Staff editorial: An East Campus campaign

For the last dozen years, one ambitious project in particular keeps coming up for university administrators, city council members and state officials alike — construction of East Campus, a proposed 38-acre development that would both revitalize a strip of College Park along Route 1 and make this university more attractive to potential students and faculty.

Officials initially anticipated the project to be completed in 2010, but two years later, construction hasn't even begun. Budget woes due to the economic downturn have been the biggest culprit delaying East Campus, but other setbacks — including former developer Foulger-Pratt pulling out in the midst of contract negotiations — caused the project to be largely abandoned last year.

Enter university President Wallace Loh. Less than two weeks after taking the helm, he delivered his first State of the Campus address, in which he laid out his preliminary vision for the university. Chief among those goals? Getting the ball rolling on East Campus once again and finally seeing its completion through.

So far, the project's future looks promising. The university has contracted development group Cordish Companies to oversee the construction. The state legislature approved a five-year plan to fund the project with $25 million; officials hope to receive another $10 million in fiscal year 2014. And last week, Vice President for Administrative Affairs Robert Specter unveiled specifics on "Phase 1A" of the plan, which is set to break ground in spring 2013.

Construction of the first phase will take place on the corner of Paint Branch Parkway and Route 1. It will include a hotel with 265 beds and 20,000 to 25,000 square feet of conference space. The development will also feature a 30,000 square-foot bookstore, three graduate student high-rise complexes and 58,000 square feet of room for ground-floor retailers.

This is only the first phase of the project. Specter has several other phases in the works and, considering he's only been in his position since Sept. 1, it seems Specter has done a considerable amount of work to get the ball rolling. After pledging to prioritize the project from day one, he's clearly kept his word five months later.

But Specter isn't the only official who deserves praise for the recent East Campus push; it's been a collective effort on the part of university and city representatives. The College Park City Council's support of the project, which it has demonstrated repeatedly, will continue to be instrumental in actually seeing this endeavor through. The university and city should be commended for working together so closely on this project, and we hope they maintain that collaboration until the project is complete.

Perhaps most promising is Specter's pledge to make East Campus something that community members actually enjoy. He said he will be hosting community forums in the next few months to adequately gauge what kinds of retail and food options students and College Park residents would most enjoy. Students especially should attend these forums and voice their input; if they don't, there's a good chance yet another Chipotle will end up near the campus. Regardless of the input, Specter and other officials should take these recommendations seriously — what would have been the point of 12 years of planning and millions of dollars if no one ever visits the final product?

Loh began the academic year with almost an entirely new administrative team; thus far, its emphasis on East Campus has been promising. While Loh's predecessor, former university President Dan Mote, seemed to largely focus on fundraising efforts, Loh has charted his presidential path to prioritize making College Park a top-20 college town. East Campus is key to that vision; with the community support the project has received so far, Loh has a fighting chance of creating a lasting legacy for himself as a president.