Tenants Group Opposes Plans for Craigie Arms

Although tenants in a Harvard-owned apartment complex on Mt. Auburn St. are cooperating with the University's plans for renovation, a group of city tenant activities has announced its opposition to the plans.

Members of the Cambridge Rent Control Task Force-a group of five tenants' organizations, including Harvard Tenant's Union (HTU) have asked the city's rent control board to deny Harvard permission to remove the building's units from the rental market to do the renovations. Arguing before a rent board hearing examiner last week, the members claimed that although tenants at the Craigie Arms apartments reached an agreement with the University to vacate their units, granting Harvard the necessary removal permit would increase the strain on the city's already tight housing market.

A bitter year-long struggle between Harvard and the Craigie Arms tenants ended last month when representatives from both groups negotiated a settlement under which the University would relocate the tenants in other Harvard buildings or pay them to find their own housing.

According to the agreement, the tenants would then drop a complaint they had field with the rent board against Harvard, allowing the University to proceed with planned renovations on the building.

Part of the Harvard-Craigie Arms agreement states that between one-third and one-fourth of the building's units would remain low and moderate income housing after the improvements are completed. But the task force claims that the planned renovations will drive the rent out of that range.

"The work Harvard is describing as renovation doesn't have to be done or can be done in a much less expensive way." Mike Turk, a task force member, said yesterday.

Turk explained that if Harvard is granted the removal permit, Cambridge will lose between 43 to 60 low income units in the building.

In addition, the tenant activists claim that the plan to fund the low income housing is infeasible. As part of the agreement, Housing Associates, a Cambridge based development firm, will buy the building from the University to carry out the renovations, with the University retaining the land rights. The developers hope to get federal and state subsidies for the low income units. But activists are skeptical that such funds will be available in time of severe budget cutting. Housing Associates developer. Robert Kuchn was unavailable for comment yesterday.

Jacqueline O'Neill, director of community relations, said yesterday that the University "will do everything we can do to honor the agreement" with Craigie Arms. She declined to specify any alternatives Harvard is considering to replace federal and state funding if they do not come through.

Withe the hearings completed, the city examiner, James Packer said yesterday that he is waiting for memoranda form Turk and Robert F. Gad III, the University's attorney, so he can begin his report to the rent board, which has the final say in the case.

Both the task force member and University officials agreed that the rent board will probably not hand down its decision until late summer or earth fall.

Officials at the rent control office said yesterday that opposition by an outside group to a removal permit, when the tenants in the building support it is very unusual.

The city ordinance controlling the granting of removal permits lists three specific criteria that must be considered in deciding each case benefits to the owner, hardship caused to low income and elderly tenants, and aggravation of the city's housing crisis