Drawing more people to Sewanee’s downtown area, attracting more residents to live in the “Village,” and integrating the University’s activities and students more fully into the community—these are some of the goals of the Sewanee Village Action Plan, a new study commissioned by the University. The plan was presented to the community on Sept. 15 at St. Mark’s Community Center.
More than 115 people gathered to hear from Frank Gladu, the University’s vice president for administrative services, who described this effort as a way to create and sustain a “vibrant downtown” in Sewanee. He then introduced Kevin Petersen from the architectural planning firm Ayers Saint Gross (ASG), who explained the study.
Workshops, an electronic survey, focus groups and community meetings all helped ASG refine and focus the action plan. The consultants met with community groups, members of the Sewanee Business Alliance, students and University stakeholders.
Petersen described how this study built on the work of the Campus Master Plan and Strategic Plan (2011 and 2012) and the Sewanee Village Vision & Program Plan (2012).
The Sewanee Village Action Plan was presented in three sections: goals, vision and action projects (see page 6 for full list of objectives). After Petersen’s presentation, he and Gladu answered questions from the assembled group.
One person encouraged clear lines of communication between the University and the people who live adjacent to the affected areas. “We need a formal mechanism for communication,” the man suggested. Gladu agreed.
Another community member asked if the environmental impacts of the various proposals had been considered. Petersen and Gladu reminded the group that this step was “visioning” only, and any future work would require a greater specificity of planning and research.
“We would not want to lose sight of sustainability,” Gladu said, “as it is one of the University’s key goals.”
Numerous residents from the Bobtown community raised concerns about the impact of the proposed plans on their neighborhood; some cited the recent leveling of the “yellow house” as an example of poor communication between them and the University.
Other questions inquired about the impact of new traffic patterns on the Sewanee Elementary School; how new streets or pathways would be created; and how residents could participate in future planning.
“The dynamics of the next steps are not yet determined,” Gladu said. “We will have more meetings like this and more dialogue. There will be town meetings and work with the University’s Trustee Community Relations Committee,” as well as consultation with the Sewanee Business Alliance and the Sewanee Civic Association.
The full report is available online at <http://provost.sewanee.edu/plans/sewanee-village-action-plan>; for more information contact Gladu at <fxgladu@sewanee.edu>.
In the survey, community members expressed strong interest in the following additions or improvements: open source WiFi, a general store/pharmacy/grocery; benches; bike lanes; multi-use plans; and a new community center.
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