Allston Residents Talk Future Access Points to Charles River

The Harvard Allston Task Force met on Wednesday for the first time since last spring to discuss the implementation of the University’s $43 million community benefits package and the results of a Harvard-funded study on possible connections between North Allston and the Charles River.

The meeting marked the start of what Boston Redevelopment Authority senior project manager Gerald Autler described as an “intensive” task force meeting schedule, with four more meetings in September and October, compared to just once a month earlier last spring.

“You might ask ‘why so many meetings?’,” Autler said. “There are a couple of development projects that Harvard wants to move forward with … The BRA and Harvard wanted to give people ample opportunity to react.”

Updates on Harvard’s development provided by BRA and University representatives included refurbishing neighborhood sidewalks and planting trees on Everett Street, allocating funds through Harvard’s Housing Initiative, and reporting on the status of the flexible fund included in the University’s community benefits package for Allston.

While the University has allocated $5.35 million to that fund, intended for a variety of neighborhood improvements, the membership of the advisory board that will manage the fund has yet to be announced.

“You’re going to be part of the decision-making process on how those funds get allocated,” said Kevin Casey, Harvard’s associate vice president for public affairs and communications. “That will be decided by an advisory board that is being appointed by the BRA.”

Representatives from the Boston Redevelopment Authority, left, including Gerald Autler addressed members of the Harvard-Allston Task Force during its first meeting in over 100 days on April 8 to discuss the North Allston/North Brighton Housing Stabilization Program, ongoing construction and demolitions at the SEAS complex and Charlesview apartments, and the renewal of Everett Street. By Y. Kit Wu

The majority of the meeting was spent discussing the results of a $150,000 feasibility study evaluating possible locations for crossings along Soldiers Field Road that will improve access to the Charles. Out of four locations studied, the Everett Street intersection and the pedestrian bridge at Telford Street were the best candidates for improvement, according to Harvard senior manager for transportation Joseph G. Beggan, who presented the results.

A July report from the BRA said that an at-grade crossing would be “feasible with signal modification and other intersection improvements” at the Everett Street intersection, and that the Telford Street pedestrian bridge could be made Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant, perhaps as part of a larger renovation effort. Beggan said the $3.35 million budget allocated for the crossings as part of Harvard’s community benefits package could cover both projects, including design and construction costs.

Task force members expressed enthusiasm for the projects and interest in moving it ahead on an accelerated timeline, perhaps even aiming for a construction date early next year.

Autler, for his part, thought the community should take more time at future meetings to consider the broader context of the construction project and discuss where funds might come from to cover any additional costs.

“This is not just about getting people in the neighborhood to the river,” Autler said. “It’s about getting all the people who go to the river … into the neighborhood to get sandwiches and ice cream and whatever else they’re craving from neighborhood businesses.”

—Staff writer Ignacio Sabate can be reached at ignacio.sabate@thecrimson.com . Follow him on Twitter @TheIggySabate.

—Staff writer Luca F. Schroeder can be reached at luca.schroeder@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @lucaschroeder.