I would like to respond to the article in the April 2 issue of The Spectrum, titled"Point/Counterpoint: The Lee Road Project." Although I believe the current idea of developing Lee Road would also be good for students, I must say I love Benjamin Siegel's idea to have apartments downtown connected by shuttles to both campuses. I don't know if that idea is possible, because it would involve more spending on campus busing, but I would be thrilled if UB did change their plans to focus on downtown Buffalo.
I enjoy attending UB and I like many things about the university, but one of the few things I don't like is how the North Campus is suburban. One of the attractions of other universities I visited, such as the University of Pittsburgh, was that it was already in the heart of the city. It allows for many things to be within walking distance for students without cars. You can walk to stores and restaurants easily. South Campus is more in the city then North Campus, but it is still far northwest from the attractions and students need to pay to take the subway if they want to see what downtown Buffalo has to offer.
If UB were to have some apartments downtown, they would be able to satisfy both students who wanted a downtown setting to live, while their current housing would continue to please students who prefer to live outside of the city.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
