Charlesview construction to start in April

Construction on Charlesview Complex Set to Begin News The Harvard Crimson

Globe op-ed urges Harvard action in Allston

Thanks to Paul McMorrow for reminding Globe readers that Harvard can and should move forward with its Allston construction.

If Menino can leap, so can Harvard

Harvard’s vaunted new $1 billion Allston science center was supposed to be the centerpiece of the university’s new, modern face. It was to be the anchor of a gleaming, interdisciplinary, forward-looking empire. But construction ground to a halt in December 2009, and there’s no telling when work might resume. The science center site was supposed to be the opening round in the revitalization of a corner of town that never recovered from BRA bulldozers. Instead, the fenced-in site radiates decay.

Cutting-edge research brings in money, but Harvard isn’t chasing a profit in Allston. All it’s trying to do is strengthen its institutional standing as much as possible, and maybe not be an awful neighbor along the way.

Crimson interviews Allston kids at Harvard

http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2011/3/9/allston-holm-harvard-neighborhood/

Allston residents question Harvard's priorities

http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2011/3/8/allston-university-harvard-harvards/

Residents fear that with the University focusing on the renovation of undergraduate housing, Harvard’s holdings in Allston will not be developed any time in the near future.

“Allston’s always the first priority after other things,” local resident and Harvard-Allston Task Force member Bruce E. Houghton said.

Crimson Envisions Allston Capital Campaign

Nice to see that the editors of the Crimson think Havard should put more emphasis on raising money to re-start Harvard's Allston expansion.

Capitalizing on Community - Opinion - The Harvard Crimson

"Recent revelations that Harvard has quietly begun fundraising for a capital campaign have prompted speculation on the extent and direction such a program would take...

recently administrators and donors have said that the primary focus is raising money for the upcoming House Renewal project...

although the capital campaign should include internal improvements, it must prioritize above all else resuming development on the Allston campus and restoring the local community...

There is no reason that the capital campaign cannot have both internal and external ends, but the Allston community must take precedence."

Last Chance to Support an Anderson Bridge Bike/Ped Underpass

It's not often that we have a chance to help make an improvement in our neighborhood that our grandchildren will enjoy. But the reconstruction of the Charles River bridges is one of those special opportunities - these 75+ year old bridges are getting major repairs for the first time and it will probably be another 75 years before they are rebuilt again.

So wouldn't it be great to do better than just rebuild the existing bridges and promote public health and safety at the same time? The Anderson bridge, which connects North Harvard St in Allston with JFK Street in Cambridge, can be rebuilt with an underpass that will allow walkers, joggers, rollerbladers, and bicyclists to travel without interruption along the river instead. Sort of like the Eliott Bridge underpass but with better lighting, better drainage, and better design!

Please CLICK HERE if you'd like to support this effort by adding your name to the Charles River Conservancy letter below.

For information on writing your own letter, CLICK HERE.

"Less clarity" for Harvard's Allston Plans "Shrouded in Uncertainty"

Harvard is getting started with a multi-billion dollar fundraising campaign whose top priority is renovating undergraduate housing in Cambridge. Plans for Allston are much less clear:

"several members of the FAS administration say there is less clarity about the fate of Harvard’s properties in Allston.

According to one administrator with knowledge of discussions surrounding the capital campaign, Allston will play a significant role in the capital campaign as plans to establish the Allston properties as a center for science research remain on the table. Administrators have also entertained the idea of building one or more residential houses in Allston, but exact plans for the development’s future remain shrouded in uncertainty."

http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2011/3/1/campaign-capital-university-house/

Harvard Innovation Lab comments are online

http://www.bostonredevelopmentauthority.org/pdf/PlanningPublications/Harvard%20Allston%20Innovation%20Lab%20IMPNF%20Comments.pdf

While there is nothing particularly surprising in these letters, it is good that Environment Commissioner Bryan Glascock takes issue with the paucity of information that Harvard provided regarding its transportation and parking plans for this project. He writes:

We are concerned about several transportation issues and find some important information missing. First, we are not clear about how Zimride for intra-campus use and Zipcars located at the site will help to minimize vehicle trips. Using a personal vehicle to go from the Cambridge campus to the project site should be an infrequent occurrence. While we support making Zipcars available for the general public and for workday trips so that employees do not have to commute in single-occupant vehicles (SOV), we question the level of their TDM benefit.

No estimate of vehicle trips, the increase over existing conditions and expected mode splits are included in the IMPNF/Application and no less than 85 percent of parking spaces will be devoted to Harvard-permitted vehicles. This is a considerable percentage and may reflect the need for more comprehensive TDM and a more constrained parking supply. There is no information that suggests how the number of spaces was chosen, whether parking will be limited to those using the Innovation Lab and no indication of the locations in which those presently using the 95 spaces at One Western Avenue will park. There is also no reference to the length of time the Proponent intends to block off the 95 spaces in the parking garage.

Stone Hearth seeking beer/wine transfer from Roxbury

Proposed Allston pizza place finds somebody to sell it a beer and wine license | Universal Hub

Historic Boston gets Speedway grant

The Speedway building along Western Ave does look better since its recent re-shingling but it is still not adding anything to the vitality of the neighborhood. Hopefully this grant and the planning that will follow will help it become something better.

Inside Historic Boston Inc.: State Awards HBI Grants to Study Roxbury and Allston Sites for Preservation and Re-Use:

"The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation has awarded HBI a grant of $20,000 to complete redevelopment feasibility studies of two underutilized DCR historic buildings in its Boston.

The Charles River Speedway, located along the Charles River in North Allston, and the Owen Nawn Factory in Roxbury’s Dudley Square will be the subjects of preservation and financial analyses that will help determine each site’s potential for re-use.

Crimson: Harvard should clean up its Allston mess

An editorial in the Crimson suggests that with the Innovation Lab and other projects, Harvard should be more actively promoting local economic growth.

Will we see her at the bus stop?

I don't know if she will be riding the 66 or drinking Bud Light at the other Bus Stop, but supermodel Tyra Banks is spending 3 weeks in Allston.

Rep. Moran cancels D.C. fund-raiser

Moran cancels first D.C. fund-raiser as questions raised about conflict - The Boston Globe

"State Representative Michael J. Moran, the House leader in redrawing the state’s new congressional districts, has abruptly canceled a Washington fund-raiser as critics called it a blatant conflict of interest."

After Team 5 Inquiry, Fundraiser Canceled - Redistricting Chairman Had Planned Washington Event

State Rep. Michael Moran, D-Boston, chairman of the Massachusetts House Redistricting Committee, canceled a Washington fundraiser just an hour after Team 5 Investigates raised questions about it.

Moran, who has never held a Washington fundraiser, had planned to hold the event the night before he meets privately with seven congressman hoping to remain in office after redistricting eliminates one seat.

"Some friends suggested I have a fundraiser while I was down there, so I decided, 'why not'?" Moran initially told Team 5 Investigates.

While Moran had said he would not be accepting checks from either Capuano or any other congressman, he had not precluded accepting checks ranging from $250 to $500 from their supporters.

Harvard Allston Task Force comment on 125 Western Ave

Harvard Allston Task Force comment on 125 Western Ave

Harvard Innovation Lab word cloud

There were countless word clouds generated for the President's recent State of the Union address, and I thought something interesting might be revealed by putting Harvard's Innovation Lab project description though the fun tool at Wordle.

And for comparison, here is a roughly comparable view of the Science Complex.

Monday deadline for Harvard 125 Western Ave comments

Monday is the deadline to send your comments to Gerald.Autler.bra@cityofboston.gov regarding Harvard's proposed Innovation Lab at 125 Western Ave. Harvard's most immediate neighbors in Allston and Brighton could be more deeply involved in this project, and Harvard could do more to reduce the project's environmental impact. Reminding the BRA and Harvard that we still care about what Harvard is doing and here always worthwhile and I hope you will consider sending at least a brief note to Gerald.

Here are a few issues to consider:

Community Access to Consulting Services

Harvard students and faculty will clearly have great opportunities to meet, collaborate, learn, and support each other in the pursuit of starting new businesses. This is great for them and for our society at-large. At the same time other business schools are doing a lot more to encourage business revitalization in their neighboring communities. The Center for Urban Entrepreneurship & Economic Development at Rutgers Business School is one such example.

The organizations that might partner with the Innovation Lab, such as SCORE and CAP, have a lot to offer, but these groups work with organizations all over Eastern Massachusetts. Considering the special history and present state of Harvard's relationship with Allston/Brighton, maybe it is appropriate for Harvard's Innovation Lab to have some special interest in its most immediate neighbors.

Some specific ways this might happen could be for:

1. Non-profit and for-profit businesses in Allston/Brighton to have some level of guaranteed access to the consulting services affiliated with the Innovation Lab
   
2. The Innovation Lab could have specific, measurable, results-oriented goals relating to businesses and potential business owners in Allston/Brighton. The goals should be jointly developed by Harvard, the BRA, and the Allston/Brighton community.
   
3. The Innovation Lab could report annually on its progress towards these goals and its impact on the Allston/Brighton community
   
4. The Innovation Lab Advisory Board could include Allston/Brighton representatives such as one member from the Allston Board of Trade, one from Allston Village Main Streets, and one at-large community member.

Harvard's Promise to Transform Western Ave Should Be Kept

For years Harvard has promised that as it purchased more property on Western Ave and expanded its campus, the residents of Allston and Brighton would enjoy the "transformation of Western Avenue into a more pedestrian-friendly neighborhood Main Street with streetscape and related improvements."

Harvard and the BRA agreed that Barry's Corner and Brighton Mills would be enhanced by a combined 400,000 square feet of retail. But other than the Stone Hearth Pizza that might someday open in Barry's Corner, what other retail businesses have been added in the past few years?

There will be a small coffee shop in the Innovation Lab, but the tiny space is approximately 1% of the building. Harvard could have made a bold statement by reserving the entire first floor or some significant portion of it, to uses consistent with the Western Ave Main Street such as the daycare center, book store, or fitness center that were planned for the Science Complex across the street. It is pretty clear that Harvard has no interest in anything like that, but maybe they could find a little bit more space for Main Street?

Another possibility would be to do something beautiful and engaging outside the building. 125 Western Ave and its adjacent parking lots have 500 feet of frontage along Western Ave which make it a great place for decorative seating, fencing, sculpture, water fountains, and shelter for people waiting for the MBTA bus. An Allston artist like Ross Miller or John Tagiuri from Somerville would do something great with this space and a reasonable budget. MIT has a Percent for Art program that designates as much as $250,000 for public art at every major MIT renovation or building project. Could Harvard do something comparable?

Sustainability and the Environment

Transportation and Parking

When Harvard proposed the Science Complex, there was tremendous emphasis on Harvard's care for the environment and how everything possible would be done to encourage people not to drive their cars. "Think shuttle buses. And bicycles. And pedestrians." Harvard encouraged.

The Science Complex was to have 350 on-site parking spaces for 1,000 occupants in 500,000 square feet of building space - one on-site parking space for every 1,400 square feet of building space. Harvard explained the importance of limiting auto use and parking spaces as follows:

While the proposed parking supply is nominally less than the projected parking demand, the constrained employee parking supply is expected to discourage driving to work at the Science Complex.

A key element of the Project is to ensure that a minimum number of new automobile trips are generated by the proposed development. Reduction in automobile trip making to the Science Complex has a number of benefits including:

♦ Minimized neighborhood and regional traffic impacts;
♦ Minimized air pollutants and other automobile-related environmental impacts;
♦ Improved street life supporting walking and bicycling;
♦ Increased support for public transit and shuttle services;
♦ Reduced energy consumption;
♦ Reduced need for costly investment in structured parking facilities; and
♦ Improved integration of the Science Complex into the surrounding community.

125 Western Ave is 78,000 sq feet and Harvard proposes to have parking lots on either side of the building with a combined 155 spaces. That's one parking space for every 500 square feet of building space.

Considering that almost everyone from Harvard using the Innovation Lab will be able to get there by walking or on the Harvard shuttle bus, it is hard to imagine why all this parking is needed or desirable. Instead of strengthening its commitment to the environment, Harvard seems to be walking (or driving) away from it.

LEED Certification

For the Science Complex, Harvard was aiming for LEED Gold Certitifcation. For 125 Western Ave, the applicable standard is LEED For Commercial Interiors. This system rates projects from a lowest ranking of Certified (40-49 points) up to Gold (60-79 points) and Platinum (80+ points). Harvard makes no mention of these highest levels of sustainable design, stating only that "HBS will evaluate the latest concepts in sustainable design for this type of project with the objective of achieving a LEED Certification for this building."

Other environmental issues like stormwater management which had great detail in the Science Complex design aren't mentioned for the Innovation Lab.

Upcoming licensing hearings

• Package store for Comm. Ave Shaw's
• Western Ave McDonald's wants to be open 24/7
• Naked Pizza, 433 Washington St
• Pizza Etc, 429 Faneuil St seeks 3AM closing
  

http://www.cityofboston.gov/ons/pdfs/allstonbright.pdf

A/B lessons from Kendall Square

WBUR's RadioBoston today considers how MIT, the City of Cambridge, and other stakeholders can transform Kendall Square into "a vibrant mix of outdoor cafes, retail stores, office space, and housing".

The question was just asked how MIT will be more successful than Harvard has been in Allston, though the MIT representative diplomatically didn't give a direct answer.

MIT Hopes For A New Kendall Square | Radio Boston | Programs | WBUR

Please support the Higher Ed Financial Transparency Bill

We all know how much impact colleges and universities have on our community and how they often shroud themselves in secrecy. Maybe all large organizations naturally tend towards secrecy, but in the case of publically subsidized, tax-exempt schools it seems appropriate to have more public knowledge about what they are doing.

I hope you will consider joining me in supporting the Higher Education Transparency Act that is being sponsored by State Rep Michael Moran. Please call or email your State Rep and State Senator and ask them to co-sponsor the bill.

You can contact them and learn more about the Act at

• http://615.seiu.org/page/speakout/higheredtransparencyact
  
• or enter your address at http://wheredoivotema.com/bal/myelectioninfo.php (your State Senator and State Rep are listed near the bottom as "Senate in General Court" and "Rep in General Court")

The deadline for State legislators to join as co-sponsors is Friday so if you have a few minutes between shoveling sessions, please make a call or send an email.

HigherEdFinancialTransparencyBill

Moran bill seeks info from Harvard

Kudos for A/B Rep. Moran for seeking more transparency from our neighbor and other large institutions that enjoy the privilege of being tax-exempt.

http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2011/01/25/bill_seeks_more_financial_data_from_harvard_other_private_colleges/

Boston Biotech goes to Fan Pier

I used to think that the Harvard/Allston/Genzyme area was going to be a big part of Boston's future as a bio-tech leader. Maybe the State and City tried to bring Vertex Pharmaceuticals to Harvard's vacant foundation, but instead the South Boston waterfront is becoming the place for Boston biotech to go.

City draws Cambridge drug firm to Fan Pier - The Boston Globe

“This is a jump-start for the entire waterfront,’’ said Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who has been trying to remake the area into an “Innovation District’’ by offering incentives to companies to locate there. “Vertex has made the decision to be on the forefront of the Innovation District, and that decision will lead other companies to follow suit...

Vertex would occupy about 1.1 million square feet, filling a pair of 18-story buildings at Fan Pier, with an option to expand into a third to be built there. Vertex’s portion of the $2 billion Fan Pier complex is estimated at $800 million, according to state officials....

Boston will provide Vertex with an $11.8 million reduction in property taxes through 2018. The state, meanwhile, will provide $10 million in tax breaks in exchange for Vertex creating 500 additional full-time jobs by 2015. Massachusetts will also borrow $50 million for roads, water and sewer, and other necessary infrastructure, to be repaid with tax revenues generated from Vertex’s buildings."

Last night's Task Force meeting & Harvard's lack of community metrics

The presentation that Harvard gave last night about "Community Connections" to the Innovation Lab was like a person saying "I'd like to start jogging to get in better shape". Harvard's presentation sounded good, but they offered no goals, no commitments, no measurements, nothing quantifiable, nothing measurable as it relates to the Allston community.

If you want to get in better shape, you can do a lot better than just saying "I will start jogging".
You could actually make a real plan with goals and a program to measure your progress.
You could say "I will jog 3 days a week for a total of 2 hours"
You could set goals like "I will jog a mile in 8 minutes by April 1" and "I will complete a 5k in 20 minutes by May 1"

The folks at Harvard Business School certainly know about planning, metrics, and measurement. For example, HBS offers a $3,400 course called "Performance Measurement for Effective Management of Nonprofit Organizations" that teaches "how to use organizational performance measurement to enhance the organization's ability to deliver on its mission".

Harvard has a good start on mission statement for the community's place at the Innovation Lab. A meaningful next step would be for Harvard to show that is it "committed to implementing effective performance measurement and management systems" that it recommends for other organizations.

I-Lab Spurs Excitement and Distrust in Allston | The Harvard Crimson

66 Bus meeting tomorrow

The MBTA will be introducing the Key Bus Route Improvement Program at 3 meetings this January. The Allston meeting is:

Wednesday, January 19
6:00 - 7:30 PM
Honan-Allston Library

http://www.cityofboston.gov/ons/pdfs/buss66flyer.pdf

Harvard renovating in Cambridge, less $ for Allston construction

In light of Harvard's decision to cut in half its capital spending, the fact that Harvard is moving forward with undergraduate housing renovations in Cambridge will make less Harvard money available for development in Allston.

Might money for Allston development on Harvard property come from some other source?

Upcoming zoning hearings

8 Glenville Ave & 909 Beacon Street - http://www.cityofboston.gov/ons/pdfs/allstonbright.pdf

Know anything about this Allston hit & run?

Hit-and-run victim’s parents seek public’s help in finding suspect - The Boston Globe

"Boston police are looking for a silver Jeep Grand Cherokee with front-end and possible headlight damage that struck 6-year-old Melissa around 8:20 p.m. Saturday.

She was walking with her parents at Cambridge Street and Harvard Avenue."

All I want is a room some where...

Far away from the cold night air,
With one enormous chair.
Oh, wouldn't it be loverly?

- Eliza Doolittle, My Fair Lady

We learned at this morning's Harvard Allston Coffee Hour more about what Harvard plans to offer, and not offer, in terms of community connections at its proposed 125 Western Ave Entrepreneurship Center.

Harvard's plan is to provide meeting rooms and parking spaces to government agencies like the Small Business Administration to offer their services on Western Ave. Harvard does not intend to have its professors, staff, or students directly involved with Allston businesses. If, in the future, the SBA were to reduce its programs at 125 Western Ave Harvard made clear that it has no intention of filling that gap.

This is much less than what business schools like Syracuse are doing, where the school is directly involved in efforts to strengthen small businesses in the community where the school is located.

Upcoming Zoning Hearings

165 Chiswick Road
50 Chestnut Hill Avenue
28 Quint Avenue
1 Egan Way
48 Trapelo Street

http://www.cityofboston.gov/ons/pdfs/allstonbright.pdf

Pagliuca still sees Allston as home for "Next Big Thing"

During his 2009 Senate campaign, I was impressed by Steve Pagliuca's interest in a productive use for Harvard's dormant Science Complex site on Western Ave. While campaign proposals often fade from view after the election, it is great that Pagliuca (who happens to have an MBA from Harvard Business School) has an op-ed in today's Globe and it still promoting the subject.

The next big thing - The Boston Globe

"A key piece of this plan should be to help Harvard accelerate the development of a life sciences cluster in Allston. In 2005, Larry Summers, then president of Harvard, envisioned that this life sciences cluster would be “what Florence was to an earlier era through what it was able to do in the arts, a center of a central intellectual activity of mankind.’’ We need to make that vision a reality."

Also, the Harvard Crimson placed Allston at #9 in its list of top 10 news stories of 2010.

Globe writes about hopes for Allston bridge underpasses

Thanks to the Globe for writing this story and to the Charles River Conservancy and and State Reps Walz and Wolf for their advocacy regarding the inclusion of bike/pedestrian underpasses when the Allston/Cambridge bridges are rebuilt.

The state says it can't afford adding these underpasses, but the state able to afford rebuilding the pedestrian overpass that crosses Storrow Drive near Beacon Hill (price tag: $10M). The state is also rebuilding the pedestrian overpass in Cambridge near the BU Bridge. But the budget is tight and a discussion about the cost and benefit is worth having

But it is disappointing a for the state to use as an excuse "the difficulty of securing the federal permits needed to disturb parkland and alter the appearance of bridges in the Charles River Basin". I don't know who would need to approve these permits, but is the point of the permitting process to prevent any change or improvement, locking our surroundings in a time capsule for ever, or it is to allow reasonable and constructive progress?

For path users, dangerous crossings along the Charles - The Boston Globe

New Fenway development proposed

Another significant new development was proposed this week. Apparently the real estate market for these mixed-use urban projects is really picking up. I sure am looking forward to seeing exciting new development come to Barry's Corner and the Holton Street Corridor!

Developer Samuels files $250M Fenway building plan - BostonHerald.com - 12/20/2010

Steven Samuels has filed his latest plan to complete the transformation of Boylston Street, behind Fenway Park.

The Boston developer, who has won praise from Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the neighborhood for Trilogy and 1330 Boylston, is planning a mix of office, retail, housing and underground parking on a two-acre parcel at 1325 Boylston St. and 132 Brookline Ave.

Under the $250 million plan filed today with the Boston Redevelopment Authority, Samuels & Associates has proposed a total of 290 apartments, 195,000 square feet of retail and 225,000 square feet of office space.

MIT to redevelop Kendall "as quickly as possible"

I continue to be amazed that while so little new retail is being considered by Harvard in Allston, MIT in Cambridge want to move forward quickly with is major redevelopment of Kendall Square.

Sketch of Kendall Square proposal pleases board | Cambridge Day

The proposal heard at the Tuesday informational session, during which board members could speak and ask questions but the public could not, would bring 940,000 square feet of labs and offices, 100,000 of retail and 60,000 for market-rate housing. That’s enough square footage for between 40 and 50 units, associate board member Charles Studen said.

The school could get 800,000 new square feet for academic research out of the development. Although the timeline for the project is muddy, the school’s enthusiasm was made very clear by Michael Owu, director of real estate for the MIT Investment Management Co.

“We want to create this space as quickly as possible,” Owu said.

What an amazing winter use of vacant space!!

How amazing would it be if Harvard stepped up its concept of "interim use" of its empty Allston property and instead of a little skating rink in the old VW dealership did something like this? If the Cleveland Indians can do it...

Cleveland Turns Progressive Field Into Winter Playground - NYTimes.com

"As part of what the team calls Snow Days, the site’s centerpieces are a 10-lane tubing hill named the batterhorn that stretches from the middle of the bleachers into right field, and a quarter-mile ice skating track called the frozen mile — the first of its kind in the United States, the Indians say — that zips past the warning track, second base, the bullpens and underneath the bleachers.

It took about a month to construct the Indians’ winter playground, which was built mostly by local companies, and so far the only real hurdle has been removing the excess snow that has fallen this month. Before nature cooperated, about 120 tons of snow were made daily to keep Snow Days running. The event began the day after Thanksgiving, will run through Jan. 2 and is expected to draw about 60,000 people by the time it closes. Most of the tickets range from $5 to $25.

Kurt Schloss, a Snow Days project manager, said, “All I can tell you is that standing at the bottom of the hill, watching people come down the batterhorn, if I heard ‘awesome’ once, I heard it 10,000 times.”

---

Boston PILOT Task Force report released

Mayor Menino's PILOT Task Force released its report today with suggested changes to Boston's Payment In Lieu of Taxes program that asks non-profit institutions in Boston to make voluntary payments.

Harvard contributes approximately $2M annually and Boston College $300,000, based on property valued at $1.5 billion and $560,000 respectively (5% and 2% of what they would pay if the property was taxable). BU and Berklee top that list by paying 8+% and Northeastern barely "contributes" anything ($30,000 PILOT for $1.3B of property).

The Task Force recommends that all non-profits make PILOT contributions of 25% of their property's taxable value, with 50% of this being paid in cash and 50% being in the form of community services.

Time will tell how close to this goal the City will get, but it certainly would be a different situation if Harvard contributed 5 times as much as it does now, with this year's $2M cash increasing to $5M cash and accompanied by $5M in service.

Gardner School 'Flash Mob' Promotes Reading

'Flash Mob' Promotes Reading - Boston News Story - WCVB Boston

"Hundreds of Boston elementary school students and teachers participated in a "flash mob" dance on Wednesday to encourage children to read."

Quincy model for A/B North?

With the BRA talking about a 2-5 year plan for Western Ave, the Holton St Corridor, and the rest of North Allston and North Brighton, the plans for a new Quincy Center are another potential model for the long-promised and long-awaited renaissance in A/B.

Quincy's $1.3 billion plan includes more than 1 million square feet of new office space, more than 700 housing units, two hotels, a cinema and entertainment complex, and 570,000 square feet of new retail and restaurant space in Quincy Center with construction scheduled to start in 2013.

I can't imagine Harvard and the BRA considering anything of this magnitude being for Allston, but we could put this at one end of the spectrum, MIT's 240,000 sq ft retail/office building at the other end, and then see what relative to those projects Harvard sees itself capable of doing on its many under-used acres.

Historic Quincy Center Deal Passes with 8-0 Vote - City of Quincy

Quincy OKs $1.3b plan to modernize downtown - The Boston Globe

http://www.newquincycenter.com/ - Project website

Where is that Harvard Draft IMPNF Hiding?

Last week, Harvard distributed a draft Institutional Master Plan Notification Form for the 125 Western Ave project. The PDF was emailed to the members of the BRA's Task Force, city and state elected officials, and staff at the BRA. As I started to think about sharing some thoughts on it, I was looking to see where the document was publicly posted.

I looked at Harvard's Allston website and was surprised to see no mention at all of 125 Western Ave and the proposed Tata Hall. Though both of these projects have received extensive Harvard-initiated press coverage in recent weeks, Harvard mentioned neither of them on its Allston website.

So I went to the BRA's "Harvard Allston Campus Planning and Institutional Master Plan" website but the most recent document there is meeting minutes from July 2009.

This draft became a public document after it was received by the people at the State, City, and BRA who are subject to the Public Records Law but with its limited distribution it is being treated as private. I could cynically guess why there isn't more openness and transparency, but especially because there is talk about re-starting public planning with Harvard and the BRA for North Allston and North Brighton it would be a sign of good faith to see more information-sharing on this project.

Clover wants to rent from Harvard, but the feeling doesn't seem mutual

Clover Food Lab · Clover HUB

"And we’ve been looking at the vacant Citgo station on Western and Harvard Ave. in Allston forever, but Harvard has been claiming for 18 months that it is under agreement."

TAB reports on last week's Harvard Allston Task Force meeting

Harvard-Allston Task Force presses Harvard for details on project - Allston-Brighton, MA - Allston/Brighton TAB

“We’re getting a piecemeal approach,” said Houghton, who is also the president of Allston-based Houghton Chemical Corporation. “I’m asking for a business plan, and it seems to me that the Business School should be able to do that.”
Andy O’Brien, Harvard Business School’s chief of operations responded that Harvard feels it needs to have the site ready before it offers a more detailed plan.

Does anyone think it makes sense that Harvard needs the building built before it can figure out the details of its public programming?

Menino & Alford on Harvard expansion

Mayor: Let Harvard Business build - BostonHerald.com

Harvard University won an important ally yesterday in its plans for a $120 million expansion of the Business School.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino told the Herald that the city should not stand in the way of the school’s proposal for a new academic facility on Western Avenue.

But Paul Alford, who lives near the giant hole that would have been another major Harvard project - the stalled $1 billion science complex on Western Avenue - accused the mayor of a double standard.

Globe's take on the Stone Hearth liquor license

Amid controversy, Allston restaurant's liquor license to be revoked - Boston.com:

ACA meets Wednesday, 6:00 @ Honan Library

Agenda:

• Guest Speaker: Renata von Tscharmer, President Charles River Conservancy - Re: Bridge reconstruction plans
• Discussion: Community Wide Plan for Western Ave/Holton St. corridor
• Myung Dong, 90 Harvard Ave. Request to add Cordials to existing wine and malt license.
• Notice of Project changes to Griggs Street project (Develop Mt. Vernon Real Estate will describe).
• Azama Grille, Harvard Ave. Request for extension of hours of operation.

For a Harvard Allston Entrepreneurship Portal

Harvard's presentation at Wednesday's Task Force meeting devoted significant time to the concept that Harvard would offer programs and services that would be relevant to business owners and potential business owners in Allston. While Harvard showed us a PowerPoint slide with the logos of many organizations the might be part of this endeavour, there were few (if any) real details provided.

One suggestion from the Allston community, that I think has a lot of merit, is that Harvard should more past generalities and develop a business plan for this Harvard Allston Entrepreneurship Portal. The plan would include a staffing plan, budget and funding information, programming plan, outreach plan, and the other details that a Harvard professor would expect from a Harvard Business School student.

As it so happens, over the next few months Harvard Business School is running its annual business plan contest. The best and brightest from across Harvard's many schools will be developing plans for new businesses, and the contest even has a Social Venture Track "to educate HBS students in the process of creating and evaluating new ventures that have a central focus on the creation of social value".

It is easy to say that 125 Western Ave might be a satellite office for SCORE. It takes some (but not too much) work to contact Harvard alumni to get a rough idea of how many would be willing to serve as volunteer mentors for businesses in Allston. Then it takes a bit more work to figure out how many businesses might be mentored at any one time, how many hours per month of mentoring each business will receive, how businesses will apply to join the program, etc.

So here is an opportunity that would benefit both the Harvard students who would develop such a plan and the Allston business owners who would be part of the eventual program. Will Harvard embrace the opportunity and its two-way synergy?

Can Harvard match MIT's development?

A mile and a half east of Harvard's idle Western Ave foundation, MIT is ramping up plans for a $100 million, 5 story, 240,000 square foot new building. According to The Tech, "the ground floor will be used for retail facilities, while upper stories will be dedicated to research and office space" and construction could start in 2011.

MIT also plans to create 100,000 square feet of retail space in Kendall Square retail space to “really activate the street edge.”

The obvious question is if MIT can do something of this magnitude in Cambridge, can Harvard do it in Allston?

MIT's Cambridge Plan	Some of Harvard's Many Areas of Allston Opportunity

Take the Boston Bikes Survey

I know there are a lot of bicycle riders in Allston and Brighton, so please take a minute to share your thoughts about biking in Boston

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BostonBikes

Harvard Allston Work Team Co-chair Leaving

My understanding is that Tufano's financial expertise was being used to consider financing options for construction on the Western Ave Foundation and elsewhere on Harvard-Allston property. No word on if his position on the Work Team will be filled.

Harvard Business School Professor Heads to Oxford The Harvard Crimson

Harvard Business School Professor Peter Tufano ’79 will leave Harvard next year to become Dean of the Saïd Business School at Oxford.

Allston Work Team

The Work Team is led by three co-chairs:

• Bill Purcell, Special Advisor on Allston;
• Peter Tufano, Sylvan C. Coleman Professor of Financial Management, Harvard Business School; and
• Alex Krieger, Professor in Practice, Graduate School of Design

New Cambridge Home for Harvard Stem Cell team

A $65M gut renovation is underway in Cambridge to create new labs for the stem-cell scientists who were to have come to Allston.

Harvard renovates building to create new labs for stem-cell research Harvard Magazine Nov-Dec 2010

Harvard Allston ceramics sale starts Thursday

As always, the ceramics at this event will be amazing and reasonably priced. If you haven't been in the past, it is definitely worth taking a look.

December 9, Thursday, 3 – 8 pm, Opening Reception
December 10-12, Friday – Sunday, 10 am – 7 pm
219 Western Ave

http://www.ofa.fas.harvard.edu/ceramics/show.php

Upcoming zoning hearings

http://www.cityofboston.gov/ons/pdfs/allstonbright.pdf

26 Leamington Road
446 Western Ave
963-969 Commonwealth Avenue
113 Murdock Street

Galvin calls for changes to district redrawing

Kudos to our Brighton neighbor Galvin for proposing to get some of the politics out of redistricting. The crazy boundaries that define our State Rep (in green) and State Senate (in purple) show that in neither case do we have districts that are compact, contiguous, and keep communities within a single district.

Galvin calls for changes to district redrawing - The Boston Globe

Licensing Board erred on Stone Hearth license

Boston Questions Pizzeria License The Harvard Crimson

"Stone Hearth applied for a beer and wine license reserved for businesses in “urban renewal areas,” special zones that the Boston Redevelopment Authority designates in need of revitalization.

But according to a map on the BRA’s website, the restaurant’s new location on 182 Western Ave. is not included in the nearby urban renewal area encompassing a public housing complex [Charlesview] across the street."

By the way, I agree with Harvard's spokesperson that "Stone Hearth is the kind of vibrant, community facing locally-owned business that we’ve consistently heard the community wants." I also stand by my quote in the article that the Harvard-Allston relationship would benefit from more constructive collaboration and I am glad that Stone Hearth will be preparing to open their new restaurant in Allston.

A/B elected officials oppose HBS projects

Pols oppose Harvard plan - BostonHerald.com

"In a letter to the Boston Redevelopment Authority, state Sen. Steven Tolman, Reps. Kevin Honan and Michael Moran and City Councilor Mark Ciommo urged the city to reject any development proposal until the school fills vacant properties it owns in the Allston-Brighton neighborhood...

But in the letter to the city, officials insisted that new construction on Harvard-owned property should not be considered until significant development of the Holton Street Corridor - an area along Western Avenue that includes the half-vacant Brighton Mills mall - is leased"

Tell Rondo that Smith Field needs new courts

Thanks to Joe T. Walsh, Osmin Montero, and everyone else who is spreading the word

Rajon Rondo Bostons Got Wings - Vote For Your Court :: Red Bull

Anderson Bridge comments from Allston Brighton North Neighbors Forum

The ABNNF has submitted this letter regarding the State's plans to reconstruct the Anderson Memorial Bridge that connects North Harvard St in Allston with JFK St in Cambridge.

More information about the project is available here:
http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/charlesriverbridges/downloads/Anderson/presentation_111610.pdf
http://www.mhd.state.ma.us/downloads/hearings/ho_allston111610.pdf

If you are interested in submitting comments about this project (which will affect all of us for years both during and after construction) the deadline for this phase of comments is November 27.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, Nov 23, 2010 at 9:41 AM
Subject: Project File No. 605517 - Anderson Bridge comments from Allston Brighton North Neighbors Forum
To: "Boundy, Stephanie (DOT)" <Stephanie.Boundy@state.ma.us>, Tracy.osimboni@state.ma.us

November 23, 2010

Frank A. Tramontozzi, P.E., Chief Engineer
MassDOT Highway Division
10 Park Plaza
Boston, MA 02116

RE: Project File No. 605517 - Anderson Bridge comments from Allston Brighton North Neighbors Forum

Mr. Tramontozzi,

On behalf of the Allston Brighton North Neighbors Forum (ABNNF), I am writing to submit comments after attending the November 17 meeting on the Anderson Memorial Rehabilitation Project.

We are pleased to see plans for the Anderson Bridge that look to be a significant improvement over the current design. We hope that further collaboration and consideration will yield further improvements before the design is complete.

Bike/Pedestrian Underpasses

This project is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Underpasses for pedestrians and bicyclists with proper lighting and drainage would be a major asset. For the thousands of people who frequently exercise, commute, and enjoy the river, we hope you will find a way to include underpasses in the bridge reconstruction. The additional thousands of people who participate in fund-raising walks and road races along the river would similarly benefit from the increased safety and ease of travel.

When evaluating the feasibility of Anderson Bridge underpasses, please note that MassDOT recently agreed to a $10 million replacement for the pedestrian bridge along the Longfellow bridge. The pedestrian bridge in Cambridge near the BU Bridge is in the process of being completely rebuilt. We hope that the people of Allston will be similarly considered.

Tree removal should be minimized

Existing trees that undermine the structural integrity of the bridges should of course be removed. But your plan removes many trees that do not harm the bridge and that add natural beauty to the area. Just because a tree is not a native species and is not in a master plan does not mean it should be removed. It also seems inappropriate to cut down several trees to create a construction storage and staging site. Please find another location for these construction activities where trees do not need to be removed.

Construction options deserve public discussion

This project's construction will have a severe impact on the quality of life for Allston/Brighton residents. A public discussion of various options and their pros and cons is merited.

For example, how would the impact, schedule, and cost change if the bridge was completely closed during construction? There are not enough facts known to determine if this would be wise - but with the Eliot, Western, and River Street bridges and Weeks Footbridge in close proximity, the likelihood that construction would be faster and cheaper with the bridge completely closed, and the relatively successful closure of the Craigie bridge during its construction - this and other possibilities should be creatively and openly considered.

Maintenance

What are the plans for sidewalk snow removal after the construction is complete?
What is the long-term maintenance plan so that the "new" bridge does not deteriorate as the current bridge has?

Stakeholder Meetings
At Wednesday's meeting it was mentioned that several stakeholder meetings were held earlier this year. The residents of North Allston will be directly affected by this project, and it is our understanding that there were no North Allston residents present at these meetings. We would appreciate the opportunity to have an ABNNF representative present at all future stakeholder meetings for this project.

Sincerely,
Harry Mattison
Allston Brighton North Neighbors Forum

Anderson Bridge presentation now online

Here is the presentation that was made on Tuesday about the reconstruction of the Anderson Bridge between North Harvard St and Cambridge.

http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/charlesriverbridges/downloads/Anderson/presentation_111610.pdf

Upcoming zoning hearings

http://www.cityofboston.gov/ons/pdfs/allstonbright.pdf

38 Breck Avenue
21 Rogers Park Avenue
4 Garrish Street
45 Selkirk Road

BRA gets tough with Vornado. Is Harvard next?

In this letter to Steven Roth and John Hynes, BRA Director John Palmieri cites the lost revenue, construction jobs, and negative impact of the stalled Filene's Basement project and says that a new Project Notification Form must be filed. Will Drew Faust get a similar letter soon?

Truly amazing biology/computer/art

The work of Harvard Professor Rob Lue, who also directs Harvard's Ed Portal, is featured in this NY Times story. The images and videos are absolutely incredible and have great potential to be part of awe-inspiring and educational public art (which sure could look great in Allston!)

Molecular Animation - Where Cinema and Biology Meet - NYTimes.com

Anderson Bridge meeting tonight

6:30 at the Honan Library. Learn about the plans to reconstruct this bridge connecting North Harvard and JFK streets

Anderson Bridge website

Notice of Public Hearing

ACA meets Wednesday

The next Allston Civic Association monthly meeting will take place on Wednesday, November 17th at the Honan Allston Library.

Agenda:

6PM to 7PM: Closing Times - StoneHearth's Pizza - Harvard and the Allston Community.

7PM: Zoning and Licensing Matters:

• 1079-1089 Commonwealth Ave. ("The Atrium") Proposal for Tanning Salon
  Habibi's Loung: Extension into adjacent property, adjustment of extended hours, Live Entertainment
• 446 Western Ave. Request to legalize Taxi Dispatch operation

Dear BRA & Harvard - How about urban farms on vacant property in Allston?

Imagine mini-Allandale Farms across Dorchester and Mattapan - Universal Hub

The BRA and the Department of Neighborhood Development hold a meeting next week on a proposal to turn vacant lots owned by the city (in Dorchester) into urban farms to help increase the amount of "affordable, healthy food" available in the neighborhoods.

Upcoming zoning & licensing hearings

Subway - 419 Washington Street
Stone Hearth Pizza, Co. - 182 Western Avenue
175 Parsons Street - Erect a one-family dwelling on same lot as existing two-family dwelling.

http://www.cityofboston.gov/ons/pdfs/allstonbright.pdf

Retail Possibilities, Despite Harvard's Claims

After last week's Harvard Task Force meeting, a Harvard employee told me that I was crazy for thinking Harvard could do more to create the Western Ave "Main Street" with retail and service-oriented business that might be frequented by Allston residents. We should accept the quiet non-profit tenants like Earthwatch because, in this tough economy, Harvard really can't find any tenants with more public relevance.

This is a nice story for Harvard to tell, but it also isn't true. There are small, locally-owned retail businesses constantly opening, expanding, and relocating in the area. Whether or not Harvard could make offers attractive enough to lure them to Allston I don't know, but the possibilities do exist.

For example, there is an innovative restaurant owned by a Harvard grad. Last year they were considering opening a restaurant in the CITGO station on Western Ave. That fell through, and last month they opened a restaurant in Harvard Square.

This small ski and sporting goods store recently moved from Comm Ave near Newton Center to Needham Street. An another sporting goods store in Watertown is also moving to a new location.
Maybe these businesses or others like them would never be convinced to move to Western Ave, but it also isn't clear how hard Harvard is trying.

Allston/Brighton Open Studios this weekend

November 13-14 from Noon - 6pm. More info at Allston/Brighton Open Studios

What Harvard Didn't Say Yesterday

A story about what we didn't learn yesterday from Harvard's Allston Work Team Co-chair Bill Purcell.

Allston Residents Question Harvard's Commitment to Science Complex | The Harvard Crimson:

Purcell said he could not provide a timeline for Harvard’s construction the Science Complex site, nor was he certain exactly what shape it would take,

Purcell did not say whether the site would still be used for science-related purposes.

“Is this [the Science Complex] still Harvard’s number one priority for development?” asked Allston Resident Michael Hanlon.

Purcell did not answer the question

Harvard student suggests Allston should keep out

The story sums up the meeting pretty well - HBS Lab Worries Allston Residents The Harvard Crimson

This comment on the Crimson website from "current student" also seems to be shared by others at Harvard, who haven't yet shown much interest in using this renovation as an opportunity to create a permeable campus along a Western Ave. Main Street.

'“Will [the lab] feel as though it is Harvard only—don’t come in unless you have an ID?” asked Task Force Member Brent Whelan. “Or will it feel like part of the community?”'

OF COURSE it is part of the university and you will need a harvard ID - it's a private university, not a community development NGO.

Harvard has a plan - What about one for A/B?

I'm looking forward to seeing many of you this evening at the Harvard Allston Task Force meeting (6pm at the Honan Library), and particularly because it has been so long since we've been together for a meeting like this, I thought it might be helpful to share some thoughts.

As I've been considering the current situation, I've realized that Harvard has a 1-year plan (to open a $20 million "Innovation Lab" in the former WGBH building at 125 Western Ave). Harvard also has a 3-year plan (to complete construction of Tata Hall, a $100 million Executive Education building on the HBS campus). Finally, Harvard is creating 5-year plans for each of its schools.

But North Allston-North Brighton does not have a 1-year plan and no consensus about land use, licensing, and leasing by Harvard and others. We have no 3-year plan, and no agreement on issues such as what will happen to the current Charlesview site after the new Charlesview is complete. And we don't have a 5-year plan either.

To be meaningful, these plans need the support of our community, Harvard, the BRA, our elected officials, and other stakeholders. Using the "SMART Goal" methodology - Specific / Measurable / Attainable / Resourced / Time-Bound - might also help make this an "action plan" instead of just a "plan".

We can sit back and wait until mid-2011 when Harvard's Allston Work Team will make its recommendations. Or we can wait until 2012 when Harvard is scheduled to submit a new Institutional Master Plan. I hope we will agree that our community has been waiting long enough and now is the time to move ahead.

I look forward to hearing your opinions on this today, tonight, and/or tomorrow.

LA production company opens $1.5m studio in the other LA

Quixote Studios, a Harvard tenant at 100 Holton Street, is featured in today's Globe.

Upcoming zoning hearings

1240 Soliders Field Road - Change the legal occupancy from offices to offices and clinical blood laboratory and related use.

38-40 Guest Street - Development of a retail home improvement and garden center with outdoor sale of garden supplies, erect rooftop solar panels, create off street, accessory parking for three hundred and eighty-seven vehicles and accessory loading spaces.

Yes, this is the Lowe's project that we thought was dead. Here is some more info from Dan Roan in the Mayor's Office:

Lowe's is going to the ZBA because they feel that the BRA's adequacy determination does not conform to the provisions that are stated in Article 80. Basically, they're asking the ZBA to force the BRA to reissue a new adequacy determination or if the ZBA believes that Lowe's has adequately satisfied the Article 80 requirements, simply grant relief for a conditional use.

http://www.cityofboston.gov/ons/pdfs/allstonbright.pdf

Support Stone Hearth Pizza on Western Ave

Stone Hearth Pizza would like to open a restaurant in Harvard's former CITGO station on Western Ave. Personally, I think this would be great and a nice addition to the neighborhood. But the Allston Civic Association voted to oppose this at last night's meeting.

I can't imagine that the City would deny whatever permits and approvals that Stone Hearth needs, but if you want (or don't want) this business to open in Allston you can email:

LicensingBoard@cityofboston.gov
Mark.Ciommo@cityofboston.gov (A/B City Councilor)
Daniel.Roan@cityofboston.gov (A/B liasion to the Mayor)
allstonbrighton2006@googlegroups.com (community email group)

Harvard Crimson story - http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2010/10/21/stone-allston-hearth-restaurant/
Reaction at Universal Hub - http://www.universalhub.com/2010/allston-neighborhood-group-would-rather-have-aband

Date: Thu, Oct 21, 2010 at 12:25 PM
Subject: support for a Stone Hearth Pizza on Western Ave
To: Mark Ciommo , Michael Galvin , Dan Roan , LicensingBoard@cityofboston.gov
Cc: allstonbrighton2006@googlegroups.com, Kevin McCluskey , jschwarz@stonehearthpizza.com

I am writing to express my strong support for the proposed Stone Hearth
Pizza at the former CITGO station at 182 Western Ave. A successful, family-oriented, locally-owned, public-serving business like Stone Hearth is what Western Ave needs to move closer to becoming the "Main Street" that Harvard, the City, and many Allston/Brighton residents have agreed would improve our community.

At the same time, I would encourage Harvard, the City, and community to do some joint planning about the future of Western Ave. What hours of operation and what mix of uses (private/institutional, retail, food, alcohol-serving, etc) are desirable? Perhaps if we could reach some agreement on these subjects then we would be more likely to agree when specific projects & tenants are proposed.

Sincerely,
Harry Mattison

New Harvard VP for capital planning

Harvard continues to centralize its planning and budgeting with the filling of this new position. Of note for those interested in Allston is this list of priorities that does not include any in Allston. With the exception of the two HBS projects that will probably break ground in 2012, it still seems like it will be a long time before Harvard does any Allston development of significant magnitude.

http://harvardmagazine.com/breaking-news/johnson-named-capital-planning-vp

But significant projects are looming: the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) urgently wants to renovate undergraduate Houses (at least a $1-billion project); several Harvard Medical School and FAS departments are space-constrained, as new laboratories have been filled to deal with the Allston deferral; and Harvard School of Public Health likely requires significant investment in its multibuilding campus, now that the idea of an entirely new school complex in Allston is indefinitely deferred. Alongside these items on the wish list, the campus facilities—some 26 million square feet—require regular maintenance and updating. And in the interest of maintaining its credit rating and preventing interest costs from soaring still further, Harvard has essentially put itself on a severe diet for debt financing, so hard choices will have to be made.

Congrats to Brighton's #1 Dahlias!

Brighton's Ed Perlmutter recently won first prize at the Topsfield Fair for his beautiful flowers. You don't need to live in the 'burbs or the country to grow prize winning flowers!

University building includes first floor retail

I was in New Haven yesterday and noticed that Yale's new 87,000 sq ft Loria Center for the History of Art includes a Willoughby's Coffee on the first floor. If Harvard does at least this much to improve the public realm with its renovation of the WGBH building it would be a good step toward building the new Western Ave.

Harvard's Western Ave Entrepreneurship Opportunity

We learned yesterday that Harvard will spend $15-20 million to renovate the former WGBH building at 125 Western Ave to create a center for entrepreneurs and innovators. That's a pretty major renovation for a building that the city appraised as being worth $9M. Given the state of the Science Complex, this will be the first project that Harvard will complete on Western Ave and may be the only construction on Western Ave for several years.

So what tone will this project set for Western Ave? The North Allston Strategic Framework and subsequent planning by Harvard, the City of Boston, and A/B residents has called for Western Ave to become a pedestrian-friendly, amenity-rich, lively and vibrant boulevard. Harvard reaffirmed this goal an April 2010 interview with The Crimson:

University Executive Vice President Katharine N. Lapp, who oversees Harvard’s expansion into Allston, said she and the faculty-led work team continue to use the Boston Redevelopment Authority’s 2005 document “North Allston: Strategic Framework for Planning” as a “guidepost.”

She specifically mentioned the plan to turn Western Avenue into the “main street” of the neighborhood.

Obviously that entire transformation can't happen with one building (though at 94,000 square feet, it is not an insignificant space). But if the transformation doesn't start now and with this project, when will it start?


In terms of programming, a relevant model to consider that I mentioned back in August could be Syracuse University's Enitiative and South Side Innovation Center (SSIC) programs. One interesting requirement that shows their local focus is that SSIC requires that entrepreneurs must be committed to business development on the South Side and neighboring communities. I wouldn't expect Harvard to require its innovators to develop businesses in Allston, but finding ways to encourage that sure would be a nice way to help revive our local economy and quality of life.


Another interesting program is the Syracuse Community Test Kitchen, a collaboration that includes Syracuse's Whitman School of Management. Considering the many restaurants in Allston and the challenges faced by these small business owners, here is a program that could have real relevance to our neighborhood too.

The Community Test Kitchen will support new and existing food entrepreneurs with training and guidance to commercialize home recipes. New Entrepreneurs will receive training in the areas of commercialization; from the development process of formulating scratch recipes into full scale-up production formulas, marketing, sales, and distribution. Existing Small Business Food Entrepreneurs in need of growing their business to the next level of profitability will be offered through a variety of business training programs and culinary product improvement Sessions.

The calendar of events at the SSIC shows the depth and extent of the community and university based programming that Syracuse is supporting.


There are other possibilities for physical changes and uses in and around the building that could set the tone for the permeable campus that Chris Gordon promised in 2007. Especially because Harvard is seeking approval for this project without any plan for its many acres of surrounding property, how Harvard chooses to move forward with this project will tell a lot about the future of this campus and community.

HBS gets $50M for Exec-Ed building

This new building will be on what is now the grass lawn between Kresge Hall and Soldiers Field Road. More interesting from a neighborhood standpoint in the renovation of 125 Western Ave (the former WGBH building) into a innovation & entrepreneurship laboratory.

Harvard Business School Receives $50 Million Gift From India's Tata Group - Bloomberg

Is Harvard proud of excluding the A/B community from today's "major announcement"?

Some may consider pride to be "the original and most serious of the seven deadly sins". But as we were reminded a couple weeks ago, Harvard is proud of the partnership that it thinks it has with the Allston/Brighton community.

A couple years ago, I wrote about how the Harvard/A-B relationship doesn't match any reasonable definition of partnership and unfortunately that truth is being reinforced by how Harvard and Boston's Mayor are announcing "major new economic development plans for the Allston-Brighton neighborhood" this afternoon.

This is not the first time that City Hall and Harvard have chosen to talk with the media about A/B before they talk to A/B residents. Just last week we learned from a Crimson story that Harvard would grant a request from A/B residents and allow them to meet with Harvard's Allston real estate consultants.

Maybe this afternoon's announcement will be great news - perhaps HBS will want to build a new building that, unlike the rest of its insular campus, does something to enliven both the HBS and A/B communities. Perhaps it will be the first step toward building the vibrant Western Ave that Harvard Professor Peter Galison and I hope to see. If it does, I will be the first to applaud.

But it is too bad that Harvard and City Hall didn't want to give any public notice about the time & place of today's press conference. Also too bad that they didn't want to give any public notice and didn't want any A/B residents to be at the event. It wouldn't be hard for Harvard and the Mayor to make this announcement at a public meeting in the evening when more A/B residents would be able to attend, ask questions, and maybe feel like we really are "partners".

Unfortunately John, I don't think Harvard yet really wants to change.

Thursday, October 14th, 2:00 PM
Mayor Menino will join Harvard Business School to announce major new economic development plans for the Allston-Brighton neighborhood.

Cambridge St to get bike lanes btw St E's & Union Sq

Bike lanes coming to one-mile stretch of Cambridge Street - Allston Brighton - Your Town - Boston.com

Crimson story on yesterday's Harvard coffee hour

Nice to learn from this article that Harvard has agreed to let their Allston consultants meet with some Allston residents. During yesterday's meeting Purcell was steadfastly non-comittal after repeated requests for some community engagement with these experts. Glad that after further consideration Harvard realized that a little conversation would be OK.

Residents Ask Purcell for Greater Role in Harvard's Allston Development Decisions The Harvard Crimson

To help the state grow, Harvard could stop landbanking

The prolific Harvard economics professor Edward Glaeser wrote in yesterday's Globe about how the success of Massachusetts is being held back by a housing shortage.

Of course, Harvard could help make progress in this area by building hundreds of new units of housing on its under-utilized property in Allston and Brighton. The BRA, Harvard, and Allston/Brighton residents have all agreed to this in principle, but getting Harvard to follow through has proved elusive (the 10 units to be built on the Brookline Machine site will nice, but 10 units is pretty paltry when compared with the scope of Harvard's landbank and the extent of the need for more housing).

To grow, the state needs 40B - The Boston Globe

If our economy is so dynamic, why aren’t more people moving here?

The simple answer is that we don’t build enough homes. There is essentially a one-to-one correspondence between the population growth of a region and the amount of new construction. Massachusetts’s cold climate matters, but the tendency of people to move to warmer climes also reflects the affordable housing that comes from unfettered construction in places like Houston and Phoenix.

A college president plans to revitalize a neighborhood

Drexel's new president outlines plan to revitalize neighborhood | Philadelphia Inquirer | 10/06/2010

Drexel University's new president, John A. Fry, on Tuesday outlined a five-point plan to improve the neighborhood, including an expanded safety-patrol zone and a loan forgiveness program for employees who buy homes in the area.

In his first major address to the university community, Fry also pledged expertise and fund-raising support for the area's public elementary school and an effort to improve the business district along Lancaster Avenue.

Upcoming zoning hearings

http://www.cityofboston.gov/ons/pdfs/allstonbright.pdf

11 Sparhawk St & 79 Parsons St

Whelan & McCluskey on the Harvard-Allston "partnership"

The Globe published a couple different viewpoints in these Letters to the Editor last week

Harvard has flimsy grasp of Allston partnership - The Boston Globe

Harvard proud of partnership with Allston community - The Boston Globe

Harvard hires consultants for Allston

I guess it is nice that Harvard seems to be doing some thinking about its Allston empire, but we could probably do without the gross exaggerations like - "the considerations of the community are a very important part of what’s been done in Allston"

To Help Plan Allston's Future, Harvard Hires Two Consulting Firms The Harvard Crimson

Harvard has hired two real estate consulting firms, Leggat McCall and McCall & Almy, to help formulate a blueprint for the University’s future development in Allston, but there remains no clear time line or concrete plan for the expansion at this point.

A/B in the news today

The Dorchester Reporter suggests that A/B City Councilor Mark Ciommo could be the next City Council President.

The Herald reviews the various development and planning projects that are happening (or not happening) in the neighborhood.

New Harvard Allston plans "middle of next year"

Debt forces Harvard back to drawing board - The Boston Globe

"Little wonder that Harvard’s Allston science facility project, once pegged as high as $1.4 billion, was halted in early 2009 and is now back to the drawing board in terms of scale and scope. The university has told its bond raters it won’t borrow more than a total of $1 billion over the next three years, including projects that are already underway. Faust indicated that new plans for Allston will be presented by the middle of next year, and the university may need investment partners."

Would St. E's really close?

Caritas warns of 2 hospital closures - The Boston Globe

Speedway One of Massachusetts’ Most Endangered Historic Resources

The Speedway buildings, which blight the western end of Western Ave, have been named one of Massachusetts’ most endangered historic resources by Preservation Massachusetts. It would be great if this newfound attention can lead to restoration and some new development at the site. Some of us thought something might happen back in 2006, and hope springs eternal.

Preservation Massachusetts » Massachusetts’ Most Endangered Historic Resources

In a stealth race against time - The Boston Globe

Vague Faust reveals nothing about Allston

Drew Faust sat down yesterday with Charlie Gibson (a Shorenstein Fellow at Harvard for this year) for her opening-year dialogue. Here are the Allston-relevant excerpts from a couple sources:

Gibson Grills Drew Faust, Gets Few Details The Harvard Crimson

Gibson, the veteran ABC journalist and a current fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics, and Public Policy, pressed Faust on how she planned to recalibrate the University’s Allston expansion, but few details were in the offing.

Faust floated several ideas for how the University would proceed on the issue—including potentially co-developing the real-estate—but provided no specifics on the billion dollar construction project’s future.

“[Those properties] are going to be Harvard’s future, but it’s a future that is going to come much more slowly,” Faust said.

Gibson seemed frustrated at times with Faust’s lack of specifics, but in interviews this year, University administrators have been consistently deferring questions regarding the future of the expansion to a series of committees that have been set up to examine potential next steps.

President Faust on Finances, Scientific Misconduct, the Martin Peretz-Muslim Furor, and More

On campus development, Faust said Allston “is critical to the future of Harvard”—but visions for academic use would be realized “much more slowly” because of the financial crash. She insisted that the University now has no timetable for development, and is, as reported, emphasizing leasing of properties it has bought; community amenities; and explorations of options including commercial co-development—part of a broader “re-envisioning” that might yield a lively mixed-use community of academic, institutional, and private investors during the next 50 years.

Tim Flaherty wants a recount (again)

Back in April after the special election to fill our State Senate seat, Tim Flaherty narrowly lost and then asked for a recount. Then he changed his mind and decided to let the results stand. Now, after another close loss, Tim has decided again that he wants votes recounted.

Brighton police open house today

http://www.bpdnews.com/2010/09/16/community-alertboston-police-district-d-14-hosts-open-house-and-bicycle-safety-seminar/