On Jan. 26, there will be a City of Auburn public forum to discuss the city’s growth, specifically new developments in the downtown area.
Many oppose new developments because of worries that Auburn could be transformed from the Loveliest Village on the Plains to just another college town with developer sprawl.
Some people prefer the quaint look of Auburn’s current downtown to the bustling atmosphere of a college city such as Athens, Georgia.
While it’s understandable that some residents would be disappointed to see any significant changes to downtown Auburn, we believe we must allow Auburn to grow and evolve as its population grows and evolves.
Significant expansion in what city officials call the Urban Core, if done strategically, can both protect and improve Auburn’s village feel.
With Auburn attracting more and more students, it’s important to consider the effects of the expansion in terms of how it would affect a student population that makes up about 47 percent of the city’s total population.
It’s still possible to keep Auburn beautiful while also adding new amenities, improving infrastructure and increasing convenience for those living downtown.
The new parking deck would vastly improve the struggle of finding a parking spot by adding 400 parking spots to the downtown area.
Auburn’s downtown is already dotted with gas stations and fast-food restaurants that are, and should be, slated for redevelopment. The redevelopment of those lots could improve Auburn’s village aesthetic.
Often times, when a consumer believes they can find better deals at retail locations outside of their local community, they will take their business to those places. If there were an urban grocery in downtown Auburn, jobs would be created and local consumption would increase.
Student housing complexes would provide students with a great place to live in closer proximity to campus.
With so many amenities nearby, students without cars would be in much better shape than they are now.
Instead of having to find a way to trek all the way out to Walmart or Kroger, downtown residents could walk a block down the road and find all of their needs there.
This higher student concentration would help main street businesses, decrease traffic and further prevent retail leakage to suburban supermarkets.
If Auburn allows itself to embrace the changes that are being deliberated, we are confident our village will remain lovely. and become an even finer place to call home.
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