Working with the Cambridge community

Lesley has been engaged in meaningful conversation with the City of Cambridge, neighbors and neighborhood groups throughout the planning process. Central to these conversations was the Lesley/Neighborhood Working Group (LNWG), a committee of volunteer neighbors assembled by the Cambridge Community Development Department which met with Lesley administrators beginning in 2006 to discuss not only the relocation of the Art Institute, but the University’s overall Campus Plan.

In conversations with the LNWG and regular attendance with the Agassiz Neighborhood Council and the Porter Square Neighbors Association, Lesley’s planning has incorporated numerous community priorities, including:

Open space

The current plan includes open space comprising 33% of the site, in excess of zoning requirements, and Lesley is engaging a landscape architect to ensure the plaza in front of the project is warm, welcoming and an enhancement of the Massachusetts Avenue experience. In addition, as part of AIB planning, Lesley will make improvements to the rear parking lot edge of University Hall – creating a greener edge along Roseland Street.

Enhance Massachusetts Avenue

While planning for interior spaces is not yet complete, uses at the sidewalk level on Massachusetts Avenue will be the most publicly-accessible spaces. AIB’s premier art gallery, an arts commons and an arts library will together create the public face of the school and enliven Massachusetts Avenue with activity, light, and cultural events that enhance the character of Porter Square.

Plan in a context beyond this project

Lesley University owns several parcels that comprise its Porter Campus. The largest among these is University Hall, originally built for the Sears Roebuck Company, which has been transformed into a model of mixed-use, adaptive re-use, and smart-growth development. Today University Hall is home to Lesley’s School of Education, University classrooms, lecture halls and labs, as well as a vibrant retail operation on the ground floor. In working with neighbors, Lesley suspended AIB planning in order to complete a long-range campus plan. The campus plan, supported by Lesley's neighbors, sets a framework for campus planning and development at the University. As result of this collaborative effort, a change in zoning was adopted by the City of Cambridge that allows AIB's relocation to proceed, within the context of the campus plan and the University's other properties in Porter Square.

Next Steps

Cambridge Historical Commission: June 2010 - Application for Certificate of Appropriateness

Cambridge Planning Board: Fall 2010 - Application for Special Permit