Accomplishments

The West Summit Neighborhood Advisory Committee has had an active and productive first three years.  Accomplishments include the following (for details and other accomplishments, please refer to the August 2005 and the October 2006 annual reports):

• McNeely Hall. WSNAC helped to form a construction management plan that minimized impact on the neighborhood and worked to clarify the building's absolute height (59 feet, including five corner parapets).
• Pedestrian management. The committee worked closely with St. Thomas to develop a plan to streamline pedestrian traffic across Summit Avenue, and contributed $15,000 to help cover the cost of the east block portion.
• Student rental housing. St. Thomas has converted several properties to owner-occupancy in an effort to meet the city requirement of 30 houses over 12 years. St. Thomas and the committee work together closely on this program, including the drafting of restrictive covenant language.
• User Guide to Neighborhood Relations. WSNAC published the guide. For a copy, call John Hershey at (651) 962-6123.  The WSNAC Housing subcommittee is working on a second edition, which will be posted on this site in August 2007.
• Neighborhood survey. The committee collaborated with the All College Council, the student government at St. Thomas, to conduct a 2005 survey to determine what services neighbors would like to see the university provide and to find ways to work together on issues of mutual interest.
• Campus center planning. St. Thomas hopes to construct a new campus center as early as 2010-2011 on the northeast corner of Summit and Cretin. WSNAC already has met once with the university and its architect on the center and will be involved in reviewing plans as project plans proceed.  The university cannot submit a plan to city before May 2009.  The project must undergo a mandatory EAW review.
• Parking ramp design and traffic study.  Prior to construction of a campus center, the university must replace the 400 parking spaces that will be lost as a result of the center’s location at the northeast corner of Summit and Cretin.  After careful review, St. Thomas chose to locate a parking ramp west of the Cretin and Grand intersection on the current tennis court site for a 5-level, 700-stall complex.  The Ryan Companies design includes one underground level, a 33-foot, roof level height, a Collegiate Gothic appearance faced with precast concrete and brick, and the installation of a Kasota stone and glass tower at the southeast corner of the ramp.  The existing parking lot, which is located in between the tennis courts and Cretin Avenue, will be removed and replaced by green space.  WSNAC has been actively involved in reviewing and modifying the plan.  The committee gave its preliminary approval to the ramp design and traffic management plan at its June 12, 2007 meeting.