The Boston Redevelopment Authority is trying to create more affordable housing at the same time as Harvard University’s housing developments in Allston have slowed due to the economy, BRA Director John Palmieri said at Harvard University Graduate School of Design on Monday.
The BRA and Harvard are each currently fleshing out plans for housing and community development, with Harvard focusing on already purchased land in Allston-Brighton, and the BRA on the entire Boston area, Palmieri said.
Harvard ‘must look beyond limits of campus,’ Palmieri said. ‘Affordability is critical.’
Half of Boston families live in lower income units, but there is not enough housing to satisfy these lower income needs, Palmieri said. About fifty percent of their income is devoted to housing costs, he said.
BRA continues to use the Leading the Way program, which, among other things, uses stimulus money to purchase foreclosed property, renovate it and put it back into productive use, with the help of private sector contractors, he said. BRA usually receives $4 billion per year from federal allocations for housing development, but the stimulus package allowed for an allocation of about $13 billion to the agency this year, he said.
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino’s goal is for all university students to be able to afford to live on campus, Palmieri said.
‘The big issue for universities was campus housing and managing residential activities,’ Palmieri said.
Harvard development in the Allston-Brighton area, where the university has purchased land but has not yet developed the properties, remains a sensitive issue among residents, Palmieri said.
BRA Senior Project Manager and Planner Gerald Autler said in an interview the challenge in developing these communities is ‘finding the right balance of neighborhood revitalization without pricing out people who want to live there or already live there.’
However, because of BRA policy, large housing developments must include a certain percentage of affordable units, Autler said.
Harvard, in conjunction with the BRA, will be developing additional units in the Charlesview Residences housing complex in Allston as part of the push for more affordable housing. Autler said he was unsure if the added units will be available for student rental.
There will be an extra 69 additional rental units available and up to 118 homeownership units, according to the Charlesview website.
In addition to developing the Charlesview Residences, Harvard also plans to develop a campus in the Allston-Brighton neighborhood and possibly house graduate students there in the future, Palmieri said. However, Allston-Brighton residents continue to express concern about Harvard’s plans for the community.
‘I have no problem with Harvard students living in the area, but I am afraid that current residents will be priced out by the influx of wealthy people,’Allston-Brighton Neighborhood Assembly founder Jake Carman said in an interview.
Carman said Harvard does not seem forthcoming with information on the Charlesview development at public meetings.
‘I feel that Harvard has done a very poor job including Charlesview tenants in the process and keeping other residents in the loop,’ Carman said. ‘As usual, Harvard does not seem to be listening to their neighbors.’
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