"There isn't anyone who can deliver," he says. "[If] we could have reasonable assurance that we could move projects forward and not have them derailed by three disgruntled people, then we could do a lot more for [the city]. It would be more fruitful."

Building Tension

Much of the current anti-Harvard sentiment in the city derives from University building projects.

Harvard's expansion has always been contentious, and the University currently has two large-scale development projects on the table.

As a result, the University has increased its contact with city residents and the government in recent months, as it tries to win approval of both the Knafel Center and the art museum.

The interaction has not been positive for either Cambridge or the University.

City officials say Harvard misrepresents plans for expansion and does not listen to residents' concerns.

"Harvard in this period of its evolution has been extraordinarily dishonest and cavalier and callous in its development proposals," Reeves says. "The University has become more aggressive and less sensitive to the concerns of neighbors."

University administrators say they are frustrated that so little progress has been made.

Negotiations over the proposed Knafel Center have entered a fourth year, and the path towards construction remains long.

Plans must win approval from a series of neighborhood commissions and zoning boards, but the University has yet to gain a single permit.

Residents have attacked the plan--which would replace two existing University buildings on either side of the Cambridge Street near Quincy Street and dig an underground connecting tunnel--because of the proposed center's size and the increased traffic it would bring.

In response to neighborhood concerns, Harvard has already moved the site once and redesigned architectural plans twice, the latest draft presented within the past week.

The most recent redesign appears to have finally won favor with residents.

"It's an example of how a consultative process can lead to a mutually acceptable outcome," says Mary H. Power, Harvard's director of community relations.

But Grogan says not all Harvard development projects can follow the Knafel model--the process has been too long and too expensive.