THOMAS MENINO
“BC is double speaking”

Several days after Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino told Banker & Tradesman he opposed Boston College’s purchase of a Brighton apartment building for use as dorms, the neighborhood appears to be split over the controversy.

“Everyone agrees that if BC builds all of their dorms on their main campus, they would have neighborhood support,” said Michael Pahre, a Brighton resident who facilitated last week’s community meeting. “But the majority do not favor BC’s plan …”

While other residents applaud BC’s goal of being the first to house all of its students in university-owned buildings, Menino wants them all on campus.

In the mayor’s first public comments about the school’s recent purchase of a 17-story apartment building at 2000 Commonwealth Ave. for $67 million, Menino said, “BC is double speaking here. They’ve said they’re going to have beds for all of their undergraduates on campus, but 2000 Comm. Ave. is not on their campus. I’d rather see them live up to their commitment to house all of the students on campus.”

Two weeks ago, BC proposed to add 1,280 beds as part of its 10-year master plan, which would make it the first school in Boston to keep all of its undergraduate students in dorms. The Jesuit school said it would reach the milestone by increasing the number of beds on its lower campus by 220, by converting the recently purchased apartment building at 2000 Commonwealth Ave. to 560 dorm beds and by constructing a 500-bed dorm on the Brighton Campus.

If the plan is approved and the new housing is completed, the school will have 8,610 beds for its 8,600 resident students.

Jack Dunn, a BC spokesman, declined to comment on the mayor’s reaction, but added, “We’re happy to have a discussion in private with the mayor.”

Dunn said the school informed the Boston Redevelopment Authority and the mayor’s office about the purchase.