Razing a Nursery, Raising a Museum

Sitting in the shadow of Harvard's Peabody Terrace, Mahoney's Garden Center regularly boasts a full parking lot and a continuously-ringing cash register.

"There's something about this place, even though it's a private business, that makes it feel like a public space," one regular says. "It's like our little neighborhood botanical garden."

But although Mahoney's has no lack of business and recently renewed its lease until the spring of 2003, its landlord--the neighboring Harvard University--has made it clear that Mahoney's will not be a permanent fixture on Harvard land, prompting some residents to organize against University development.

Over the past year, Harvard has targeted Mahoney's Garden Center as the site of a proposed modern art museum along the Charles River, presenting residents with plans for a building to be designed by world-famous architect Renzo Piano.

But last October, the discussion process slowed when the City Council passed the Loose Moratorium, a resident petition to halt development for 18 months in the Riverside neighborhood.

Many residents voiced strong opposition to forcing Mahoney's out of the neighborhood, saying Harvard should not further encroach into resident's back yards.

Now, six months later, the University is returning to Riverside, ready to reopen discussions on development but sticking to their guns and insisting they will be taking over of the property in the near future.

Back to the Table

Tomorrow at the Martin Luther King Jr. School in Riverside, discussions between the city of Cambridge, Harvard officials and Riverside residents will begin in the form of a study committee to look into planning and development issues in the Riverside neighborhood.

The 17-member study committee commissioned by the city will examine growth and development issues in the already-congested area, ranging from traffic impact to environmental concerns--and most importantly, the University's future presence in the area.

Travis McCready, Harvard's director of community relations for Cambridge, will serve on the committee, which will also include 15 residents as well as a representative of a local community center.

Cob Carlson, a Riverside resident who will serve on the committee, says the study is needed to give residents input on how development occurs in Riverside.

"Citizens should have the power to determine how they want their neighborhood to look," Carlson says. "We should be able to shape how development happens."

After tomorrow's meeting, residents will also elect officers for the Riverside Neighborhood Group, a newly formed organization intended to present and protect neighborhood interests.

Harvard officials say they hope the renewed discussions will allow them to present their thoughts on the museum after a halt in discussions for the last several months.

"I think it's important that we shed some light on real and perceived impacts and what this museum project will be, because I think there may be some misunderstanding," Harvard's McCready says.

And McCready adds that Harvard will try to coordinate its own ongoing efforts in developing the museum proposal with the different interests of the city by continuing independent studies on issues such as traffic impact, making its results available to the study committee and residents.

"Our hope is that the two processes-both Harvard's to talk about impact, and the process to talk about the whole neighborhood-can work together," McCready says.

The Debate

While Harvard hopes to continue discussion, many residents have stated they want no further development in the Riverside neighborhood, and that they hope Harvard would consider leaving the land as it is.

A sign hanging from a third story window of a residence directly behind the Mahoney's Garden Center reads, "No Harvard Buildings Here--Save Our Neighborhood."

Some residents have proposed that the University take its plans for an art museum across the Charles River to its new land holdings in Allston.

But University officials have repeatedly said that there is no plan to leave the space for Mahoney's.

"There are no thoughts of abandoning this site," McCready says. "The thing that folks are going to have to get used to is that we're not talking about the museum or nothing, the museum or the status quo. We're talking about the museum or something else," he says.

The University's stance has mobilized a group of citizens who are concerned that any Harvard building will cut off open space and access to the Charles River in a way the current low-lying Mahoney's greenhouses do not.

In addition to the study committee, Carlson says he will also join the still-unnamed group opposing Harvard Riverside development, a group separate from the Riverside Neighborhood Group.

"Our group will be made up of people who have already made up their minds, and think that this museum proposal is an inappropriate use of the land," Carlson says. "Harvard is encroaching too much into our neighborhood."

The group plans efforts to protest Harvard's museum plans, such as a letter-writing campaign to University President-elect Lawrence H. Summers, or possibly handing out leaflets at this year's Commencement.

Some residents, however, have become accustomed to the idea of Harvard developing the Mahoney's site and say a museum is preferable to other possible Harvard uses.

"If they were building an academic or institutional building, I would feel differently," says Mahoney's customer and Cambridge resident Holly Kreider. "But if it's a museum, I don't mind."

McReady says he hopes the renewed discussion process might bring more residents to see Kreider's point of view.

"It's my belief that museums are neighborhood-friendly and community-friendly, with low impact," McReady says.

And while the University and residents mobilize on both sides of the issue, in the meantime, Mahoney's manager James Hohmann says that the nursery will continue to perform its function in the Riverside neighborhood, serving as a quality small-scale nursery for the Cambridge and Boston area, as well as a public garden for local residents.

"I think the residents love us," Hohmann says. "A lot of people come here on bike or foot just to take walks and visit the greenhouse and look at plants."

And Hohmann hopes this will not end because of Harvard development.

"We hope Harvard extends our lease forever," Hohmann says. "We add a lot to this spot, and we don't want to leave."

--Staff Writer Imtiaz H. Delawala can be reached at delawala@fas.harvard.edu