ASU Hopeful About Plans For New College Of Ed. By Frank Ruggiero Though Appalachian State University’s plans for a new college of education do not conform to town of Boone regulations, university officials are hopeful an agreement can be reached between town and gown. University representatives were slated to appear before the Boone Town Council at the town’s Feb. 8 quarterly public hearing to request a conditional zoning change for four parcels of multi-family residential land, which currently houses nine apartment buildings with approximately 50 units, located between College Street, Howard Street and Hamby Alley. However, the application was withdrawn after university officials reviewed the Boone Development Services staff report, which said the application failed to meet established Unified Development Ordinance minimum standards, as well as the requirements for conditional zoning districts — the designation which the university sought, specifically CDU1 (conditional district university). The four parcels total .99 acres within the town’s corporate limits, but are not located within the central business or municipal service districts. The report indicates the development would exceed the allowable floor area by more than 100,000 square feet — 10 times the allowable square footage. The building’s planned footprint is for 25,529 square feet, including covered entrances. The staff report says the proposed development fails to meet the minimum open space requirement of 32,775 square feet, the project being deficient by 15,180 square feet. The report continues, saying the project encroaches 97 feet into the required setback of 110 feet, and that it exceeds the allowable building height of 37 feet by 47 feet, as the building is designed to be 82 feet tall. “Our commitment to providing adequate facilities for faculty, students and staff in the college of education is unwavering,” Peacock said. “We were moving as quickly as possible.” The university received $1.8 million in planning funds from the state, and architects were contracted to complete preliminary and schematic drawings submitted to the state for approval. Lorin Baumhover, university chief of staff, said the facility will cost $35 million to build, but any monetary assistance from the state hinges on securing land for development. “It’s requiring us to secure appropriate land as soon as possible in order not to lose this funding,” he said. “We have to show we have land to secure the funding.” With the state legislature now in session, time is ticking. Peacock said a college of education is the number one priority in ASU’s budget, and it is also in the University of North Carolina system’s list of priorities. System president Erskine Bowles has repeatedly stressed the importance of training more teachers to address a statewide teacher shortage. “It’s received the highest level of approval from the UNC system,” Baumhover said. One parcel of land has already been purchased, but the others are in the closing process, Peacock said, adding an agreement has been reached on all the properties in consideration. Baumhover said the university considered, at least, five different sites. “Given the requirements, this came out to be the best site,” he said. Peacock noted the land is central to campus, sitting near the new parking deck, university book store and library. Another important factor is the land’s proximity to a major road artery, in this case King Street. Since the college of education offers after-school, outreach and community programs, Peacock said its proximity to and accessibility from town will be important for the community. The Reich College of Education is currently located in Edwin Duncan Hall, which Baumhover said was meant to house 80 faculty members, while the college now has 120. The number of students enrolled in education has also doubled since Duncan Hall was first built. A new building cannot be built on Edwin Duncan’s current site, as it is located in a flood plain. Peacock said the area, once Duncan is demolished, will be used for green space and parking. The new building would provide adequate laboratories for math, science and special education, while also serving as a drawing point for applicants to the university. “We have data to show you’re going to attract students to a discipline when they see the quality of facilities matches their interest,” Baumhover said. However, the design of the facilities didn’t seem to match the town of Boone’s interest. The staff report reads, “The application underscores the absolute necessity for greater levels of advanced planning and increased coordination between the town and the university in order to provide and adequately plan for the future needs of our community.” Town manager Greg Young said he meets regularly with university representatives, but that there were no discussions about the rezoning request, since that subject falls into the realm of the town council and planning commission. “I’ve had some conversations with the university about the possibility of closing Hamby Alley and what that would take, but they have not made that request,” he said. A meeting was held Monday, Feb. 19, between university and town officials, including Mayor Loretta Clawson, council members Lynne Mason and Bunk Spann, Young, Peacock, Baumhover and Watauga County commission chairman Jim Deal, who was appearing in the capacity of chairman of the university board of trustees. Young said the meeting was held to discuss communication over the college of education issue, and that an additional meeting was scheduled for two weeks from then. “We will begin discussion with members of the town council and staff to get a clear understanding of what our options are, address their concerns, and discuss the options,” Peacock said. Peacock, who has lived in the area for 24 years, said he wants the university to be a good citizen of the region, and that university and town leadership have common goals in wishing to preserve the region’s beauty. “The town understands and supports the need for a new college of education,” he said. “University and town leadership have common goals in wishing to preserve the beauty of our region. We’ll take those goals we have in common and see if we can make them benefit the community.” Peacock stressed, though, that the university is committed to doing everything it can to provide a new college of education for students, faculty and staff. “At this point, it’s kind of a wait-and-see type thing,” Clawson said. “But I do think the town residents and those that live in that area have some real problems with the continued encorachment of the university into the town.” An intergovernmental retreat is scheduled for May 4, and will include dialogue between the county, town and university. Clawson said it’s likely the college of education would be included in discussion.