Institutional Master Plan HARVARD UNIVERSITY’S CAMPUS IN ALLSTON | JULY 2013 Appendices Table of Contents A. Scoping Determination and Response to Comment Letters B. Public Realm Guidelines Supplement C. Transportation Study Harvard University’s Campus in Allston | IMP Appendices July 2013 APPENDIX A: Scoping Determination & Response to Comment Letters Appendix A: Responses to Comments BRA Scoping Determination and Letters Received on the IMPNF Boston Redevelopment Authority Scoping Determination BRA Urban Design Scoping Determination Comments (David Grissino) Boston Environment Department Boston Landmarks Commission) Boston Water and Sewer Commission Boston Parks and Recreation Department Boston Police Department Boston Transportation Department Boston City Council District 9 The Harvard Allston Task Force Charles River Conservancy Charles River Watershed Association/ MAPC Kimberly S. Courtney, Esq. Matthew Danish Paula and Robert Alexander Tim McHale Joyce Radnor Art and Al Boright Appendix A Page 1 Response to Comments IMP Harvard University’s Campus in Allston March 29, 2013 Ms. Katherine Lapp, Executive Vice President Harvard University Massachusetts Hall Cambridge, MA 02138 Re: Institutional Master Plan Scoping Determination Dear Ms. Lapp: Please find enclosed the Scoping Determination for the proposed Harvard University Institutional Master Plan. The Scoping Determination describes information required by the Boston Redevelopment Authority in response to the Institutional Master Plan Notification Form, which was submitted under Article 80D of the Boston Zoning Code on October 19, 2012. Additional information may be required during the course of the review of the proposals. If you have any questions regarding the Scoping Determination or the review process, please contact me at (617) 918-4438. Sincerely, Gerald Autler Senior Project Manager / Planner cc: Peter Meade Kairos Shen Linda Kowalcky Angela Holm In 2005, the BRA published the North Allston Strategic Framework for Planning (“NASFP”). The NASFP contains a conceptual vision for the future of the area between the Massachusetts Turnpike and the Charles River. Although it is clear that, given the conceptual nature of the NASFP, many of the specific elements of the vision will not be realized in the form that they appear in the document, the vision is based on planning goals and principles that enjoy broad support from North Allston residents, businesses, institutions, and community groups, among them the following: • The transformation of Barry’s Corner into an active “main street” neighborhood center. • Opportunities for physical and programmatic connections between the Harvard community and the surrounding population. • Improved public realm and “placemaking” with active streets and public spaces. • Improved green spaces, particularly the opportunity for improved connections to the Charles River parkland. • Improved transportation options and a more sustainable transportation system. • Leveraging of Harvard’s development for economic and community benefit. On January 11, 2007, Harvard University (“Harvard” or the “University”) submitted an Institutional Master Plan Notification Form (“IMPNF”) to the Boston Redevelopment Authority (“BRA”) pursuant to the provisions of Section 80D of the Boston Zoning Code (the “Code”), in order to initiate the process for review and approval of an Institutional Master Plan (“IMP”) that outlined a 50-year master plan and requested approval for a 20-year program of development and associated infrastructure investments for the Allston campus. Changes in the economy and the University’s finances and leadership led to a rethinking of Harvard’s plans in Allston. The University didn’t file a response to the BRA’s Scoping Determination and, despite proceeding with Tata Hall and the Harvard Innovation Lab through amendments to the existing Institutional Master Plan, focused on the effort of the “Work Team” that was charged with thinking about the University’s future in Allston. In October, 2012, Harvard filed a new IMPNF for a 10-year IMP that includes nine Proposed Institutional Projects, as well as an outline of framework elements including open space and transportation systems. While recognizing the changed circumstances and the recalibrated scope of Harvard’s ambitions in Allston, the BRA nevertheless considers this IMP an opportunity to achieve, or at least set the stage for, the goals stated above. In addition, the IMP is a vehicle for advancing other shared goals that have been part of the conversation about Harvard’s future in Allston at least since the development of the NASFP and that have been expressed in Harvard’s filings, the BRA’s Scoping Determinations, and the Community Wide Plan (CWP) undertaken by the BRA. It is important to recognize the broader context in which the IMP will be developed. Specifically, there are a number of work items that will both inform and be informed by the IMP, whether or not they are technically part of the review or treated explicitly in this Scoping Determination. These include: • Implementation of the community benefits associated with the Science Complex, acknowledging that some specific items may be modified. • Ongoing work to create a community benefits package to be associated with the new IMP. • Review of other projects that have a bearing on the future Barry’s Corner. • Discussion of Statement of Principles for all Harvard-owned land in Allston and ongoing, focused efforts to create positive change outside of the immediate IMP Area. This includes, for example, a discussion of the Brookline Machine site, potential public realm Harvard Allston Campus IMP Scoping Determination Page 1 improvements such as the greening of Everett Street, and enhanced connections to the planned new commuter rail station. While the BRA acknowledges the reality of Harvard’s recalibration of its ambitions and recognizes that Harvard’s development will span many years, there is still a need to advance key improvements of mutual interest and to create a better shared understanding of the future of all of Harvard’s landholdings. The remainder of this document sets forth specific submission requirements for the Institutional Master Plan. It also serves as a statement of the BRA’s view of key planning issues and goals. This reflects the BRA’s view that the IMP must be about more than just projects; it must articulate the vision and principles that will guide development of Harvard’s land in Allston, and it must explain how each proposed project will serve to advance and support the overall vision. As such, there will inevitably be a tension between, on the one hand, the need to advance detailed plans and projects in some areas and, on the other hand, the desire for more long-term, comprehensive thinking about the future of all Harvard’s landholdings and the neighborhood at large. The BRA looks forward to an ongoing dialogue about how to best achieve the proper balance through the IMP and the other processes mentioned above. Harvard Allston Campus IMP Scoping Determination Page 2 I. PLANNING FRAMEWORK The IMPNF presents information at two scales: the project level and the long-term framework level. While both are necessary, they are not sufficient for an adequate IMP. The IMP will need both an intermediate scale and more detail on how individual projects relate to the larger planning framework. The IMP would benefit from the use of a district approach to further define and organize the planning for the intermediate scale. While it is understood that some areas will undergo more detailed analysis than others, it is important for this IMP to begin to establish the character even of those districts whose development lies farther in the future, as that character will inform decision-making about everything from building programming and design to public realm and open space systems, both now and in the future. This section draws heavily on the letter from the BRA’s Urban Design Department. Although key elements of that letter and the submission requirements set forth therein are incorporated into the text below, the letter itself should be considered an integral part of the Scoping Determination and is incorporated by reference. Key Principles and Goals • Leverage Development for Economic and Community Benefit. One of the core premises underlying the NASFP, as well as all other conversations among Harvard, the BRA, and the community, has been the notion that Harvard’s expansion into Allston holds great promise for the neighborhood, and this promise is vividly illustrated in the examples of Ray Mellone Park, the Harvard Education Portal, and the proposed Barry’s Corner Residential and Retail Commons. The neighborhood will derive benefit from “convergent strategies,” from the ongoing use of Harvard properties to catalyze residential and retail development, from employment opportunities and from negotiated community benefits packages. Whatever form the benefits take, the planning for Harvard’s development in Allston must treat those benefits as an integral component. • Create Placemaking and Activity Centers. One of the central themes in the NASFP and the planning that has followed is the importance of creating new activity centers that draw people from the university, the neighborhood, and the region. Such places are a key element in any successful campus or neighborhood, and in Allston will play a doubly important role as meeting places for the campus and neighborhood communities. In addition to creating memorable architecture