Fenway community members voiced their concerns surrounding tension points between the Berklee College of Music and the community at the Fenway Neighborhood Improvement Committee meeting on Tuesday, September 9.
Berklee’s President Jim Lucchese answered resident questions surrounding space constraints, visual appeal, community engagement, and maintaining a sense of place within the neighborhood.
Many of the concerns coincided with the school’s strategic plan for additional instructional and residential space.
While Lucchese says the school does not look to expand upon its student population in numbers, they hope to find more space that can be “modular” and “smaller” to reflect the changing creative world.
This year, the school leased 1249 Boylston Street, which was previously going unused.
“There are frustrations around space scarcity, housing challenges, and even some of the affordability challenges that our students face that are also reflected in the community around us,” Lucchese said. “So [the plan] hits on some of the areas that I think are ways to connect more around the performance of students and find more opportunities for people to be together.”
Although community members in attendance widely praised the school for their exceptional talent, many also expressed concerns when it came to street cleanliness and other dead window space alongside Massachusetts Avenue.
The neighborhood’s Joanne McKenna, who lives along the street, echoed others’ approval for the new building lease, but also their concerns for the underutilized real estate space and street safety.
“As far as the experience of living in the neighborhood goes with the students, I find that I'm responding to issues rather than Berkeley staff anticipating impact on the neighborhood in terms of street closures or amplified noise on the plaza,” McKenna said. “Staff is always very responsive, but it's frustrating that we can't agree to some things in advance so I don't have to respond to problems.”
Other issues or requests stated by McKenna and others included wanting easier access for Fenway neighbors to attend Berklee performances and updates to the Berklee Art Windows Project, which is meant to display community art along Massachusetts Avenue.
Lucchese and other Berklee staff members assured residents that they are in discussion with how to utilize empty street fronts, as well as ensure community members can attend certain student performances.
In addition, the Fenway Civic Association’s Kathy McBride mentioned that addressing an update to the art windows project is something the organization is hoping to further collaborate with. McBride also echoed the association’s continued plans to collaborate with Berklee students for park cleanups and care.
“When you walk these streets, they should feel like one of the most musical neighborhoods in one of the most creative neighborhoods in the country,” Lucchese said. “There's a lot of work to do that and to do it thoughtfully.”
