Washington Post Columnist discusses Hillock and East Campus
November 16th, 2009 | by Clay Gump | Published in East Campus | 1 Comment
Op-Ed piece from the Post on Sunday discussing the Hillock site.
The university should look again. I’m willing to raze trees when necessary for the sake of smart growth, such as to build the light rail Purple Line linking College Park to Bethesda. But this plan contradicts the university’s numerous, solemn pledges to become a national leader in protecting the environment.
“You can’t tout sustainability and then, behind closed doors, ignore it,” said Joanna Calabrese, a senior from Columbia who is director of environmental affairs for the Student Government Association.
Discussing East Campus
Although the school remains committed to the project in the long run, the delay is a setback. The plan to erect a lively town center with a mix of shops and student housing is designed to help lure good students and faculty, and to be central to President C.D. Mote Jr.’s legacy.
November 17th, 2009 at 11:31 am (#)
So cutting down trees is OK for the Purple Line, but not OK for something that will actually bring development, new businesses and new property taxes to College Park?
And then McCartney turns around and bemoans the setback in East Campus development. Wouldn’t it be a much bigger setback if the University had to purchase some non-wooded land to use for the maintenance facilities? As we all know, the University is short on funds, and construction on East Campus can’t start until those facilities are re-located.