The past two months have been an extended field day slinging mud at the Associated Students of Madison for their plan to push for the inclusion of a grocery store in the new Union South. Ever since the plan was announced back in September, a litany of condescension and criticism has tried to crush it. When I first heard about the plan, I myself took the view that it was a mistake to pursue this course of action.
However, like many of those who critiqued the plan, I was not personally familiar with how ASM planned to do this. In fact, like the many other students out there, I originally jumped to conclusions prematurely. Thus, I joined the Shared Governance grocery store subcommittee with the intention of finding out just what sort of harebrained project they were working on. After several weeks of work on this committee and along with a couple of extensive question-and-answer sessions with the ASM interns guiding this campaign, I have changed my mind, and I think a lot of others will as well if they fully understand the issue.
First of all, some students have raised the issue over whether or not there is even a market for another grocery store. With Capitol Centre Foods, Trader Joe’s and the new Willy Street Co-op, does the campus area need another grocery store? The University of Wisconsin Extension Center for Community and Economic Development recently released a Downtown Madison Market Analysis that suggests continued development of the downtown housing market will create an environment with enough demand for an additional grocery store. If the Regent Street area goes through further development, a grocery store in Union South would be well-placed to benefit from an increase in residents. The existing student housing between Dayton Street and Regent Street would also benefit, as would the Lakeshore dorm residents, who can ride a single bus all the way from the Lakeshore area to Union South and back.
A second criticism of the grocery store is that ASM does not have a plan of action for how the store will operate. Well, guess what — it’s true. Would you like to know why? There isn’t a plan yet because the grocery store concept is still in the research and planning stages. While a complete business plan has not been developed yet, ASM has been moving ahead toward creating one. The grocery store subcommittee has been researching the business models in use at other universities with successful campus grocery stores. We are attempting to establish such a model if the University Square development will include a grocery store.
I would like to emphasize this is not some pipe dream dreamt up by lunatics. There are no plans to mandate locally grown or organic food as has been a worry of some. Trader Joe’s and the Willy St. Co-op can take care of that niche market. Furthermore, groundbreaking on the new Union South will not begin until 2009, which gives ASM plenty of time to build up a plan for the grocery store.
Finally, I’d like to address criticism concerning the funding and costs of the grocery store. Funding for the new union has already been passed; our segregated fees will be going up to pay for it, like it or not. Thus, if the grocery store were included in the construction plans it would not result in an increase in the cost of the union or an increase in segregated fees. Additionally, the grocery store will not be a form of subsidized food for students. There has been absolutely no discussion about keeping prices artificially low, such as below actual operating costs. The grocery store will not be designed to cost the university or students money beyond the startup costs.
Given what I have just outlined, I feel it is far too early to condemn the plan as a failure. The final form the grocery store will take depends on the outcome of the planning stage within ASM and consultations with the appropriate committees overseeing the Union South development plans. In the future, ASM will be holding public forums, which will give concerned individuals the chance to offer input, suggestions or criticism of the idea. As time goes on, it may turn out that the grocery store concept for Union South is either impractical or too costly. However, I think that given what is known now, the idea deserves a chance to be explored.
Andrew Wagner ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in computer science and political science.
