The face of Thayer Street has changed significantly this semester, with storefronts previously situated around Meeting Street moving further down the street or shutting down completely. Construction on new luxury apartments is underway, and community organizations seek to revitalize the area around Thayer.
Construction around campus is necessary and important to maintain the University’s facilities. But when it comes to undertaking new projects, we hope any endeavors are used to benefit as many students and members of the local community as possible.
Looking onto Meeting Street — the location where Ben and Jerry’s, Sahara Hookah and Squires Salon previously stood— one will now find a wasteland of construction. The area’s developer, Gilbane Development Company, has begun to construct units of luxury apartments for students, a project offering questionable benefit. The original plans met criticism from both students and community members, who said the project did not necessarily reflect the area’s needs.
We agree: The luxury apartment complex, like other projects on Thayer Street, strikes us as inconsistent with the interests of the Brown community. Only a small number of students will actually benefit from the construction and live in the apartments upon their completion. Most others will likely find the apartments prohibitively expensive — indeed, the apartments could strengthen divides between students of different socioeconomic backgrounds.
Meanwhile, those who live or work near the zone must deal with the constant sounds of construction and the problems that often accompany that work. If construction continues in such a central community area, it should go toward projects that will directly benefit the area and the students and local community members who use it.
Instead of luxury apartments, we believe the area could benefit from other additions — for instance, students have professed the need for a grocery store within walking distance from campus, something wholly absent from Thayer Street. The addition of Gourmet Heaven has somewhat alleviated the need for a nearby grocery vendor, but students who do not have access to a car on campus are limited in their abilities to shop for reasonably priced groceries. The vacancy created by Tedeschi Food Shop could be used to fill this gap, if, for instance, a grocery vendor occupied the space.
Change is necessary, and construction projects and transformations around Thayer Street are inevitable. But we hope future endeavors address concerns relevant to the needs of the Brown community, rather than creating or exacerbating existing problems.
Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board: its editor, Rachel Occhiogrosso, and its members, Dan Jeon, Hannah Loewentheil and Thomas Nath. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.
ADVERTISEMENT
