COMMENTARY: City’s ‘Town & Gown’ Report Lacks Input from Residents & Students
Meanwhile, local leadership paints rosy picture of City/College relationship
Earlier today, the Williamsburg City Council applauded a “Town & Gown” report written by several interns overseen by both the office of the President of William & Mary and the City Manager’s office. As would be expected, the analysis contained plenty of platitudes regarding the symbiotic relationship.
Though, the report does hint at the surface of issues facing residents and students, stating that “the existence of the relatively large student population can be a point of tension for residents. However, the university and City are focused on coming up with solutions rather than problematizing the causes. The relationship between the university and the City looks at every aspect including housing, student life, and overlapping needs. Williamsburg and the City Manager aim to bridge the gap between residents and students because both groups make up Williamsburg.”
I wonder how the City Manager can be such an expert in bridging gaps between residents and students without soliciting their opinions first. On the other hand, the report contains the feedback and opinions of at least fifteen City employees and elected officials, as well as eleven people employed by the College. The study also included input from a local real estate developer and a multi-government economic development agency — but not full-time residents or current students.
The document further asserts that a “priority of William & Mary President’s Office and President Rowe is to support town-gown relations by investing time in communication and collaboration efforts with the City … the time the administration has put into relations has paid off in the form of strong relationships with City officials.” Sorry, but that’s actually part of the problem, because their relationships too frequently lead to decisions that don’t sufficiently factor in what others think. For example, the presentation emphasizes increased student participation in city issues, but then relies almost exclusively on the opinions of College administrators and City employees for the report.
In fairness, the latest report does refer to the dated results of a Neighborhood Balance Committee as justification for several suggestions. The Daily Press reported in 2020 that the group was a mix of “landlords, students, representatives of the College of William & Mary, homeowners and city staff.” This group seems like it was a good start, and something like it should be reinstated. Feedback needs to be an ongoing, collaborative process of people from across the community, not just College administrators and City employees.
(2-11-25 edited for grammar and spelling)
POLL: Biggest 'Town & Gown' Issue?
Since the City's recent report lacks both resident and student input, here's an online poll instead …
The question is: “What is the biggest ‘Town & Gown’ issue in the City?” Is it a shortage of housing, parking issues, traffic and congestion, property code violations noise concerns? Cast your vote in our online poll above.
George Arbogust is Founder and Editor of the Williamsburg Independent. You can contribute too! Email tips and story ideas: contact@williamsburgindependent.com