Residents Clash Over Revised Charlesview Relocation

Allston residents demanded further revisions to the planned relocation of the Charlesview Apartments, while others who live in the complex urged that the plan go forward at a crowded and contentious Monday meeting -- the first public discussion since Harvard agreed to add 1.74 acres of land to the proposed new home for the apartments.

The current Charlesview Apartments, an aging concrete complex that sits at the entrance of the University’s new Allston campus, is slated to be relocated as part of a land swap agreement with the University, filed in February of 2008. The first redevelopment design proposed 12 taller buildings spread across 6.91 acres of Harvard-owned property about a half-mile away on Western Avenue at the Brighton Mills shopping center. The new plans -- proposed in July by non-profit developers Charlesview Inc. and The Community Builders -- would instead have more than double that number of low-rise buildings on 8.65 acres that include the additional land from Harvard.

But improvements in the current proposal were not good enough, Allston and Brighton residents said. A handful of community members picketed along Western Avenue before the meeting, chanting “"A better plan is what we need; we say no to Harvard's greed.”

"The project is fundamentally flawed," said Harry Mattison, an Allston resident and member of the Harvard Allston Task Force, an advisory panel of local residents appointed by the Mayor. "It doesn't matter how much talent you have trying to design the project if you don't have enough land."

The initial proposal for relocating the dilapidated 213-unit Charlesview apartment drew criticism for its overcrowded housing, insufficient parking, and disproportionately high number of rental units.

Last night, residents denounced the new plan for continuing to economically segregate housing, as the more expensive complexes would still be concentrated along the river. More public park land and retail space was needed, they added.

But amid the brouhaha of objections raised, several Charlesview residents lashed out at their neighbors for attempting to delay the move, thereby forcing them to remain in the aging apartments while the developers modify the proposal again. One community member attested to the poor living conditions, describing the use of tarp to direct rainwater leaking from the roof into buckets placed along the hallways.

"I'm so sick of waiting," said Phyllis Lingley, 83, who has been living in the Charlesview apartments for 40 years. "This has been going on for years, and we haven't seen a damn thing built."

She joined the majority of Charlesview residents in indicating that they wanted the Boston Redevelopment Authority to go ahead with the proposal.

The palpable tensions from over 100 people crowded into the meeting room built as frustrated Allston and Brighton residents pointed accusatory fingers at Harvard and called for the Boston Redevelopment Authority to reject the proposal until it met their expectations.

Since the land swap negotiations, Harvard has "washed its hands" of Charlesview development plans, residents alleged. Though the University is not directly involved with developing the proposal, several residents said Harvard should take a more active role in shaping relocation plans.

Kevin A. McCluskey '76, Harvard's senior director of community relations for Boston, reminded the community members during the meeting that University President Drew G. Faust had made clear earlier this year that the pace at which Harvard expands has slowed in light of the turbulent economic climate.

"Our responsibility from the very beginning was to respect the Charlesview board," McCluskey said in an interview after the meeting. He added that he hopes residents will not overlook the "broader impact" Harvard has had on the community, citing initiatives such as the education portal opened last summer.

--Staff writer June Q. Wu can be reached at junewu@fas.harvard.edu.