BC's place in Brighton

IT'S TIME for Boston College to move ahead with sensible aspects of its 10-year campus expansion plan and set aside controversial proposals - notably the construction of student housing in the Lake Street area - that have put it on a collision course with its Brighton neighbors.

Both the college and the community share the goal of housing all of BC's 8,600 undergraduates on campus within the next decade. But that shouldn't give BC license to expand the borders of what constitutes "the campus" in all directions. Still, it is possible to proceed in selective areas that support the college's transformation into a world-class university and theological center without creating hardship for neighbors.

Neither city officials nor neighbors will abide dorms for 500 students in Brighton on land BC purchased from the Archdiocese of Boston. The unknowns are simply too great, especially the ability of the college to control the behavior of its students in a residential neighborhood. But such concerns should not interfere with BC's plan to build new dormitories on its traditional Chestnut Hill campus. That work should proceed.

The college also should be allowed to move ahead with its plan to convert a 16-story apartment house at 2000 Commonwealth Ave. into a dormitory for 560 students. Many BC students already live in the building, and dorm status would bring adult supervision. A community task force wants to limit the building's use to traditional academic semesters. But banning students and conferees during the rest of the year is bad urban policy. Empty buildings are rarely assets to the surrounding community.

BC created a sweeping plan. But city officials must ensure that it proceeds in small stages with plenty of time to correct course.