Added to the BRA’s challenge of presenting the community’s desires is the number of interests at the table during negotiations, Mellone says.

“Everybody has a special interest, from the mayor, to the BRA, Harvard, myself, the community members, and businessmen,” says Mellone. “I don’t want the process to become the captive of one particular group. That’s always been my chief concern.”

Besides the community’s master plan, another item of major interest to local leaders is the future of the Charlesview affordable housing complex, which lies sandwiched at the center of Harvard property, at the intersection of Western Avenue and North Harvard Street.

Recently, the board in control of the property has been in talks with McCluskey and other Harvard officials about the possibility of selling their acreage to the University, in exchange for the construction of a Harvard-funded housing complex somewhere else in the North Allston area.

According to Debbie Giovanditto, chair of the Charlesview tenant’s association, the mayor and representatives of the BRA will meet with tenants of the housing complex to discuss how residents’ interests can best be represented in any future Harvard-Charlesview negotiations.

—Staff writer Alex L. Pasternack can be reached at apastern@fas.harvard.edu.