Neighbors Sue Lesley U. Over Plan to Relocate an Art Institute and a Church

Lesley University has gotten praise from The Chronicle and other publications in the past for its willingness to work with neighbors to avoid conflict. But it seems conflict could not be averted in one of its most recent town-gown deals: The Boston Globe reports that a group of neighbors are suing Lesley over plans to move a 165-year-old church and relocate the Art Institute of Boston to its site. The Art Institute is part of Lesley.

University officials say the move would help revitalize the neighborhood and preserve the church building, which would be transformed into a library. But a lawyer for the neighbors calls the plans a “a classic case of spot zoning, which the courts in numerous cases have held as illegal,” and he charges that the Cambridge City Council has made zoning laws more lenient to help Lesley.

Mike Murray, a lawyer for Lesley, said that the university and the city held numerous meetings about the plans and gave neighbors ample information about the changes to the zoning laws.