New College trustees hear strong neighborhood opposition to Uplands changes in master plan hearing

SARASOTA, Fla. — The New College of Florida Board of Trustees on Dec. 17 held a second public hearing on the college’s 2025 campus master plan update, hearing detailed agency responses and sharp criticism from neighborhood residents who said recent changes and on‑the‑ground work have threatened the Uplands Preserve and surrounding neighborhoods.

Christie Fitzpatrick, the college’s chief of staff and chief financial officer, opened the hearing and introduced land‑use counsel William Clegg and architect Glenn Darling to summarize comments submitted during the 90‑day agency review and the changes made in response. “This is a statutory process,” said William Clegg, noting the update is governed by Florida Statutes §1013.30. He told trustees the record now includes enrollment projections, an educational plant survey, a level‑of‑service analysis and an evaluation and appraisal report intended to support the update.

The consultants described several specific revisions made after agency review. Architect Glenn Darling said a proposed pedestrian route through Ringling property was removed and north–south circulation was redirected to public sidewalks along Bayshore Road to address concerns raised by Florida State University. The plan was revised to clarify that the Uplands access is to be pedestrian and emergency only, and the draft was updated to show adjusted campus boundaries, the relocation of the Freedom Institute and the Contemplative Center on plan graphics, and phasing through 2035 to meet the 10‑year planning horizon requirement.

Why it matters: dozens of residents asked trustees to put firmer limits in the document and in the college’s practice, saying temporary construction and tree clearing on the Uplands Preserve have already damaged a space intended for low‑intensity, passive use and that the master plan still contains provisions that would permit multi‑year athletic and event uses there.

In public comment, Rodrigo Diaz asked the board directly about a pedestrian link near the Ringling Museum: “Does New College intend to create a pedestrian walkway across the Ringling Museum Bayfront? Yes or no?” He noted a November letter from Florida State University that raised “serious security concerns” about such a route and said the December 8 draft still included references to the walkway.

Multiple speakers from the Uplands neighborhood urged preservation of the preserve’s passive character and remediation for recent tree loss. “We are asking that the master plan explicitly retains language designating the Uplands preserve for passive recreation only,” said Lillian Rod, who said more than 130 mature trees were removed for a temporary soccer field without community notice or collaboration. Several commenters pointed to a 2005 memorandum of understanding and the 2016 master plan as precedent for limiting development in the preserve.

Other residents pressed for clarity about access and emergency procedures, saying plan graphics and the language “controlled emergency access” are ambiguous and could permit roadway connections. Karen Stack said neighbors observed New College police driving through the neighborhood during a recent incident and asked the trustees to state plainly whether Uplands Boulevard would become a throughway.

Speakers also raised legal and technical constraints affecting the plan. John Schuessler said the Federal Aviation Administration rejected the sale of Sarasota‑Bradenton Airport to New College in an FAA letter dated April 10, 2024, and recommended the master plan include a contingency if the college cannot obtain ownership or FAA approvals for East Campus development.

College responses and record: counsel and the architect repeatedly said many agency concerns had been addressed in the revised materials and that the city of Sarasota provided a letter saying the update is consistent with the city comprehensive plan. Darling said plan graphics were corrected to remove an erroneous depiction of Uplands Boulevard as part of the campus and to clarify that the College Drive connection to Uplands Boulevard is pedestrian/emergency access only, not a vehicular roadway. The presentation included added open‑space tracking metrics and a commitment to coastal standards and archaeological protections for the North Campus development phase.

Students and campus advocates urged codifying existing green spaces in the plan. Steven Jurgensen, speaking for the student community, asked that the Caples Educational Gardens and the Native Plant Restoration Area be recognized and codified under a campus green‑space designation.

What the board did: the trustees did not adopt the plan at the public hearing. After public comment concluded, the chair closed the session and directed trustees to remain on Zoom for the full board meeting and the president’s report. No formal vote or adoption of the master plan update was recorded in this public meeting.

Next steps: presenters said that where new construction would require changes to local land‑use designations (for example, dormitories on 58th Street), the college would pursue required future land‑use map amendments before permitting any development; other site‑level impacts would be worked out at the project planning stage. The record now includes agency comments and the revisions described at the hearing, which trustees cited as part of their review prior to any future action.