Train wreck coming soon for university and community? By CHRISTINA BLAKENEY Staff Writer
Bowie State University faculty and students, residents from the community and local officials gathered at a meeting Tuesday night to decide whether the expansion of the MARC train station is beneficial to the university and surrounding community.
According to the designers and coordinators with the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, it will provide more opportunities for students to relate to the larger community.
However, some residents feel differently.
"What about the traffic on Race Track Road and on Route 197?" was just one of the many questions raised during the meeting. There are also issues involving traffic patterns and creating a more friendly atmosphere between the students at the university and the city, and bridging the gap will seemingly cause the city to embrace the university and the students who attend.
According to the design and planning team at M-NCPPC, this expansion will rival other college towns in the area and will make it more appealing to the community. Their objective is to enhance the city of Bowie.
In addition, the initiative is being pushed to provide retail outlets, eateries, and bring a more attractive site to the community.
Kierre McCune, planning coordinator for M-NCPPC, said the plan is "to bridge the gap between the university and Old Town Bowie." (The projection dates for the design plan are as follows: the Preliminary Plan from September to December, meeting with the Planning Board for April 2009, a joint public hearing in July 2009, plan adopted October 2009 and a plan approved in January or February 2010.)
In response to sustainable development, freshman Kellye Beathea said, "I'd love parks, a statue or a memorial because Bowie has its own rich history, too."
The overall goal of the MARC train expansion plan is to get people off the roads and into the transit system, to create a stronger sense of community among the university and residents in the city. And, said McCune, "Socially we want Bowie State University to be included in one cohesive community that includes Bowie State, and we want to make sure students have opportunities that include jobs and internships ..."
But the big drawback is the amount of traffic it will create in an already high-traffic and populated area.
"Smart growth is concentrating our development on the MARC space, so we don't follow techniques of the past of urban sprawl," said McCune. In response to the possible disadvantages of the mixed-used site he said, "We do our very best to listen to the community, to listen to the state and local jurisdictions to provide feedback throughout the process, and for checks and balances here."
From the university's standpoint it is positive and will cause the community to recognize the university as a viable entity. "I think it's a good idea; I want it to be a plan that works," said Boyd Campbell, chairman of the city's Economic Development Committee, although he agreed that there were some missing parties from the table last night, including the Prince George's County Public School System and developers.
