This is only the first of such plans to seize buildings that are eliminating affordable housing units. The council will also be looking into the seizure of an apartment building on 8 Bigelow St. whose tenants have faced mass eviction after a change in ownership.

Triantifillou requested a report from City Manager Robert W. Healy on whether or not the property could also be acquired by eminent domain.

When asked whether she thought the council would be successful in its attempts to seize properties, Councillor Born said she was optimistic.

"I wouldn't rule out eminent domain," she said.

Town vs. Gown

Kathy A. Spiegelman, associate director of Harvard Planning and Real Estate mailed a letter to the Cambridge city clerk on Jan. 28, registering an official protest by Harvard University to the proposed amendments to the Interim Planning Overlay Petition (IPOP).

The petition would delay the construction of any major projects for seven months after a hearing before the planning board, if the project were deemed to have a major impact on traffic flow and congestion. The amendments would include parking garages for 150 cars or more under the definition of major projects.

Harvard's letter was among the first of a host of letters the council has received registering a complaint against the amendments. Lyme Properties, which plans to build a 150-car garage in the near future and thus would be affected by the amendments, has sent a letter to major Cambridge property-owners, urging them to protest the proposed amendments.