Mellen St. Residents Contest Eviction; Case Set to Go Before District Court

Tenants of a Harvard-owned cooperative house at 8 Mellen St. plan to oppose in court the University's attempt to evict them by December 31.

David Sullivan, a lawyer for the Alliance of Cambridge Tenants, said yesterday the tenants refuse to leave because they claim the city's Rent Control Act prohibits evictions unless the building is declared unliveable. The case will go before the District Court in January, Sullivan added.

"I think Harvard will lose," Sullivan said, adding "their position is ridiculous."

Come and Go

Sally Zeckhauser, president of Harvard Real Estate Inc., said yesterday the building is not covered by the Rent Control Act because it is officially registered as a boarding house for transients.

"We thought we could serve the community better by renovating and converting the building into four or five single-family dwellings on the open market," Zeckhauser said.

Two-Year Stay

The average length of stay for residents of the house is two years, Randy H. Britton, a tenant of the building, said yesterday.

"We wouldn't let anyone stay here if they weren't willing to make a long-term commitment," he added.

The house was originally founded as a residence for foreign students, and has been occupied for the past 15 years by residents sharing household chores and food expenses, Britton said.

Bad Record

Paul R. Kolodner, a neighborhood resident affiliated with the Agassiz Community Council, said yesterday, "This sort of intimidation is the way Harvard deals with the community in general." He added, "Harvard has a bad record of dealing with this neighborhood."

Harvard and Lesley College have been buying up property on that block steadily, Kolodner said.

"We wonder what kind of collusion is going on between them," he added.