Craigie Tenants Complain Of Relocation Problems

After negotiating a settlement last month to a bitter, year-long dispute with Harvard, a group of tenants at a Mt Auburn St apartment complex slated for renovations are complaining that the University has failed to meet its agreement to relocate them

The 12 tenants seeking to relocate from the Craigie Arms Apartments maintain that Harvard Real Estate, Inc. (HRE) has not made a sufficient number of apartments available to them. They also charge that the units offered to them do not meet the guidelines agreed upon in negotiations four weeks ago

In an effort to end tenant opposition to a #2.5-million renovation proposed for the 80 year-old building. HRE which owns a lease on the land, and Housing Associates, the Cambridge-based developer that bought the building to carry out the renovations, signed a complicated agreement that requires HRE to give the tenants "priority for relocation to Harvard owned property or the equivalent" and guarantees them certain lease and rent incentives

The developer's plans to renovate the building hinge on a successful relocation. As their part of the settlement, the tenants in the building during the negotiations agreed to support Harvard efforts to remove the complex from the city's tight housing market The rent board has never granted a removal permit for so many units, and tenant approval is considered vital.

A majority of tenants elected to take the other option-a straight $5000 cash settlement present in the agreement and independents find a new landload.

Those tenants remaining with HRE claim that the housing agency hired by HRE to over see the relocation is limiting the number of apartments each tenant is shown

Robert H Kuehn Jr. of Housing Associates, and a University representative who asked not to be identified, both stated yesterday that Harvard plans to honor the May settlement, but an unforeseen housing shortage has temporarily prevented HRE from offering more units HRE-president Sally Zeckhauser and Tenant Relations Director Lorraine Wade refused to comment yesterday on the tenants complaints "The University position on this particular situation is to see [the relocation] implemented with a minimum of fuss," the Universityrepresentative said.

Despite assurances by HRE officials during the negotiations that a sufficient number of units would be vacant by summer to accommodate the relocation, tenants said yesterday that only five units in Harvard-ownedbuildings are being shown to be group. Some tenants expressed skepticism that more apartments are not vacant and complained that HRE has not providedthem with a more complete list of available units.

"There was less turnover in the Harvard housing stock than anticipated,"Kuehn explained, adding, "we were counting on a fairly hefty opening afterthe school semester ended and it didn't happen."

But much of the May agreement depends on the tenants being relocated in a Harvard building. AS part of the settlement, the tenants were guaranteed a lease for four years and notification before they signed a lease of any capital improvements that would increase the monthly rent.Kuehn said the stipulation could not be guaranteed despite its presencein the contract if a landlord other than Harvard was involved.

"The phrase in the agreement" or the equivalent is meaningless."Richard Russell, a tenant spokesman said. "There is no equivalent-theprovisions are specific to Harvard."

In addition, the tenants complain that the few Harvard-owned units they are being shown do not meet the specific guidelines for apartmentsize and rent ceilings agreed upon in the settlement.

Kuehn said that the rent figures mentioned in the agreement are onlyaverages, and rising costs have driven rents higher than anticipated.

Harvard is the largest single landlord in Cambridge. Most of the University's housing stock is concentrated in prime buildings surroundingthe Square Jim Tarry, another Tenant, said the group is willing toaccept an apartment in a non-Harvard owned building, but the few shown were a drastic departure from their current standard of living.

The units "fell short of acceptability, let alone desirability.""Tarry said, adding that the apartments" were all real grundgy and inlousy neighborhoods."

The tenants also say that HRE and Madge DiNitto Associates, the agency contracted to supervise the relocation, unilaterally set a limit of two referrals for each tenant

Tenants who have seen available apartments have received letters from the agency informing them that they have one or no referrals left.

"There was some talk of three as an acceptable minimum or average."Tarry said, "but two is a number that's been pulled from a hat." Headded that between six and eight of the tenants have used both their referrals.

"No one is going to be a stickler about the number of units offered,"Kuehn stated adding that "the burden is on us to satisfy, not the reverse."

Kuehn explained that he asked the letters be sent as a record" to insure tenants were notified of available apartments and to prevent" window shopping forever.