Early planning has begun for the “Universe Project,” a part of the U’s Campus Master Plan which would call for the development of a structure that would house retail, restaurant, office and housing space at the west end of the Rice-Eccles Stadium parking lot.
However, moving forward with this structure would call for at least the partial closure of the stadium parking lot to complete construction. In addition, it is likely that the amenities the structure is slated to provide would increase the need for parking at the stadium.
Though the idea of having a Gateway-esque structure (not to mention food that doesn’t come from Chartwells) at the U, some of the draws to the plan also have apparent drawbacks that leave students questioning a few things.
For starters, noise is normally one problem about which those living close to the stadium complain. How easy will it be to sell or rent space in a home where TRAX is rumbling by on one side and the roar of the crowd is deafening on the other?
The issue most students will likely care about is parking. The stadium lot is almost always full during peak school hours, and let’s not forget about what parking at the U turns into in the event of a football game. Without anywhere new to park cars on the campus while construction is going on at the stadium, how does the U plan to deal with not having enough parking space to handle the needs of a commuter campus?
It is only the first stage of the project, but it has the potential to displace and disrupt people, and that needs to be addressed before we can celebrate the addition.
It is a fantastic idea to bring something that could be beneficial to students to our campus, but students need to be assured that their needs are going to be met before we start renting space for a sandwich shop.