Harvard University announced that financial concerns have caused it to slow the pace of its campus construction in Boston's Allston neighborhood, a move that has sparked a public outcry from neighborhood residents.
Citing the economic downturn and a lack of available funds, Harvard announced that it will reevaluate an ongoing development project that is part of a 50-year plan to expand the campus.
"Although long-term planning for other Allston development will continue, it will occur at a slower pace and our broader plans for developing the Allston campus are delayed," Harvard President Drew Faust announced in an open letter to the Harvard community on Feb. 18.
The Allston Development Project, which will expand the campus across the Charles River into North Allston, is centered around the Allston science complex on Western Avenue in Boston. North Allston is already home to Harvard Stadium and other university athletic buildings.
Still in the foundational stage of construction, the science complex is the flagship of the Allston initiative. Because the complex is the university's biggest, most expensive and most current project, the decision to slow down construction has become a lightning rod for criticism.
Faust said that workers will "bring the structure to ground level" by the end of the calendar year. At that time, the university will decide whether to proceed to above ground construction at an altered speed or to pause construction on the entire complex.
The economic downturn is the primary culprit of the problems in Allston. The university's "strategic infrastructure fund" -- the source of funding for land acquisition and construction -- has effectively disappeared as a result of the financial crisis, according to a Harvard Crimson article published last week. The university expects its overall endowment to decrease by at least 30 percent by the end of the fiscal year.
The lack of strategic infrastructure funding poses a significant problem for the projected pace of construction. Nevertheless, Faust said that Harvard remains completely committed to carrying out its plans for development in Allston.
Despite these assurances, some neighborhood residents remain angry or concerned about the slowdown.
The principal point of contention between the university and the neighborhood has been the future of many vacant buildings that now dot the landscape of North Allston. Harvard acquired the land these buildings occupy as part of the redevelopment plan.
The acquired sites include a Citgo gas station, a Kmart, and a 450,000 square foot office building off Lincoln Avenue. These three sites and others are currently vacant, since Harvard has ruled the properties "non-leasable."
Anticipating imminent use by the university, Harvard denied potential tenants the opportunity to lease or develop the properties. With Harvard's future in Allston now significantly cloudier, neighborhood residents are left with vacant buildings.
A lot of property in Allston "is sitting unused," said Harry Mattison, an Allston resident and member of the Allston Task Force.
"Maybe that's good for Harvard, but in the meantime it's very damaging [to the neighborhood]," Mattison added.
Multiple newspapers reported banners hung in protest from several of these structures, holding Harvard responsible for the buildings' condition.
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino weighed in on Harvard's Allston decision in a letter to Faust two weeks ago, criticizing the university for what he termed "a unilateral decision."
Menino called the decision "a grave disappointment to me, and of course to the community," emphasizing that decisions about the Allston campus affect the surrounding neighborhood and the city of Boston.
"Our decisions must be made together," Menino said. He enclosed a timetable for Harvard to submit planning information about the future of Allston construction and development, with deadlines ranging from two weeks to 60 days.
Harvard remains publicly committed to meeting residents' concerns. "We understand the issues the community has raised, and we look forward to working with the Allston neighborhood and the City to address their concerns," Josh Poupore, a spokesman at the Office of News and Public Affairs, told the Daily in an e-mail.
"Harvard has reached out to us" about meeting those deadlines, Jessica Shumaker, Deputy Director for Media and Public Relations at the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), told the Daily. "They have begun a discussion about addressing all the action items that the Mayor pointed out in his letter, and we expect a good faith effort that Harvard will respond in a timely fashion," she said.
Shumaker said the BRA shares the apprehensions of Allston residents. "We're concerned about the science complex because it's already begun construction. A half-done construction site is not beneficial for the city, and it's not beneficial for the neighbors who have to look at it," Shumaker said.
She added that one potential advantage to the project's slowdown is that it might allow the community more time to discuss all options and make better decisions about the future of the process.
Still, some Allston residents remain critical of the university's decision. Ray Mellone, also a member of the Allston Task Force, told the Daily he "doesn't see [the decision] as a great harm" to Allston.
"If ... the resources are not available, then it's a matter the institution should figure out on their own. The city has the same problems, the state has the same problems, and no one's forcing them to do things that they can't do," Mellone said.
