Friday, January 4, 2008

Allow YCD to play Devil's Advocate for a few minutes

Two local developers want to turn the area that is now holding the old Bagel Factory (a moment of silence for the Fragel), Village Corner Market the bike rental place behind that and some of the surrounding area to build connected, twin GREEN towers for student apartments.

Oh to hear it described these two gleaming spires of housing and business are all that and a bag of chips. GREEN construction processes, one, two and four bedroom apartments, ground floor businesses. If these University Towers are built they would become the co-highest buildings in Washtenaw County, did we mention all GREEN materials used in building them? On paper, what a deal.

Now comes the part where Johnny explains to the neighborhoods directly surrounding that area, these buildings will condense 1700 STUDENTS into a one block area. What could go wrong? Don't we already have dormitories for this many students living so close to one another? Is there THAT big of a student housing deficiency that we need to alter the entire skyline or gunk up traffic and parking around that busy area for two years?

We're not just coming out against it just to do it but let's slow down for a minute and think past the words GREEN CONSTRUCTION and BEAUTIFUL BUILDINGS.

1700 students in a one block area. Just sayin'

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