Developers May Appeal State Contract Selection

Carbarn and Company, runner-up in last spring's contract competition for the $4.2 million development of the old Massachusetts Bay Transport Authority (MBTA) yards in Harvard Square, has retained counsel and may demand an ad hoc state board review their original development proposal.

Frank Zeefe, director of the office of state planning, said yesterday that spokesmen for Carburn, a Cambridge-based development firm, asked for a review of their plan, despite their agreement last spring to honor the MBTA's board's decision.

Keefe said Carbarn's request "seems to contradict" their acceptance of that decision, adding, "The case has no legitimacy and there is no worthwhile purpose in pursuing it."

Development of the land parcel, adjacent to the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is progressing slowly, Peter Chermayeff, architect and spokesman for the winning contractors, Carpenter and Company, said yesterday.

Chermayeff said that Carbarn "thinks the competition is still going on and their project is still viable. I'm surprised because they don't have any basis for a case," he added.

Out of Reach

Neither Benjamin Thompson Associates nor K. Dun Gifford, spokesmen for the Carbarn Company, were available for comment yesterday.

Debate over the two projects last spring focused on the emphasis of retail and resident space in each proposal. Carbarn stressed residential space, proposing 125 more apartment units than Carpenter but some 80,000 square feet less of retail space.