Tufts needs to commit to specifics with how it will use the building proposed to replace the Powder House School on Broadway.

In the second of a series of public meetings last week seeking community input on the building and how the open space near the site and the Tufts Administration Building (TAB) behind the current school on Holland will be designed and what recreational features will be included, a representative from Tufts said the university wanted to maintain flexibility with how it will use the new building.

That rubbed Board of Aldermen President Bill White the wrong way. He noted the lack of specifics is holding up his board’s work on drafting the land disposition agreement between the city and Tufts necessary to move forward. The agreement, he said, should contain as many details as possible to ensure what is approved is what ends up happening. Zoning changes would also be required, and without knowing what building the purpose will serve makes it impossible to zone it accordingly.

A casual mention of classroom space being among the uses considered also drew criticism, as that use was not mentioned in the university’s request for proposals for the site, which drew a majority, though not unanimous, approval from the committee tasked with screening the applicants interested in developing the property.

The need for a stated plan has to do with more than just creating a sense of good will, a feeling already tenuous among residents and some city officials who are still wary, despite repeated statements to the contrary, that Tufts will indeed pay taxes on the property. As surveying work is now underway, and it appears the parking lot under the building cannot go more than one level deep because of bedrock, the plans are now being developed with more above ground parking than originally proposed. Without knowing how many people will be in the building at peak occupancy, and not knowing what percentage of those people will be driving, it seems counterintuitive from both a practical and aesthetic perspective to possibly create more parking spaces than necessary.

Tufts, though ADD Inc., the design firm hired to create and fine tune the proposal with residents’ input (a single building, as opposed to two, was not part of the preliminary vision for the site but was changed after the first meeting with neighbors), has shown a willingness to listen to neighbors’ concerns and ideas. And though the courtship to this point has been going smoothly, it’s time to put a ring on it and set the date.