neighborhood kids, distribution of $500,000 in grant money over five years for neighborhood projects, and a community needs survey to guide future development.

· $3.9 million for employment and workforce development includes support for the Allston Brighton Resource Center to teach skills building and a new classroom for adult students at the education portal.

· $3.8 million for the city's housing trust fund