Hotel at Olmstead isn’t practical

On Tuesday, Alan Fish, the Vice President of Real Estate and Campus Services, introduced some of his suggestions for development at Homewood to the Student Government Association (SGA). One of the most ambitious projects Fish spoke about and the first one he would like to implement is the construction of a hotel on the vacant Olmstead lot on 33rd St. between St. Paul and N. Charles St. Fish told the SGA that the hotel would increase the quality of student life by bringing “really great restaurants” to Charles Village and would provide students with another place to “hang out.”

This page strongly believes that there are far better ways to use this land.

First, a hotel is not what Charles Village is missing right now. Charles Village is still far from being considered a thriving “college town,” and the development of the Olmstead lot could go a long way in bringing a more lively social scene to the community.

For one, Charles Village has no large grocery store at which students can shop. The nearest supermarket is blocks away, which means that students often have to settle with paying exorbitant prices at the Charles Street Market or accept the limited, and also expensive, options at Eddies. The construction of a large supermarket would most likely be a top priority for students.

Also, there has been a growing demand for a student union over the past few years. For the administration to build a hotel instead of a student union – an addition to Homewood which would indubitably increase the quality of student life – is disconcerting.

A hotel has nothing to do with students and their quality of life and for Fish to make such a connection is baffling. A hotel serves the purpose of housing people who don’t live in Baltimore. Students live in Baltimore, so they won’t be staying at the hotel. The fact that the hotel might have a restaurant at which the students can “hang out” is equally baffling. If the administration thinks students need more restaurants – which they do – then they should build more restaurants, not a hotel with a restaurant in it.

While talking to the SGA about his plans is a good first step, Fish should continue this dialogue with a larger portion of the student body. There are most likely many students who have better ideas for the Olmstead lot than building a hotel that will not significantly better the social life of students on campus.