Route 1 dreaming
Jahantab Siddiqui
Issue date: 3/27/07 Section: Opinion
Just before we left for spring break, the university announced it had picked Fougler-Pratt Companies and Argo Investment Company of Rockville as it continues to move forward with its plan to redevelop 38 acres of university land, commonly referred to as "East Campus." I am excited about the possibilities this project holds. While many of us will not be around to see the fruits of this large-scale, long-term redevelopment, it is important students continue to stay involved.
However, as the university moves forward with the plan to transform East Campus, we must keep in mind the challenges we face in transforming the city into the college town it needs to be. The city of College Park spans a larger stretch of Route 1 than just the border of the campus, and it will take more than just efforts from the administration.
There's a long stretch of Route 1 between the IHOP and the University View where you find very few stores that cater to the needs of those living in College Park. And some that are there aren't as accessible as they could be. Car dealerships and RV rental stores are not the type of businesses you consider hallmarks of a college town. An accessible grocery store, more shopping venues and more diverse restaurants coupled with an attractive and inviting downtown atmosphere, can help change that.
Transforming College Park calls for a unique partnership between the City of College Park and the university to help improve relationships between school and city and help to create a city that embodies features of college towns across the country. When you get off the Capital Beltway you should be able to tell you're in the city that is home to the University of Maryland by more than just an old sign sitting at the corner of Route 1 and Cherry Hill Rd.
It will start when the county and state prioritize Route 1 as one of their top transportation projects and help us put in better traffic signals, sidewalks and easy-to-navigate crosswalks. Next, the city must take a leadership role in addressing public safety. While crime statistics show College Park and the university see considerably less crime than other jurisdictions in the county, crime in a college town is a whole different ballgame. If students don't feel safe walking around College Park and even on the campus, it beats the whole point of having a vibrant community like the ones you see in Charlottesville, Boston and Madison.
You cannot attract quality businesses by putting an ad in the classifieds. This will have to be a concerted effort by the city, the university and the student body to attract the kind of popular, upscale franchises and businesses students and College Park residents want. Many of these businesses need a profitable location and once their concerns about location, access, transportation and security are addressed, attracting them to College Park will be an easy task.
I realize that to achieve anything big, you have to start small, but you have to start somewhere. It is how we can achieve the vibrant College Park we all want. East Campus is just the start. We need more similar initiatives from the city, the university and the county to help transform the entire stretch of Route 1 that spans College Park into a pedestrian-friendly, vibrant corridor.
I am hopeful that the selection of former Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan as the vice president of administrative affairs will bring to the table his experience of revitalizing Silver Spring into vibrant a downtown. It also doesn't hurt that Duncan has previously worked with the developer picked by the university.
By improving our infrastructure, making the area safer and increasing public transportation, we can transform College Park into a competitive college town because not only will that but raise the university's profile, it will give us one more reason to be proud of College Park.
Jahantab Siddiqui is president of the Off-Campus students association. He can be reached at jahantab@gmail.com.
However, as the university moves forward with the plan to transform East Campus, we must keep in mind the challenges we face in transforming the city into the college town it needs to be. The city of College Park spans a larger stretch of Route 1 than just the border of the campus, and it will take more than just efforts from the administration.
There's a long stretch of Route 1 between the IHOP and the University View where you find very few stores that cater to the needs of those living in College Park. And some that are there aren't as accessible as they could be. Car dealerships and RV rental stores are not the type of businesses you consider hallmarks of a college town. An accessible grocery store, more shopping venues and more diverse restaurants coupled with an attractive and inviting downtown atmosphere, can help change that.
Transforming College Park calls for a unique partnership between the City of College Park and the university to help improve relationships between school and city and help to create a city that embodies features of college towns across the country. When you get off the Capital Beltway you should be able to tell you're in the city that is home to the University of Maryland by more than just an old sign sitting at the corner of Route 1 and Cherry Hill Rd.
It will start when the county and state prioritize Route 1 as one of their top transportation projects and help us put in better traffic signals, sidewalks and easy-to-navigate crosswalks. Next, the city must take a leadership role in addressing public safety. While crime statistics show College Park and the university see considerably less crime than other jurisdictions in the county, crime in a college town is a whole different ballgame. If students don't feel safe walking around College Park and even on the campus, it beats the whole point of having a vibrant community like the ones you see in Charlottesville, Boston and Madison.
You cannot attract quality businesses by putting an ad in the classifieds. This will have to be a concerted effort by the city, the university and the student body to attract the kind of popular, upscale franchises and businesses students and College Park residents want. Many of these businesses need a profitable location and once their concerns about location, access, transportation and security are addressed, attracting them to College Park will be an easy task.
I realize that to achieve anything big, you have to start small, but you have to start somewhere. It is how we can achieve the vibrant College Park we all want. East Campus is just the start. We need more similar initiatives from the city, the university and the county to help transform the entire stretch of Route 1 that spans College Park into a pedestrian-friendly, vibrant corridor.
I am hopeful that the selection of former Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan as the vice president of administrative affairs will bring to the table his experience of revitalizing Silver Spring into vibrant a downtown. It also doesn't hurt that Duncan has previously worked with the developer picked by the university.
By improving our infrastructure, making the area safer and increasing public transportation, we can transform College Park into a competitive college town because not only will that but raise the university's profile, it will give us one more reason to be proud of College Park.
Jahantab Siddiqui is president of the Off-Campus students association. He can be reached at jahantab@gmail.com.
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