BRA's draft Cooperation Agreement for the Harvard Science Complex

You can download this document at http://groups.google.com/group/ABNNF/files.

There's plenty of nice sounding language like "Harvard will work diligently with the BRA" and "Harvard will work cooperatively with the Task Force, the BRA, and residents of the community".

There are also suggestions of things that might happen like, "which, in the future and in conjunction with approvals from the Department of Conservation and Recreation, could include a pedestrian crossing of Soldiers Field Road." Apparently Harvard and the MBTA are still considering "the possible consolidation of some MBTA bus stops" but haven't been able to figure out the details yet even though this has been discussed since at least December 2006 in the Boston Environment Dept. comments on the Science Complex PNF.

We learn that the Science Complex community benefits "include funding an upgrade to Portsmouth Park" which is presumably the upgrade that was just completed this fall.

The BRA did not include the schedule for public realm improvements, but it sounds pretty vague and like they don't want us to expect much to happen in the near future. The timetable is divided into 3 categories:

1. improvements that are currently underway or will start in the near future
2. improvements that Harvard will complete on or before the opening of the Science Complex in approximately 2011
3. improvements that Harvard will begin planning/designing before the opening of the Science Complex, but will complete after the opening of the Science Complex.

Now that we know more about what Harvard and the BRA think are appropriate benefits, stay tuned for the community's ideas as compiled by the ABNNF which will be published shortly.