Suffolk University drops Beacon Hill dormitory plan, seeks new site

Bowing to the city's opposition to its plans, Suffolk University is giving up on the idea of putting a new dormitory tower on a Beacon Hill site.

But the university wants to work with Mayor Thomas M. Menino and the Boston Redevelopment Authority to find a suitable new location as quickly as possible, said John A. Nucci, vice president for government and community affairs.

"It is important to identify a site and move forward as quickly as possible," Nucci said yesterday. "Student housing is a very important need for Suffolk and, more importantly, for the city."

BRA director Mark Maloney told Nucci Tuesday that the city was reversing its position and would oppose Suffolk's plans to house students at the site of a former Metropolitan District Commission building on Somerset Street. Outcry from the Beacon Hill community influenced the city's decision.

Instead of expressing disappointment, Nucci said Suffolk was focused on moving forward. "Suffolk wants to peacefully coexist with our neighbors," Nucci said.

Suffolk will spend the next few weeks considering other possible uses for the Somerset Street location that would be more palatable to neighbors.

Suffolk currently houses 765 students, 17 percent of its undergraduate population, in two buildings. Its goal is to eventually house about 2,500 students. Suffolk initially sought 800 beds for the failed proposal and later downsized the plans to 550 beds.

Maloney said the city looks forward to working with Suffolk on other options. Downtown Crossing and the Ladder District have worked well in the past for Suffolk and Emerson, he said, but officials wouldn't limit the university to those neighborhoods.

Suffolk is working on a revision to its institutional master plan, a process mandated by the city that entails community involvement. Maloney suggested that the city and the neighbors may not be in as much of a hurry as Suffolk.

"Interactive dialogue can be hard, and it's time-consuming, but it pays off," he said. "We have to make sure we do this with the community, and they need a breather."

Bombardieri can be reached at bombardieri@globe.com.