Harvard, in Harvard’s Distinctive Way, Admits Planning for Construction on the Mass. Pike Off Ramps
Bob reports:
1. Introductory.
2. Translating Harvard.
3. Internet Resources.
4. History.
5. Harvard's Presentation, February 7, 2006.
6. Harvard's Explanation.
7. Analysis.
1. Introductory.
On February 7, 2006, the Cambridge Planning Board held its annual “Town-Gown” presentations in which various Cambridge higher education institutions report on their development plans and accomplishments.
2. Translating Harvard.
As an undergrad, I studied government with an emphasis on the various major Communist powers. Translating the gobbledygook put on in “news reports” by these entities prepared me well for working with Harvard.
On the touchiest matters, it is not what Harvard says, but what Harvard does not say that is important. There is a lot that Harvard does not say which is of major importance. You just have to know how to read Harvard.
3. Internet Resources.
The key documents are available on line and the omissions are telling.
The key documents are at
A. http://www.cambridgema.gov/~CDD/cp/tg/tg2005/tg_2005_harvard_2.pdf, at page 3 of this Acrobat document (It is at page 24 of the overall document of which the Acrobat document is the second part.) This is one of the two documents Harvard made public at the meeting to show its supposed plans for Allston. Allston is across the river from Cambridge. Allston, in turn, is part of the Brighton neighborhood of Boston.
and at
B. http://www.cambridgema.gov/~CDD/cp/tg/tg2005/tg_2005_harvard_3.pdf, page 2 of this Acrobat document (and page 40 of the overall document of which the Acrobat document is the third part.) This document shows all of Harvard’s property holdings in the Boston/Cambridge, MA area that Harvard admits to.
C. A rather nice map of the key area from Yahoo Maps is: http://maps.yahoo.com/maps_result?addr=10+Brighton+Ave&csz=Allston%2C+MA+02134-2310&state=MA&uzip=02134&ds=n&name=&desc=&lat=42.352133&lon=-71.125798&mlt=42.352133&mln=-71.117861980901&zoomin=yes&BFKey=&mag=2&resize=l&trf=0&compass=n
Eyeballing this map and comparing it to a map of the heart of Boston's Back Bay neighborhood (Charles River - Arlington - Boylston - Mass. Ave.), the land area of the railroad yard / tracks and the Mass. Pike with off ramps, the two areas look quite close to being comparable.
4. History.
Harvard has purchased the off ramps from the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) which connect the Mass. Pike to Cambridge and to Allston-Brighton. As part of the purchase, Harvard also purchased the adjoining railroad yards. The purchase actually includes that part of the Mass. Pike.
One of the keys to the destruction going on on the Cambridge side of the Charles River is a railroad bridge which goes under the BU Bridge connecting Cambridge and Boston over the Charles River. The BU Bridge in turn is the heart of the habitat of the Charles River White Geese in Cambridge. For 25 years the Charles River White Geese lived in peace in the area ½ mile on either side of the BU Bridge on the Charles River and on its banks in Cambridge.
Harvard and the parties that be gave the first public information on their plans for the Cambridge side of the Charles River in 1997. I have been fighting those plans ever since and the plans have unfolded piece by massive piece.
A few years ago, the local transit authority, the MBTA, did a study in which the MBTA proved it feasible to build an off ramp over that railroad bridge under the BU Bridge. The off ramp would connect the Mass. Pike to Cambridge. Three months later, Harvard purchased the existing off ramps from the Mass. Pike along with the railroad yard next to the Mass. Pike.
On the second of my links, page 2 (40), please look slightly below the middle of the map. There you will see the words “Harvard Allston.” Above these words and to the left and right of the words, you will see the Charles River. On the portion of the Charles River to the right of the words, you will see the Western Avenue Bridge and the River Street (Cambridge) / Cambridge Street Bridge (Allston). Further down the river and to the right after it turns, you will see the BU Bridge. This bridge is less clear it is above and to the left of the words “Boston University.” Directly below the BU Bridge is a municipal border showing the boundary between Boston and Brookline.
The Cambridge side of the Charles River is above the river on the map. The habitat of the Charles River White Geese is ½ mile to the left (west) of the BU Bridge and ½ mile to the right (east) of the BU Bridge.
Cambridge Street, Allston is to the left of the Cambridge Street / River Street Bridge.
The massive red area below Cambridge Street, Allston is the area Harvard purchased three months after the MBTA proved the off ramp viable from the Mass. Pike to Cambridge on the railroad bridge under the BU Bridge. It is not at all surprising that the railroad bridge under the BU Bridge does not show on Harvard’s map.
This massive red area purchased by Harvard is generally triangular in shape. The lower/ left portion of the triangle is railroad yards operated by Guilford Transportation. The upper/right area is the off ramps from the Mass. Pike and the Mass. Pike. The area purchased stretches out in a thin line below the triangle toward the BU Bridge. It almost reaches the BU Bridge. This thin area contains the railroad tracks which connect the rail yard purchased by Harvard to the rail bridge under the BU Bridge.
5. Harvard's Presentation, February 7, 2006.
Harvard’s presentation showed the red area ABOVE Cambridge Street on this map.
If you will look at the first of my links (page 3/24), you will see the first of the two maps Harvard showed the Planning Board and the public of Harvard’s holdings in Allston on February 7, 2006. The bottom of the map is generally Cambridge Street, Allston, with a curved area cut out. The Mass. Pike off ramps purchased by Harvard extend into that cut out curved area.
On February 7, 2006, Harvard showed another map of their Allston holdings which also did not include the Mass. Pike / railroad yards area. That map included the area in the page 3/24 map and property owned to the left (west) of the page 3/24 map.
The area purchased generally south of Cambridge Street, the Mass. Pike / railroad yards area, is equal in size to a very major part of the prime Harvard holdings in Cambridge. The purchased area equals Harvard Yard PLUS Harvard’s North Yard (Law School, some science, some art) PLUS about half of Harvard’s Divinity School / science area COMBINED.
This recently purchased are is the area Harvard did not show on its presentation in the Town Gown report.
6. Harvard's Explanation.
I raised the omission calling it glaring.
Harvard responded by saying that it was currently and in the near future impossible to build ON THE RAILROAD YARDS portion of the purchased area.
Harvard, in Harvard’s normal manner, SAID NOTHING about the current or near term viability of building on the Mass. Pike or the Mass. Pike off ramps.
Building on the Mass. Pike and its off ramps is EXACTLY what the various environmental destruction / machinations on the Cambridge side of the Charles River is putting in place.
A framework is being very cruelly established to accept an off ramp from the Mass. Pike in Cambridge and on Memorial Drive, an off ramp which would replace the off ramp Harvard bought and is “neglecting” to show in its public presentations concerning Allston development.
7. Analysis.
Why the omission?
Harvard ALWAYS keeps touchy things as secret as possible until it is too late to beat them.
The machinations putting in place construction on the off ramps from the Mass. Pike are anything but certain. Those machinations are highly destructive.
Those machinations are being pushed ruthlessly, including the current heartless starvation attacks on the Charles River White Geese. Among other things, there is also a major matter of more than 449 to 660 trees being destroyed in the process.
