Allston residents expressed concerns as Harvard University President Lawrence Summers released plans last week to quicken the pace of university expansion into Allston-Brighton.
The concepts proposed for the first phase of development include new science facilities, the relocation of the School of Public Health and the Graduate School of Education, a new space for arts and culture and possible additional undergraduate and graduate housing along the river, according to an Oct. 24 article in the Harvard University Gazette.
There is limited space in Cambridge when looking to provide for long-term academic needs, and expanding into Allston will help alleviate the problem, said Harvard News Office and Public Affairs spokeswoman Lauren Marshall.
While Harvard is engrossed in planning for its expansion, residents are becoming wary of the effects it might have on their quality of life.
“I think people are concerned and want to be sure that the effect on the community will not be a negative one,” said Ava Chan, community organizer for the Allston Brighton Community Development Center, which strives to create affordable housing and regulates issues that become problematic within neighborhoods. “The expansion of a new campus will definitely affect public transportation and traffic.”
Chan said Allston has already received a population overflow from Boston University and Boston College, and an additional institution will further the influx of students into the area.
“As all three institutions expand and continue to expand irregardless of its dormitory buildings, there will still be a net base of students,” Chan said.
No clear timeline exists for when the construction will begin in Allston, and university officials have not yet picked a building site. Officials are currently in the architect selection process.
Moreover, a joint coalition independent of Harvard is creating a development group to facilitate and put into action university plans and programs in Allston, Summers said in a letter to the Harvard community.
“Harvard’s chance to develop a new, integrated extension of its campus in Allston on a scale equivalent to what we have in Cambridge is a truly rare — and immensely exciting — opportunity for a modern, urban university,” Summers said in his letter. “It is also a hugely complex undertaking that would present challenges for any organization.”
Harvard opened an “Allston Exhibition Room” Monday to display the ideas and models from Harvard’s initial proposal released in June. Visitors to the consultation room will be able to view the possible Allston campus layout, according to Summers’s letter.
The exhibit displays the illustrations and works of building consultants who have worked with Summers over the past year to analyze possible locations of building sites. Visitor feedback will be taken into consideration for future planning.
Harvard announced the first building to be constructed is a 500,000-square-foot science building complex for teaching and research, according to Summers. Experts expect the project’s price tag will be in the billions over a 50-year period.
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