University must back Route 1 revitalization

In a largely symbolic legislative move, the Prince George's County Council voted to increase the priority of the Route 1 Corridor project from sixth to fourth in their county transportation plan, a decision that may prove to be a boon for university students in the years to come if the university ever decides to jump on the Route 1 bandwagon.

In a city whose streets are rife with unsafe street crossings and difficult turns, the redevelopment will improve driving conditions and will cut the pedestrian death rate by replacing the suicide lane in the middle of the road with a median and by adding left-turn lanes. Though this aspect by itself would make the redevelopment worthwhile, the positive effects on local business and the downtown atmosphere of College Park make the proposed improvements all the more key.

The Field of Dreams catch phrase "If you build it, they will come" ought to come to mind - if the state agrees to fund the redevelopment, the appeal of the entire area would be improved, aiding local businesses. The increased appeal would encourage other businesses to move to the area, expanding options currently limited to eateries, bars and liquor stores to the wider range of options commonly found in a college town.

The image the Washington City Paper presented for our neighborhood in a September 2006 article - "you somehow get, in College Park, an ugly shopping strip, a scarcity of choice, an air of lurking danger, and the promise of thoughtless mayhem" - needs to disappear, and the Route 1 Corridor project is an important first step. With this revitalization would come a slew of other pluses, from lower crime rates to an increase in the overall reputation of the city.

It is in these advantages that the university would reap the benefits of the revitalization. In recent years, the poor quality of city life surrounding the campus has proven disastrous to the university's reputation - in that same Washington City Paper article, the author alleged that the university will never join the nation's elite public universities because it has "the locational charm of a highway rest stop." It seems a no-brainer then that university leaders would wholeheartedly support the Route 1 Corridor project and the chance to soup up its image.

Recent actions by university President Dan Mote, however, have sent the exact opposite message. In a letter sent to state legislators late last year, Mote supported the Campus Connector construction over the Route 1 redevelopment, striking an massive blow to the project that a local legislator equated to "a punch in the face."

With such bad blood between the university and the community, it should come as no surprise that university students live in a community that isn't entirely receptive to their presence. But if the university is truly interested in improving its image - and helping both its students and its surrounding area - it should set a higher priority on improving city life and should join forces with the county council in making a strong stand for the Route 1 project.