University Presents Construction Plans to Neighbors

University officials presented local residents with an outline of the Harvard Law School (HLS) expansion process and an update on science construction at a meeting of the Agassiz Neighborhood Council last night.

With fewer than 10 neighborhood residents in attendance, Harvard representatives outnumbered community members for much of the meeting.

Thomas J. Lucey, Harvard’s director of community relations for Cambridge, said that HLS expansion plans center around 23 Everett St., the current home of the HLS day care center.

Lucey said that Wyeth Hall, a dormitory, may be demolished and two wood frame houses moved to open up swing space for larger construction.

HLS has finished its conceptual planning, to identify the needs of students and faculty. But Lucey emphasized the nascent nature of the project.

“They are moving slowly, maybe a tad more slowly than we expected,” Lucey said. “We’re just starting to think about buildings and site plans.”

Lucey emphasized to neighbors, “If, ta-da, there’s been a breakthrough, we would certainly let you know.”

The HLS development will represent the second phase of Harvard’s expansion in the North Yard, home to the Agassiz neighborhood.

After years of wrangling, neighborhood representatives reached an agreement with the University in December 2003 which will allow Harvard to carry out 1.6 million square feet of construction over the next 25 years in return for providing millions of dollars worth of benefits to the community.

The first phase—currently underway—and the third phase of the expansion center around the science facilities of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Harvard Divinity School will also undergo expansion.

At yesterday’s meeting, Project Manager Tom Murray provided an update on the construction of the Northwest Science Building, which received the city Planning Board’s approval in February.

Estimating three years until completion, he said the building should be ready for occupation by May 2007. Landscaping will be completed in the spring of 2008, he said.

The building, to be located on Oxford Street, will total 210,000 square feet above ground and another 260,000 square feet underground. It will house research laboratories for approximately 30 faculty members.

Carol Weinhaus, who lives opposite the site, expressed concern that the construction will cause her apartment building to shake.

“We had terrible problems before [when the parking lot was constructed], so I just wanted to see what we could do to mitigate them,” Weinhaus said.

But Weinhaus praised the construction mitigation team for its response to neighbors’ concerns, calling them “terrific.”

Construction on another science building, the Biological Research Infrastructure, has been delayed after a major fire in February caused millions of dollars of damage. The Cambridge Fire Department is investigating the cause of the fire, Harvard officials said.

Among the various benefits provided to the community, officials said Harvard is currently planning to build temporary traffic calming measures around Everett Street and the Baldwin School. The University also announced its intended partnership with the Baldwin School last night, in which middle school science classes will take field trips to the construction sites.

—Staff writer Natalie I. Sherman can be reached at nsherman@fas.harvard.edu.