Boston University’s revised developments for the Student Village were unanimously approved at yesterday’s Zoning Commission meeting. The University’s plans now must be approved by the Massachusetts Historical Committee and the Office of Environmental Affairs before demolition and construction can begin, according to Senior Vice President Richard Towles.
“We’re required by statute to enter negotiations [with the Historical Committee] in good faith,” Towles said. “But as proponents of the plan, it’s pretty clear what we want to do.”
BU’s plan has come under fire from neighborhood groups for its proposal to completely demolish the Armory. Earlier versions of the plan included the front of the Armory, but the moat and entrance to the Armory would take up too much space, according to Towles.
“We would lose almost a full acre,” Towles said. “What we are doing is taking all the insignias from the walls of the Armory and placing them on the promenade. The important thing is not the building, but the men and women who served there. That’s what should be enshrined.”
Other changes in the development proposal included reducing the number of seats in the hockey arena from 8,500 to 6,100, reducing commercial space from 43,000 square feet to 18,000 square feet, and eliminating all planned faculty housing for the area, Towles said. The reduced area would be converted into an extra 192,000 square feet of student housing.
Towles said the increased student housing space is justified by the success of 10 Buick St.
“We now have 76 percent of students housed on campus,” Towles said. “Ninety-one percent of the juniors in 10 Buick St. are returning there next year.”
City Council President Michael Flaherty said he endorses BU’s plan.
“I wholeheartedly support this. It will go a long way toward alleviating the housing crunch in Boston,” Flaherty said. “And as the Big Dig winds down, it will provide more construction jobs to workers who need them.”
Councilor Mike Ross said he supported the plan, albeit with “an asterisk.” While Ross said he was in favor of reducing student presence in neighborhoods, he said BU needs to meet with the Audubon Circle Neighborhood Association to discuss possible divestiture of BU-owned buildings.
“I would like to ask for a joint meeting,” Ross said. “I don’t think this issue is completely closed.”
BU promised to divest property south of Buswell Street it purchased in 1982 after it started developing the Armory, according to Kathy Greenbough, vice president of the ACNA. Although the University signed an agreement with the ACNA in 1984, BU has yet to divest, she said.
“We feel it’s really important that the city hold BU’s feet to the fire so they’ll live up to the agreement,” Greenbough said. “I don’t see any reason for BU not to sell.”
According to Towles, BU tried to divest some of its buildings in 1991. However, the ACNA decided it preferred BU ownership to another potential landlord and decided not to push for divestiture.
Greenbough, however, said BU illegally manipulated voting at the 1991 divestiture meeting, paying residents $10 to vote against divesting the buildings. Two trials found in favor of the University, saying no illegal measures occurred.
“The issue is not on the table anymore. The city agreed the process was concluded,” Towles said. “We did everything we were asked to do.”
