Index of SPPS Budget Discussion http://www.e-democracy.org/stpaul/spps-posts.html _________________________________________
Thank you for posting this, Mr. Driscoll; it gives me the opportunity to follow up with more SARPA news:
On May 5th and 6th, SARPA will host The Summit Avenue Treasures Auction to help fund the effort to preserve, enhance and promote the historic, residential and urban park character of Summit Avenue through advocacy, communication and community building.
The silent and live auctions will be held at The Commodore, 79 Western Avenue, North (between Summit and Selby Avenues in Saint Paul).
On May 5th, from 4 - 8 p.m., we hope you will attend the Auction Lot Preview and Silent Auction Bidding. On May 6th, we invite you to the Auction Lot Preview and Silent Auction Bidding from 4 - 6 p.m., and the Live Auction, which begins at 6 p.m.
Admission is only $5; attendees may apply their admission fee towards items purchased at the Live Auction.
Please contact Maggie DiBlasio (651.690.5536) if you have questions or items or time to donate.
Andy Driscoll wrote:
Index of SPPS Budget Discussion http://www.e-democracy.org/stpaul/spps-posts.html _________________________________________
NEWS ADVISORY
SARPA EUR Summit Avenue Residential Preservation Association
NEWS CONFERENCE:
SARPA Sues Saint Paul Over Campus Expansion Impact
WHEN: Tuesday, March 30, 2004, 10:00 AM WHERE: At the intersection of Cretin and Summit Avenues in St. Paul.
NEWS/SARPA Summit Avenue Residential Preservation Association
CONTACT: Jane Tschida, SARPA: 651-222-7450 Michael Unger, Esq., RBEA: 612-340-8953
SARPA Sues Saint Paul Over Campus Expansion Impact
Saint Paul, March 30, 2004 -- The Summit Avenue Residential Preservation Association (SARPA) today filed a lawsuit in Ramsey County District Court charging the City of Saint Paul with failing to follow the law in determining impacts of a long-planned expansion of the University of St. Thomas (UST) campus on its surrounding neighborhood and traffic. The suit asks the court to compel the City to require an in-depth analysis or Environmental Impact Statement for the project as the law requires.
Despite overwhelming documentation and data supporting the legal requirement for an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), the City determined that a less-demanding Environmental Action Worksheet (EAW) was sufficient.
SARPA alleges that this decision was arbitrary and ignores development of the recently completed campus science center when considering the effects of expansion. The group also states that the City did not consider UST's own master plan which calls for a new student center to be commenced within the next three years. These projects, when coupled with the expansion on Summit Avenue, constitute over 1,000,000 feet of new development, and would, by law, trigger the need for an environmental impact statement.
SARPA further argues that the expansion will destroy a major segment of historically important and protected Summit Avenue, and the conversion of two long city blocks to new dormitories, student apartments and full-blown campus operations will impose severely detrimental traffic and student population increases on surrounding neighborhoods and streets.
�An EIS is the only way to measure the impact of such a major initiative,� said SARPA attorney Michael Unger, a partner and environmental specialist with the Minneapolis firm of Rider, Bennett, Egan & Arundel. "The ramifications of a development this size will have a major effect on people and the safety and quality of life in the surrounding community.� Unger has been the lead attorney for a citizens group fighting the pollution effects of Gopher State Ethanol in St. Paul�s West End.
Jane Tschida, SARPA�s executive director, said that SARPA has monitored and fought some major battles over various developers and institutions threatening Saint Paul�s famous tree-lined historic street, built and occupied by many of the City�s early pioneers. After a period of decline in the 1960s, Summit Avenue�s rebirth has been a proud part of the City�s urban renewal.
"The City has ignored the importance of this neighborhood in favor of UST�s institutional development. The City also has ignored the importance of the historic district, used erroneous traffic data to minimize problems, and created arbitrary time frames to cover up the enormity of UST's development," Tschida said. "We are not opposed to new development on the UST campus. But we want the City to look at the effects that a 1,000,000 plus square foot expansion will have."
The former College of St. Thomas, a 45-acre campus originally constructed in the late 1800s by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Archbishop John Ireland on donated farmland some distance from the early core city, has been on a mission to increase its regional and national stature by expanding to a fully accredited university < a sort of Notre Dame of the Upper Midwest.
Saint Paul has regulated college campuses in residential neighborhoods since enacting an overhaul of the City�s Zoning Code in 1975. Colleges are considered a special condition use in residential zones, and any expansion beyond their original campus boundaries requires special condition use permits to be applied for and approved. Similar campus encroachment issues have been an issue in other Saint Paul neighborhoods in the last 50 years.
Andy Driscoll The Driscoll Group/Communications
Writing/Graphic Design/Communications Strategies/Political Consulting
835 Linwood Ave./Crocus Hill
St. Paul, MN 55105
651-293-9039 / Fax: (same, call ahead) / Cell: 651-492-2221
email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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