Cambridge Planning Board Receives Annual Campus Updates From Lesley and Harvard

CAMBRIDGE -- February 13, 2024, Cambridge Planning Board hears annual town-gown campus reports from Lesley University and Harvard University. Joanne Kosov reported that Lesley has shed roughly 100,000 gross square feet since its prior annual report, bringing its total to approximately 843,000 square feet across 46 buildings, with ongoing construction at Reed and Burnham Hall and Sherrill Library and a fall 2024 target for new dining at University Hall. Harvard's Chief of University Planning and Design Purnima Kapoor told the board that Cambridge remains home to a majority of Harvard's students within a physical plant exceeding 16 million square feet, and Chief Sustainability Officer Heather Henriksen outlined targets including fossil fuel neutrality and 100 percent renewable electricity both by 2026. Alexandra Afiong noted that Harvard recently completed two all-electric residential buildings at 13 Kirkland Place and 5 Sacramento Street, both certified to passive house standards, adding 30 graduate and affiliate housing beds. No votes were taken.