When the new CVS opens its doors in the former Moravian Cafes location in September, Penn's neighborhood will be home to not one or two, but five pharmacies.
Now that the firm has also decided to keep open its location at 39th and Walnut streets, this seems like pharmaceutical overkill.
What the campus needs is not another place to buy Advil and shampoo, but rather more retail and dining variety.
As soon as the new CVS location opens, the existing 39th Street branch should close. While this would mean a longer walk for high-rise residents, it makes little sense to have identical stores less than five blocks apart.
Penn should then undertake plans to improve the property and install additional retail options for students and local residents. The community would be better served by more places to buy clothes, athletic equipment, office supplies or household items rather than cosmetics.
Down the street, the new CVS will be beneficial in that it is easily accessible for residents of Hill College House and Drexel, but it comes at the expense of cheap and quick dining options, which are limited on the campus' eastern front.
The University's real estate planners have done a fine job of bringing a mix of restaurants to the 40th Street corridor, but other areas of campus have been left to fend for themselves.
In explaining the closure of four Moravian food vendors to make way for CVS, University President Amy Gutmann said, "If [four of the food stands are] not making it, it means students aren't using it, so we thought, 'What can we bring that a lot of students will use?'"
This seems reasonable enough. But the chief reason students were not patronizing some of the restaurants in the former Moravian location was more a result of the poor selection and high prices. A handful of well-known, inexpensive restaurants in that space could be highly successful.
The only way new projects of this nature will be popular is if student input plays a central role in the planning process. And student input does not mean just a report from the UA's facilities committee. A University-wide survey or a town-hall style forum would give everyday students who are not leaders of campus organizations or branches of student government a voice in the future of their campus.
The University failed to do this when selecting Ann Taylor Loft for the corner of 36th and Walnut. If Penn is serious about bringing in retail that "a lot of students will use," students should be the first people they consult.
Three of the retail spots that will accompany Famous Famiglia Pizza and Gourmet Ice Cream and Yogurt in the non-CVS half of Moravian Cafes remain up in the air. Now is the time for you to let the University know what should be done in that space.
Join the discussion
What retail and dining options should the University be pursuing? Send us your feedback to: letters@dailypennsylvanian.com
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