14A = THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY,AUG.20,2001
NEWS
Blurry: History pitted against progress in battle for Mount Oread
"Every master plan I've seen in a bound document is not worth a hoot." Corman told commissioners. "It is gathering dust on a shelf."
However, Corman agreed in April to listen to any alternatives that the ONA suggested.
Two monthslater, the ONA presented its proposals to Corman.
Among the proposals that ONA submitted was the use of existing KU-owned structures as sites for scholarship halls. Members also said Stouffer Place was an inefficient use of 32 acres of land and could be better put to use to accommodate both married student housing and scholarship halls. They also suggested using Stewart Avenue property as a site for building more housing.
In the proposal, ONA asked that the University leave older buildings intact and restore them, using them for homes for faculty, staff, retired professors, visiting professors or cooperative housing.
"This meeting confirmed to us that Mr. Corman was not interested in a shared dialogue with our neighborhood association," Davis said, "Our written proposal with alternative suggestions seemed to fall on deaf ears."
Among the recommendations presented by ONA was a suggestion that the University could refurbish some of the almost 100-year-old houses and turn them into student housing.
In response, Corman told the commission, "The University does not have a mission of establishing, replacing, or repairing private homes for private use or for rental. That's not our mission. Our mission is to try to take care of students."
Corman said that the houses were safety and fire hazards and that there have been two fires
Crawford said he had purchased houses in much worse condition and transformed them into beautiful homes. Crawford was interested in the Ohio street properties when the offers ranged between $300,000 and $400,000, but he simply couldn't compete with the University's higher offer.
"I am not going to fault the University for anything until I find out exactly what is going on," Crawford said.
Corman said many neighbors in the Oread area told him they wished the houses were gone, but they thought it wasn't in their best interests to make a public statement about it because they would be perceived as not being supportive of the neighborhood.
That comment drew cynical laughter from Bill Mitchell.
Corman also said that he "saw no reason to go east of Ohio Street."
"I don't see any option but razing these houses as soon as we can get permission to do so," he said.
"Laugh if you want," Corman said, "But this is a serious statement. If you want us to work together, we have to trust each other."
Mitchell said the University had already broken that trust when it ignored its commitment through the master plan not to extend east of the alley between Louisiana and Ohio streets.
'I would say to the University, which i
"The University does not have a mission of establishing, replacing, or repairing private homes for private use or for rental. That's not our mission. Our mission is to try to take care of students."
since the Kansas University Endowment Association bought them in February.
"They're all in bad shape." Corman said. "I don't think there is any way you could economically replace, restore or rebuild them. That's my opinion after 50-some years of architecture."
John Crawford, of Crawford Construction, Inc., said he wanted to buy and restore the old houses, he just couldn't meet the $700,000-plus bid offered by the University.
Warren Corman University Architect
university, which is now publicly scrambling toward excellence, that there can never be excellence withouthonor. Please do not so dishonor it,"Mitchell said.
A History of Broken Promises and Profit-for-Blight
Oread."
ONA members said in a letter to the commission that the group's "confidence and trust with KU is shaken. KU's aggressive actions have cut into the heart of
Janet Gerstner, ONA member, said it was not the first time the University had reneged on promises to the community.
parking spaces in the plan was one of the things that made the project acceptable in the eyes of the city and the neighborhood.
Gerstner said that when the University planned to build the Amini Scholarship Halls in 1991, it came forth to the neighborhood association and promised that the construction of these halls would include a 100-car parking ramp on the site. Gertsnar said the inclusion of ample
"We didn't get what we expected here and that's been a sore spot for the neighborhood." Gertsner said.
The ramp was never built.
She said that the current site plans on Ohio Street did not include any additional parking and that this would only contribute to an already unmanageable parking problem.
In the letter to the commission, ONA said, "KU has rewarded neglectful property owners by buying their blighted Ohio Street properties at prices far beyond the actual market values."
Allen Black, of the land use committee of the League of Women Voters, said this was a local example of a phenomenon that was occurring throughout the United States.
"They buy houses and then run them into the ground before selling them to KU for demolition," the letter said.
DNA said this created an atmosphere of blight-for-profit that encouraged property owners to have no interest in long-term consequences to neighborhoods.
"What was once a pleasant family neighborhood may turn into a student ghetto." Black said.
A Class Project
A Class Project
At the start of the Summer 2001 semester, Stacey White, an assistant professor in architecture and urban planning, suggested a list of possible final projects for a graduate level Local Environmental Planning Class. Hands down, the class chose the Oread/KU conflict as the most attractive project to pursue.
After an eight-week study into the problems faced by both the community and the University, the group, composed of four graduate students and one undergraduate student, came up with a list of proposals for the University and the ONA. The group offered to submit a copy of its 20-page report to the City Commission.
Lori Kruger, a graduate student who worked on the project, said, "When older single homes are replaced with University scholarship or residence halls, the sense of community is eroded. A six- or seven-story brick building appears to be a towering fortress when placed on a hill over the cowering two-story residences."
Kruger said the absence of clear definitions of the University's growth boundaries was "an inherent part of the problem."
was an innocent problem:
"Iimagine the unavoidable problems that would occur if we had implied speed limits on our streets and highways," she said.
an overlay zoning district that would extend around the current University perimeter and that would have special restrictions that would appease both the University and the neighborhoods adjacent to campus.
The student group also recommended
More importantly, the group stressed ongoing dialogue and a permanent board to facilitate discussions between the University and neighborhood members.
"The growing pains may become far less noticeable if both clarity and a stronger sense of mutual respect move to the forefront of the situation." Kruger said.
State Guidelines Pat Kehde
president of the Lawrence Preservation Alliance, said the 1997 Campus Plan was not the only agreement that would be violated if the University proceeded with demolition of the Ohio Street properties.
"We have in the University an organization that cannot come to terms with the fact that they cannot act unilaterally."
"If the campus board takes into account city-owned property, then they are reviewing out of their jurisdiction," Kehde said.
Kehde said the houses were within the environs of Spooner Hall, a KU-owned property, and Usher-Palmer Hpidr, a city-owned building. She said both of these were registered historical buildings and that because one was owned by the city and one by the University, this created a case of jurisdictional overlapping.
She pointed out a 1995 agreement between the State Historic Preservation Board and Board of Regents institutions that sets guidelines for University and community relationships in regard to demolition of properties within the environs of properties on the historical register.
Kehde also said the houses were purchased by the Endowment Association, which is a private corporation, and not an arm of the Board of Regents. Therefore, review of these properties should not be done by the Campus Historic Preservation Board — a board composed of nine KU employees and one community member.
repeatedly ignored calls from the HRC and from city staff to form a joint commission on the compliance to the State Historical Preservation Officer."
She said it was impossible for a campus review board to determine whether a project would encroach upon or damage only campus property.
"It is apparent that such a board cannot give an unbiased judgment, for how can KU employees vote against their own bosses' projects?" Kehde said. "KU has
Kehde said she hoped the demolition requests were withdrawn and new plans for adaptive use of the existing buildings were brought forward.
Terry Riordan, ONA president. asked
Terry Riordan
ONA President
the city commission for help in creating a climate that would not tolerate "the bullying and arrogant tactics of a powerful institution or individual."
He said the University was a large organization with many disconnected parts that often "bumbles its
way when expansion is planned."
"Otherwise, how can you explain the development of a master plan over six years, which is supposed to provide guidance over 20 years, and it is ignored just three to four years later?" Riordan said.
three to four years. Though the Campus Historic Preservation Board deferred a meeting in which the demolition plans would be formally announced, Riordan said they deferred only after they were told by the city they weren't in compliance with the SHPO agreement.
"We have in the University an organization that cannot come to terms with the fact that they cannot act unilaterally, but rather must act responsibly in true concert with and in cooperation with organizations and citizens."
Shelley Hickman Clark, associate dean of the KU Law School and board member on the Lawrence Preservation Alliance, agreed that the SHPO agreement was an important document to consider in this situation and also offered hope for future relationships between the University and the community.
"I believe that while KU has a pressing need for scholarship housing, I think they are going to approach this with good faith," Clark said. "I think there is room for dialogue."
The Campus Historical review board will hear up to 45 minutes of public comment on the Ohio street properties at a 6 p.m. meeting tomorrow at the Jayhawk Room of the Kansas Union.
■ Sisk can be reached at 864-4810 or writer@kansan.com
EVERYTHING BUT ICE
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CHEST OF DRAWERS
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unclaimed freight &
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936 Mass.
"Layaway now for summer"
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