Comments on: Purple Line Route Set, ‘Enormous’ Underground Parking at East Campus http://rethinkcollegepark.net/blog/2008/542/ Helping imagine a great college town for a great university Wed, 15 Feb 2012 18:30:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Sin V http://rethinkcollegepark.net/blog/2008/542/comment-page-1/#comment-75001 Sin V Thu, 17 Jan 2008 22:07:31 +0000 http://rethinkcollegepark.net/blog/2008/542/#comment-75001 Apparently the $100M line item in the budget isn't quite so simple. http://maryland-politics.blogspot.com/2008/01/much-ado-about-purple.html Apparently the $100M line item in the budget isn’t quite so simple.

http://maryland-politics.blogspot.com/2008/01/much-ado-about-purple.html

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]]> By: Bruce Tennant http://rethinkcollegepark.net/blog/2008/542/comment-page-1/#comment-74991 Bruce Tennant Thu, 17 Jan 2008 20:56:55 +0000 http://rethinkcollegepark.net/blog/2008/542/#comment-74991 A Rossborough alignment can also allow a stop at the Visitor Center in Turner Hall (The Dairy). Between Turner and the M circle is a parking lot and the southwest corner of the Engineering Fields, not much of a loss there. A Rossborough alignment can also allow a stop at the Visitor Center in Turner Hall (The Dairy). Between Turner and the M circle is a parking lot and the southwest corner of the Engineering Fields, not much of a loss there.

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]]> By: Kevin Fallon http://rethinkcollegepark.net/blog/2008/542/comment-page-1/#comment-74980 Kevin Fallon Thu, 17 Jan 2008 19:03:40 +0000 http://rethinkcollegepark.net/blog/2008/542/#comment-74980 thats good news. my hunch is that all of the talk regarding all of these alternative alignments is a way of guiding us to the campus drive alignment. kind of like the scene in "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" where the ladies tricked the father into thinking it was his idea/decision when it was really them leading him to where they wanted him to be all along. hey, if in the end, the best solution prevails, I dont mind thats good news. my hunch is that all of the talk regarding all of these alternative alignments is a way of guiding us to the campus drive alignment.

kind of like the scene in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” where the ladies tricked the father into thinking it was his idea/decision when it was really them leading him to where they wanted him to be all along.

hey, if in the end, the best solution prevails, I dont mind

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]]> By: Joe Dexter http://rethinkcollegepark.net/blog/2008/542/comment-page-1/#comment-74975 Joe Dexter Thu, 17 Jan 2008 17:43:39 +0000 http://rethinkcollegepark.net/blog/2008/542/#comment-74975 Responding to Kevin: I am not a preservationist, but I believe that the way this will play out is as follows. Since the University is a State institution and there is some level of protection over the historical core of campus. The Historical Trust is likely to consider Morrill Mall and the Chapel Fields both of critical contextual importance for the resources in that area (Morrill, Shoemaker, the Chapel, etc. They will also be interested in the Engineering fields. They will want to make sure that alternatives are investigated that minimally impact the historic resources and what mitigation measures can be taken to limit impacts. An at-grade option across the Morrill quad would have a dramatic impact, so they will prefer a tunnel. The tunnel will be declared cost prohibitive ($50 to 80 million?, so they will prefer Campus Drive, which, as has been demonstrated very well be Rethink could use a makeover anyway. The good news is that Campus Drive can link to Rossborough as well as the Chapel Fields option can so there can still be a stop on Rossborough - near Ritchie, close to the new East Campus stuff and a hop and a skip from old town CP. I think everyone agrees that this option is a reasonable compromise. Now if we can just get the center campus alignment right.... Responding to Kevin: I am not a preservationist, but I believe that the way this will play out is as follows.

Since the University is a State institution and there is some level of protection over the historical core of campus. The Historical Trust is likely to consider Morrill Mall and the Chapel Fields both of critical contextual importance for the resources in that area (Morrill, Shoemaker, the Chapel, etc. They will also be interested in the Engineering fields. They will want to make sure that alternatives are investigated that minimally impact the historic resources and what mitigation measures can be taken to limit impacts. An at-grade option across the Morrill quad would have a dramatic impact, so they will prefer a tunnel. The tunnel will be declared cost prohibitive ($50 to 80 million?, so they will prefer Campus Drive, which, as has been demonstrated very well be Rethink could use a makeover anyway.

The good news is that Campus Drive can link to Rossborough as well as the Chapel Fields option can so there can still be a stop on Rossborough – near Ritchie, close to the new East Campus stuff and a hop and a skip from old town CP. I think everyone agrees that this option is a reasonable compromise. Now if we can just get the center campus alignment right….

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]]> By: Kevin Fallon http://rethinkcollegepark.net/blog/2008/542/comment-page-1/#comment-74961 Kevin Fallon Thu, 17 Jan 2008 14:53:55 +0000 http://rethinkcollegepark.net/blog/2008/542/#comment-74961 Joe: could the Maryland Historical Trust have the leverage to impact this? I mean sure, we can all state our positions, but in the end, do they have the ability to impact the ultimate outcome? I dont think Doug Duncan is throwing in monkey wrenches just to muck things up. He is merely doing his job. Can you all imagine what a huge nightmare this must be for people like Doug and President Mote? The complexities of the constituent relationships at play - not to mention a billion dollar fund raising campaign and ever shrinking state support (time for my favorite tounge-in-cheek sarcastic barb: "What is the state support of College Park at these days? $ .22 cents total? or are we down to .13?" .....sorry, cant resist. It frustrates the bejeezus out of me that this state does not understand the economic value of a top flight university and what it could do to the regional economy....dollars invested in CP could generate a ROI that benefits ........oh I digress sorry) My point is this: President Mote and Doug Duncan are not trying to foul up this process because they want to play power games or because they prefer cars over public transportation. They have the hideously challenging job of managing an unbelievably complex constiuent base. You and I both know there are some big money donors (or Univ officials who represent those donors interests) behind this Which ties to a much higher level issue. The only way College Park Revitalization (this is a broad term meaning P-line, rte 1 reconstruction, east campus, economic development....all of it) can move forward and reach a successful outcome is if we develop an operating model based on trust, teamwork, cooperation, and understanding the greater good. There needs to be a "Greater College Park Redevelopment Authority" with a board of Directors made up of reps from the City, County, State, Univ Administration, MNCPPC, as well as Undergrads / Grads / Alumni since we all have a vested interest in this. It has to be a highly effective, fully functioning, above board entity. Joe: could the Maryland Historical Trust have the leverage to impact this? I mean sure, we can all state our positions, but in the end, do they have the ability to impact the ultimate outcome?

I dont think Doug Duncan is throwing in monkey wrenches just to muck things up. He is merely doing his job. Can you all imagine what a huge nightmare this must be for people like Doug and President Mote? The complexities of the constituent relationships at play – not to mention a billion dollar fund raising campaign and ever shrinking state support (time for my favorite tounge-in-cheek sarcastic barb: “What is the state support of College Park at these days? $ .22 cents total? or are we down to .13?” …..sorry, cant resist. It frustrates the bejeezus out of me that this state does not understand the economic value of a top flight university and what it could do to the regional economy….dollars invested in CP could generate a ROI that benefits ……..oh I digress sorry)

My point is this: President Mote and Doug Duncan are not trying to foul up this process because they want to play power games or because they prefer cars over public transportation. They have the hideously challenging job of managing an unbelievably complex constiuent base. You and I both know there are some big money donors (or Univ officials who represent those donors interests) behind this

Which ties to a much higher level issue. The only way College Park Revitalization (this is a broad term meaning P-line, rte 1 reconstruction, east campus, economic development….all of it) can move forward and reach a successful outcome is if we develop an operating model based on trust, teamwork, cooperation, and understanding the greater good. There needs to be a “Greater College Park Redevelopment Authority” with a board of Directors made up of reps from the City, County, State, Univ Administration, MNCPPC, as well as Undergrads / Grads / Alumni since we all have a vested interest in this. It has to be a highly effective, fully functioning, above board entity.

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