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. . . People have invested in houses and started businesses based on the reasonable expectation that our zoning laws would protect their investments from improper development . . . |
Lesley expansion part of larger trendAt a recent meeting to discuss Lesley University's plans to move the Art Institute of Boston to its Porter Square property, it became apparent that Lesley will need zoning relief for whatever its final plans are. While it is not yet clear just how extreme Lesley's variance requests will be, those of us who expect Cambridge's zoning regulations to provide important neighborhood safeguards find Lesley's casual approach to zoning requirements very troublesome. Like other parts of Cambridge, the Lesley property and its surroundings have been zoned and rezoned over the years as community needs have changed. People have invested in houses and started businesses based on the reasonable expectation that our zoning laws would protect their investments from improper development. For Lesley, or any other developer, to purchase property knowing that their plans will not work without zoning relief sets the problematic precedent that our zoning laws are really just guidelines rather than laws that provide reliable neighborhood protections. As problematic as this basic assumption of zoning relief is Lesley's limiting discussion of the AIB project to its church property at the corner Roseland and Mass Ave, where the AIB will go. Lesley should not be allowed to segment its properties when seeking zoning relief and the future of all of Lesley's holdings in the area should be decided when any relief for the AIB project is granted. Even better, Lesley could do what the Constellation Center is doing in East Cambridge and try to get the area rezoned to allow the AIB project without the need for variances. As we've watched Harvard move or demolish structures for its law school expansion project, it has become ever more apparent that Universities, even relatively small ones like Lesley, do not think like the rest of us when it comes to development. Buildings can be moved, streets can be shut down and seemingly limitless supplies of funds can be raised when Universities decide they need to rearrange their campuses. In the face of such power, the average Cambridge property owner needs to rely more than ever on the protection provided by our zoning laws. Lesley would do well by honoring these protections, and the City would best serve its residents by taking a very skeptical stance on controversial variance requests. Craig Kelley Cambridge City Council |