Rent Control Board Says Harvard Rented Illegally

Harvard rented an apartment to a commercial tenant illegally, according to a ruling by the Cambridge Rent Control Board last month.

The board, which oversees enforcement of rent control laws in Cambridge, found that both Harvard and the Ferranti-Dege camera store had violated a city ordinance by renting a residential apartment at 1306 Massachusetts Ave. to a commercial tenant.

According to city rent control ordinances, some apartments are reserved for residential tenants at lower rates than those available for businesses. Landlords and commercial tenants are restricted from renting these apartments without special permission from the Rent Control Board.

"[Harvard] claimed that they did not know when they rented it that it was to a commercial tenant," said Margaret Drury, the executive director of the board.

Drury said that Harvard and Ferranti-Dege agreed to vacate the apartment and return it to residential housing.

"They acted as expeditiously as possible," Drury said.

Drury said the board would not seek to punish Harvard since it agreed to settle the situation quickly.

Harvard real estate officials could not be reached for comment.

But Michael Turk, president of the Harvard Tenants Union and a housing activist, said that the board should have taken Harvard to court.

"I think maybe the board was too timid," he said. "I think there's reason for the board to take some sanctions."

City Council Wrap-Up

In other city news, the City Council yesterday held a hearing on a proposal to enter Cambridge into a state-run recycling program that would require all residents to separate recyclable trash from other rubbish.

The proposal, presented by John Schall of the state Bureau of Solid Waste, will help Cambridge and other nearby communities save money and landfill space on waste disposal.

Residents would be required under law to bring two waste containers to the curb weekly: one filled with recyclable trash and one with everything else. The city would then transport the recyclable rubbish to a sorting and processing plant which would sell the materials to industries.

Schall estimated that the city could save more than $100,000 in waste disposal costs under the plan.

Also last night, the council appointed Acting City Clerk Joseph E. Connarton to take over the position permanently.

Connarton, who has worked in the city clerk's office for 13 years, has been filling in for the current city clerk, Paul Healy, who recently announced that he would resign on October 15.