Local Residents Oppose Schools Buying Property

Cambridge residents met last night to organize plans of action against Harvard and other non-profit organizations that are purchasing large amounts of Cambridge residential property.

John Riseman, a Cambridge resident, will present tonight a petition signed by Cambridge residents to the City Council Ordinance Committee to hold "construction permits, demolition permits and new occupancy permits by tax exemption institutes."

The City yesterday released a statement outlining three plans of action: a moratorium on sale of residential property to non-profit organizations, zoning petitions and home-rule petitions. The council proposed to contain Cambridge-area universities' growth, a Cambridge resident said last night.

State law does not allow the passage of legislation preventing non-profit organizations from purchasing residential property.

City Councilor David A. Wylie said last night that eight out of nine councilors voted on a petition from Agassiz area residents for down-zoning.

"It's been a long time since I've seen such unity on the Council," he said, adding the struggle is a long one and "you have to have staying power."

The meeting of about 50 people included complaints that non-profit organizations often abuse their status.

Residents at the meeting said one abuse is non-profit organizations that falsely claim to be schools, such as one group that is building a structure with an underground pool, squash court and a sunken Japanese garden.

Many residential communities are zoned to allow small buildings to be torn down and replaced by new, taller ones for institutional or commercial use, residents said.

Other tax-exempt organizations may also purchase private homes and convert them into dormitories, they added.

Residents said they believed the main problem with tax-exempt organizations is that they an afford to pay much more than a single buyer for a piece of property.