Harvard science center - 60% less parking

At last night's Harvard Allston Task Force meeting we learned that Harvard is dramatically reducing the amount of underground parking planned for their science center that is planned to start construction in the spring.

On page 8 of the IMP Notification Form published in April 2006 it says:

"As currently envisioned, the proposed science complex will include an underground parking garage with spaces for approximately 1,300 vehicles. The science site’s close proximity to Harvard’s other near-term development parcels makes it an ideal location for a centralized parking facility that could serve not only the science complex, but also portions of the future Phase I campus development area. For this reason, the University would like to create underground parking as part of the first science complex in order to replace some of the existing surface lots and help to expedite the physical transformation of the area. As approximately 1,000 existing surface parking spaces at the science site (most associated with either the soon-to-be-relocated WGBH uses or the former Pepsi facility) will be displaced by the proposed project, a majority of the proposed garage spaces will represent a replacement of the existing surface spaces."

But last night we were told that Harvard has changed its plans by 800 spaces so they currently expect to have 500, not 1300, parking spaces in this location.