Neighbors, This is yet another letter of support for the Lesley-Art Institute of Boston project at the site of the North Prospect Congregational Church on Mass Ave at Porter Square, to join the support letters of the Porter Square Neighborhood Association, the Neighborhood Study Group and, of course, the letters that many of you and I have written. If you have not been counted, try to stop by and sign the letter of support on the bench at my Buena Vista side door. I will make sure the letter reaches the City Council Ordinance Committee meeting today, and is in the informational packet for the final City Council vote on Monday the 22nd. Thanks again! Ruth From: Kathleen Born [mailto:kathyborn@gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, June 17, 2009 10:29 AM To: Council@CambridgeMA.GOV Cc: joshposner@comcast.net; Ruth Ryals; eileenrudden@comcast.net; basking@comcast.net Subject: Lesley Overlay District June 17, 2009 To the Honorable City Council: I want to voice my support for the proposed Lesley Overlay District. It is my understanding that the Zoning Amendment as originally filed is going to be further amended before adoption to increase setbacks from abutting residential areas.
From my point of view, the "church" property on Mass Ave has been inappropriately zoned for many years as a low density residential area. The proposed Overlay District has the advantage of pairing this corrective re-zoning with new height limits for the Lesley-owned parking lots on the opposite side of Mass Ave.
I believe that the arrival of the Art Institute of Boston will add a positive new flavor to Porter Square and that the influx of new people will bolster the retail establishments in the area, as well as hopefully generate new art-related businesses. I am aware that there are neighborhood concerns about the placement of the relocated former church building on the new Lesley development site. I understand that these concerns are focused on vistas and lines of sight from various streets and vantage points. These are legitimate concerns, but not within the purview of the City Council which does not have design review jurisdiction. I also support the Landmark Designation by the City Council for the "church" building. This will mean that the final site design, in particular the placement of the "church" and alterations to it, will have a full design review by the Cambridge Historical Commission. It appears that the current design for the site is quite conceptual in nature, and thus open to the kind of refinement which is typical of the Historical Commission process. Sincerely, Kathleen Born -- Kathleen Leahy Born, AIA, LEED AP 3 Walnut Avenue Cambridge, MA 02140 617-492-0437