As institutional giants go, they don't get much bigger than Harvard University. But that hasn't stopped the Longfellow Area Neighborhood Association from firing the first shot in what could be a long and bitter battle over the university's development plans for the 265-acre Arnold Arboretum and a large adjoining parcel of land it controls.

The university is seeking Boston Redevelopment Authority approval to build a 40,000-square-foot research facility on a large wooded property off Weld Street, an 18,000-square-foot horticultural support building next to the Dana Greenhouses, and a 15,000-square-foot addition to the Arboretum's Hunnewell Building.

Longfellow residents are determined to maintain open space in their densely settled neighborhood, which abuts the Arboretum's Peters Hill section. And in a preemptive strike last week -- only days before the university was due to unveil details of its Institutional Master Plan -- approximately a dozen LANA members staged a press conference at the Arboretum asking the university to limit development in return for community support for its plans.

Arboretum Director Bob Cook said he expects to review the neighborhood's suggestions as part of the BRA's expected yearlong review process. ''It's great to have their ideas at the beginning of the process . . . but it is only the beginning," he said.

JOE HEISLER

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© Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company

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