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Uplands residents urge trustees to remove proposed road connector, cite process and environmental concerns
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Summary
Dozens of Uplands neighborhood residents spoke during a New College public hearing to object to a proposed road connection from the campus into Uplands Boulevard, to criticize the outreach process and to raise environmental, safety and statutory concerns about the master plan.
A series of Uplands neighborhood residents and alumni used the public comment period at a New College of Florida Board of Trustees hearing to press trustees to drop a planned road connection into Uplands Boulevard, to demand clearer calculations on campus growth and to call for more transparent outreach during the master‑plan review.
Residents described Uplands Boulevard as a “quiet residential street” and said opening it to campus traffic would put children and pedestrians at risk. “Uplands is a quiet residential street with little to no traffic,” said Lillian Rod, a resident and alum, who said the plan’s depiction of the road misrepresents its current status and asked trustees to “remove this connector from consideration.”
Several speakers said the college’s notice and engagement have been inadequate. Don O’Miller said the plan “is not ready for prime time,” criticized what he described as “inaccurate boundaries, contradictions, and incoherent graphics” and urged the college to extend comment opportunities until faculty and students return to campus. Judy Burns said residents were excluded from the planning process and described confusion at a July 15 information meeting where questions were “pushed to the lobby.” Linda Connesiver, a New College alum, asked trustees to use the review period to bring affected parties together with consultants for collaborative work.
Neighbors also raised environmental and safety concerns. Peter Selbert and others challenged the plan’s arithmetic under Florida’s 10% review threshold, saying the Freedom Center’s footprint (which public commenters cited as about 125,850 square feet) and multiple cleared areas together exceed 10% of campus and require additional review. Several residents, including Don Popovich and Jobe Castro, said tree removal along the bayfront has increased erosion and flooding and objected to additional clearing. Andrea Zucker, a former staff psychologist and Uplands property owner, urged the trustees to preserve quiet green spaces for student mental health and opposed a road “cut through” the preserve.
Some commenters requested formal rights to participate in review procedures. Kathy Bembs, who identified herself as president of the Uplands Association, said the association intends “to apply for affected party status if necessary” and asked to have the association restored to places in the document where it had been removed. Other commenters asked whether the plan had included consultations with external stakeholders such as Ringling Museum management for a proposed pedestrian walkway that the plan shows crossing the museum’s bayfront.
Trustees and the president responded to concerns about outreach and next steps. Trustee Maldonado asked whether more information sessions similar to earlier roundtable events could be scheduled during the academic year so students and faculty can participate. President Coburn said the college would continue to accept input, that staff have met with many neighbors over the past two years and that additional meetings “could” be held.
No votes or formal actions on the master plan or the road connector were taken at the hearing. Trustees described the meeting as informational and said written comments received during the review period will be posted on the college’s website.
