Flagler College town and gown takes on transparency of college growth

The Flagler College Town and Gown Task Force on Wednesday approved its subcommittee recommendations regarding student behavior, parking and mobility, and landlord responsibility.

Members were left with perhaps the most contentious issue - transparency of growth - to be sorted out.

Resident John Versaggi presented recommendations drafted with fellow residents Becky Greenberg, Judith Seraphin and Tom Dreisbach.

"The first one is: Announce more things," Versaggi said. "If there's a cap on enrollment now, let everyone know about (it) - officially."

He said a five-year rolling target enrollment would also be desirable for residents.

"Things change and every business can't predict five years, but you do have targets," he said.

The planned unit development (PUD) process, through which the college built Pollard Hall, is particularly contentious.

Versaggi said PUDs should be a three-way win for the college, city and residents.

He added residents generally agree the college's plans for a dormitory and parking deck on its Malaga Street property seem to pass that three-way test.

Another recommendation was for the college to reach out to the appropriate neighborhood association president to organize a dialogue regarding any new construction.

"We would suggest that be at a six- to 10-month interval prior to application for a PUD," Versaggi said.

Larry Weeks, campus planner, said the college has already facilitated discussions with residents prior to application - as in the case of Pollard Hall.

"Six to 10 months before it goes through the PUD process is unreasonable," he said.

Weeks added drawings are oftentimes not done until the college is ready to present them to the Planning and Zoning Board (PZB) or Historical Architectural Review Board (HARB).

In the event changes are required, additional complications arise.

"We have two weeks to get all of that done and resubmit the application," he said. "We're preparing documents up until the day we turn them in to the city."

Weeks said the college's documents and drawings are often far more detailed than other submissions, which doesn't come without a cost.

"We do things right, and we do things the way they should be done," he said, adding he is not opposed to meeting with neighborhood associations or residents.

Weeks said with the Pollard Hall project, the school went to several HARB, PZB and City Commission meetings. He estimated the whole process took about six months.

There is also time for review built into the PUD process upon submitting an application.

"Once they're submitted to the city, it's all public record and that's at least two weeks before the committee meeting," he said.

Opening the lines

Versaggi acknowledged the college's previous "courtesy reviews," adding what residents want is some kind of guarantee plans will be brought forward ahead of time.

Members agreed the what-ifs, anxieties and speculation surrounding the college's future plans played a significant role in communication breakdowns of the past.

Mike Davis, president of A.D. Davis Construction, suggested the school meet with neighborhood associations on a regular basis to discuss anything they're looking at.

Laura Stevenson-Dumas, director of college relations, said while the six- to 10-month timeline was not viable, she liked the idea of establishing a dialogue beforehand.

"People don't need to see the drawings, but they need a sense of what is happening," said Judith Seraphin, president of the Lincolnville Neighborhood Association.

Another recommendation considered was having the college become an active member of the surrounding Flagler Model Land Co. Neighborhood Association.

Next steps

Leslee Keys, director of historic preservation at Flagler, said the task force should also consider how a relationship at least similar to town and gown can exist following its final recommendations.

Dumas said she hopes to present the final recommendations by June 17. The task force is ultimately tasked with finalizing and voting on its recommendations at its June 4 meeting.

Town and Gown was intended to improve relations between the college and surrounding community and address concerns about campus expansion, parking, traffic and noise. Meetings bring together city residents and officials from the city of St. Augustine and Flagler College.

Created after September's town and gown meetings, the task force was restructured in December to avoid having to operate under the Sunshine Law.

Officials said under open government laws, committee members were prohibited from discussing possible task force topics outside a formal, public meeting.

With city officials removed from the task force, it was able to operate more freely. However, its power is limited to making recommendations to city manager John Regan and college president William Abare.

Recommendations

The Flagler College Town and Gown Task Force identified four areas of concern:

- Transparency of growth

- Student behavior/community engagement

- Parking/mobility

- Landlord responsibility/derelict housing

Note: The next meeting will be 8:30-10 a.m. June 4 in City Hall's Alcazar Room. To review recommendations passed or under consideration, go to flagler.edu/townandgown