The West Summit Neighborhood Advisory Committee focused on improving St. Thomas’ relationship with the community at its meeting Tuesday.

Louis Smith, of Louis Smith Partners, discussed findings from his Partnership Feasibility Study. WSNAC hired Smith to research how to promote neighborhood livability in the long term.

Smith said the survey showed students perceive a good relationship with neighbors, but neighbors’ opinions are not as positive.

Residents are concerned with increased student house rentals in the neighborhood. The percent of non-homestead residences, which are residences that are not the owner’s principal home, rose from 23.9 percent in 2002 to 40.5 percent in 2009 in the neighborhood surrounding St. Thomas, Smith said.

Smith said the non-homestead residence “tipping point” – when neighbors become frustrated with the number of students living in the neighborhood – is generally when non-homesteads make up 30 percent of the neighborhood. The “tipping point” is also when neighbors become concerned about decreasing property values in the neighborhood.

To get back below the “tipping point,” Smith outlined possible ideas such as revising and extending St. Thomas’ housing buyback program. St. Thomas has begun converting student rental housing into owner-occupied houses and will convert 30 properties by August 2016, said Doug Hennes, WSNAC member and vice president of university relations.

Hennes said St. Thomas does not own any of the 30 properties. There have been 17 conversions to owner-occupied houses so far, and 13 more must occur by August 2016, Hennes said.

“Our realtor will work to identify a rental house that is going on the market and then will work to find a new owner-occupant for it,” Hennes said. “St. Thomas will assist financially in the transaction, providing funds to cover things like closing and rehab costs, but St. Thomas does not become the property owner.”

Smith suggested converting 15 additional non-homestead properties. His other idea was to assist St. Thomas employees with down payments for high-priority areas close to campus.

“For St. Thomas to consider any of that, we have to have a better sense of, ‘This is what it would cost us,” Hennes said. “There could be 20 options by the time we get done, so we’re really at the beginning stages.”

Some other suggestions for improving neighborhood livability included finding ways for Campus Ministry and the parish to work together to help build community and engaging parents with their students’ neighbors to improve student-neighbor relations.

Tennis court location still undecided, WSNAC approves Segway, solar panel grants

Hennes said no further decision has been made regarding the new tennis court location.

“I don’t know if we’re going to build this summer, and I don’t know where it’s going to be. That decision is not in my hands, but we will make a decision fairly soon,” Hennes said. “We have no formal deadline on the tennis courts, but we expect to decide by the end of March. If we want the courts open for use when students return in the summer, we need to decide by April 1.”

St. Thomas’ efforts to obtain a permanent liquor license are also on hold, Hennes said.

“The Minnesota Private College Council has introduced a legislation that if approved, would allow any private college in Minnesota to go to its city and ask for a license,” Hennes said. St. Thomas has to wait to see if the bill passes before beginning a St. Paul liquor license application.

WSNAC members also approved the purchase of a Segway with $6,500 in WSNAC funds and a $50,000 grant from the National Center for Environmental Research’s Science to Achieve Results program. WSNAC receives $10,000 a year from the university. St. Thomas will own, store and maintain the Segway, which will be used in the neighborhood by off-duty St. Paul police officers.

In addition, WSNAC authorized a letter of support for a Science to Achieve Results grant application.The application requests $50,000 to match the cost of installing solar panels on the roof of the Anderson Student Center.

Rachel Britton has been reached at brit7192@stthomas.edu.