Boston Says Yes to Harvard's Allston Expansion

Bring it: The Boston Redevelopment Authority on Thursday approved Harvard's 1.4 million-square-foot expansion into Allston, capping eons of debate and igniting at least a decade of development, give or take.

Recall that the original plan was for 10 million square feet of new space in total. More than that, Harvard's push into Allston was meant to slake the university's demands for a half-century, a sweeping vision of long-term town-gown planning, including reconfigured bridges over the Charles River; lots of new undergraduate housing; and a performing-arts pavilion at Barry's Corner.

Then! The Great Recession stepped into the picture and community (and political) concerns proved especially vociferous. So 10 million square feet shrank to 1.4 million. And, perhaps more importantly, a half-century shrank to a decade or so. We'll see what happens.
· Both Mayoral Candidates Look to Remake BRA [Globe]
· Harvard's 10M-Square-Foot Allston Plan [Curbed Boston]
· Menino to Harvard: Hold It Right There [Curbed Boston]