Area Residents Object to Plans For JFK Library

A large majority of those responding to a Cambridge neighborhood association's questionnaire disapprove of the present plans for the John F. Kennedy Memorial Library.

Sixty-nine per cent of those surveyed disapproved of the plans released so far by the Kennedy Library Corporation. Twelve per cent of the 225 respondents approved of the plans while 19 per cent said they needed more information.

The questionnaire distributed in the area around Radcliffe by the Neighborhood Nine Association asked about citizens' use of the Harvard Square area, the impact of the Library on this area and its effect on their future use of the area.

Both Frequent and Infrequent

The results showed that large majorities of both frequent and infrequent users of the Square disapproved of building the Library on the Bennett Street site. Almost all respondents felt that the Library would have a detrimental impact on traffic and crowding in the area. They identified air quality and change in the character of Harvard Square shopping area as other concerns.

Gail B. Mazur, a member of Neighborhood Nine, said the respondents viewed the Library as an environmental issue and not as a political one. Mazur said that the questionnaires showed a lack of partisanship towards or against the late President John F. Kennedy '40 or the Kennedy family.

Neighborhood Nine distributed 1200 of the questionnaires on a house-to-house basis in those sections of the neighborhood closest to the Harvard Square. The group also distributed 300 additional questionnaires in the rest of the neighborhood.

The 225 questionnaires received thus far by Neighborhood Nine correspond to the voting percentage in any issue-oriented referendum, the group's report said.

The borders of Neighborhood Nine, which corresponds to voting Ward 9, is bounded on the south by the Cambridge Common; Concord Ave. on the west; Porter Square on the east, and by the B and M Railroad tracks to the north