Is there a point to this vague personal attack? It would be great to have a principled discussion about what would be the best possible development of Barry's Corner, but is this discussion group only for people who don't say critical things about Harvard?
Living as I do in a neighborhood which has seen Harvard build two new buildings in the past eight years, renovate a third, and just receive approval -- after being sent back to the drawing board because of massing-- for a residence hall on an intersection with as much traffic as Barry's Corner, and all this was done without the
sturm und drang that seems to accompany nearly everything Harvard does, proposes to do, pr contemplates doing in North Allston.
This is a community that opposed density in the new Charlesview (and objects still to the density of the deferred condo mid-rise part of Charlesview), and yet now seeks density at Barry's Corner? This is a community that now wants Harvard to build residential units for young families, but not families who happen to be headed by graduate students? This is a community half of whom applaud a new pizza restaurant, while the other half reject any establishment that can serve pizza with alcohol. This is a community that decries a row of vacant storefronts, knowing they would soon be demolished. This is a community, some of whom complained about the prospect of visitors to a modest-sized art gallery at Barry's Corner being able to see into backyards. And this is a community that seems none too happy about the Skating Club moving a few streets down.
The problem with any plan for Barry's Corners is that Harvard, the city, and the community won't discuss the elephant in the room, which is the Smith playground. Move the playground and then Barry's Corner has real potential. Leave the playground, and the development of Barry's Corner will be piecemeal, incremental, and, at the end, more likely a hodge podge than not. (As it is, I believe Harvard still does not own two of the parcels in the so-called keystone block on the southeast corner of Barry's Corner. Is Harvard going to buy these, build around them, or wait until nearly forever?)
I can appreciate that in a community where 80 percent of the households are renting, and their median age suggests they're highly transient. that a community would not want to reinforce those values, but to reverse such really can only be done with density; the land is far too scarce in this area to do otherwise.
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Finally, when the media consistently seek out a source when they want an attributable quote regarding the glass being half full, or a quarter full, or fully empty, then one should not complain about how one's published views are perceived.
