Students Stand Up For Central Square

About 25 Harvard students joined Cambridge residents last night to protest the planned demolition of several Central Square businesses.

According to Shoshana Weiner '98, Home Realty Trust, the landlord of Central Square Plaza, intends to knock down stores in the plaza to make way for a multi-level complex featuring luxury apartments, chain stores such as the GAP and a parking garage.

Speakers at the rally called for a reconsideration of this plan, citing the lack of affordable housing and products in Central Square.

"We need affordable housing," said James Williamson, a member of the Save Central Square effort and one of the rally's organizers. "We need to respect businesses that have been here 90 years."

Respecting the Elder

The businesses include Sermons, the first black-owned establishment in Central Square; a Greek market; and the Lucy Parsons Center, a bookstore.

Jon Bekken is on the Board of Directors of the Central Square Neighborhood Coalition and a member of the steering committee of the Lucy Parsons Center.

He said Home Realty Trust has a "disregard forthe city."

He said that the leases Trust holds with itstenants have demolition clauses that allow thecompany to evict tenants with four to six monthsnotice in the event of a planned demolition.

Most of them have already left, and the restwill be out by March 31, he said.

"People became complacent about signing theirleases" because Home Reality Trust did not seeminterested in acting on the clause, Bekken said.They were told "nothing would be happening in theshort term," he said.

However, four weeks later, the businesses readabout the planned demolition in the paper.

"That's how much you can trust them," Bekkensaid of his landlord.

Harvard students from the activist group UNITE!and the Progressive Student Labor Movementattended the rally.

"It's really important, especially as a studentat Harvard...to support local communities to be incontrol of their own situation," said Stephanie I.Greenwood '99, a member of both studentorganizations.

"It's part of a larger process around thecountry," she said.

Issac R.S. Hodes '99, who lives in CentralSquare, also stressed the national context of therally.

"It's part of a larger issue about communitycontrol of community resources," he said.

He recalled a similar issue in his home town ofLynn, Mass., where the only local hospital wasknocked down to build a grocery store. "It raisesa lot of similar issues to me," he said.

Other Central Square residents cited similarreasons for attending the rally.

Katt Hernandez, who has been involved with SaveCentral Square, moved to Cambridge from Ann Arbor,Mich., where a similar disagreement came to "atragic conclusion." She said, Central Square"reminded me of what Ann Arbor used to be like...Idon't feel a desire to lose a home twice."

Jeff Duritz, a member of the Local FlavorLeague, said Home Reality Trust is typical ofother developers in the area: "very slick and verysubtle."

Specifically referring to Harvard and MIT,Duritz said they "have an unfair advantage" indevelopment.

"They're buying up properties, and they don'teven pay taxes," he said, referring to theinstitutions' property tax-exempt status underMassachusetts law.

The rally began at Central Square Plaza withseveral speakers. The demonstrators then movednext door to a church for music and food and thento the senior center where the Cambridge PlanningBoard was meeting to discuss Home Reality Trust'sspecial permits request.

According to Bekken, the request before theboard was filed by the Trust in order to expandits planned building beyond the limited height anddensity specifications for the site. If thespecial permits are granted, the Trust will stillneed to obtain a waiver from the Zoning Board.

Bekken said the protesters were pushing thePlanning Board for an extension of the request "toallow full community participation and fullconsideration" of the permits.

The Board adjourned late last night withoutreaching a decision. It will reconsider the issueat a March 17 meeting.

Protesters have circulated petitions in supportof their cause throughout the city.

According to Williamson, more than 3,000Cambridge residents have signed the Save CentralSquare petition, while only 105 signed thepetition opposing Home Reality Trust.

According to Greenwood, 135 Harvard studentssigned petitions supporting the rally'sobjectives.

While soliciting student signatures outside theScience Center, she said, she discovered "lots ofscary opinions on campus" regarding the CentralSquare building campaign

He said Home Realty Trust has a "disregard forthe city."

He said that the leases Trust holds with itstenants have demolition clauses that allow thecompany to evict tenants with four to six monthsnotice in the event of a planned demolition.

Most of them have already left, and the restwill be out by March 31, he said.

"People became complacent about signing theirleases" because Home Reality Trust did not seeminterested in acting on the clause, Bekken said.They were told "nothing would be happening in theshort term," he said.

However, four weeks later, the businesses readabout the planned demolition in the paper.

"That's how much you can trust them," Bekkensaid of his landlord.

Harvard students from the activist group UNITE!and the Progressive Student Labor Movementattended the rally.

"It's really important, especially as a studentat Harvard...to support local communities to be incontrol of their own situation," said Stephanie I.Greenwood '99, a member of both studentorganizations.

"It's part of a larger process around thecountry," she said.

Issac R.S. Hodes '99, who lives in CentralSquare, also stressed the national context of therally.

"It's part of a larger issue about communitycontrol of community resources," he said.

He recalled a similar issue in his home town ofLynn, Mass., where the only local hospital wasknocked down to build a grocery store. "It raisesa lot of similar issues to me," he said.

Other Central Square residents cited similarreasons for attending the rally.

Katt Hernandez, who has been involved with SaveCentral Square, moved to Cambridge from Ann Arbor,Mich., where a similar disagreement came to "atragic conclusion." She said, Central Square"reminded me of what Ann Arbor used to be like...Idon't feel a desire to lose a home twice."

Jeff Duritz, a member of the Local FlavorLeague, said Home Reality Trust is typical ofother developers in the area: "very slick and verysubtle."

Specifically referring to Harvard and MIT,Duritz said they "have an unfair advantage" indevelopment.

"They're buying up properties, and they don'teven pay taxes," he said, referring to theinstitutions' property tax-exempt status underMassachusetts law.

The rally began at Central Square Plaza withseveral speakers. The demonstrators then movednext door to a church for music and food and thento the senior center where the Cambridge PlanningBoard was meeting to discuss Home Reality Trust'sspecial permits request.

According to Bekken, the request before theboard was filed by the Trust in order to expandits planned building beyond the limited height anddensity specifications for the site. If thespecial permits are granted, the Trust will stillneed to obtain a waiver from the Zoning Board.

Bekken said the protesters were pushing thePlanning Board for an extension of the request "toallow full community participation and fullconsideration" of the permits.

The Board adjourned late last night withoutreaching a decision. It will reconsider the issueat a March 17 meeting.

Protesters have circulated petitions in supportof their cause throughout the city.

According to Williamson, more than 3,000Cambridge residents have signed the Save CentralSquare petition, while only 105 signed thepetition opposing Home Reality Trust.

According to Greenwood, 135 Harvard studentssigned petitions supporting the rally'sobjectives.

While soliciting student signatures outside theScience Center, she said, she discovered "lots ofscary opinions on campus" regarding the CentralSquare building campaign