The character of Mifflin Street — one that has pervaded for years and has been felt by the likes of millions of UW students — is being threatened by Madison city planners who have a skewed vision of this college town’s future.
A city meeting was held Thursday regarding the so-called condition of our beloved Mifflin Street. The historic street is currently being subjected to discussions regarding renovation and demolition of a number of houses. Instead of the two- to three-story houses, city planners are looking to build high-rises in the area. The implication is that Mifflin Street somehow needs to be drastically reconstructed. This is more than just the building of a few new complexes — this is about the reconstruction of a community. Madison city planners are making a statement about the Mifflin Street neighborhood as a whole, and it’s not a positive one. Arguing that Mifflin needs to be rebuilt due to deterioration, these planners are seemingly excluding UW students from the equation — the core group Mifflin’s foundation has been built on — for reasons that elude me.
These new high-rises are being marketed largely as options for graduate students and on-campus professionals. While it’s nice to think that the city planners are looking to improve life near campus, I see the reconstruction of the Mifflin Street area as having adverse effects for students. This raises a number of potential problems for your average, broke undergrad who likely will be forced to look outside of the Mifflin Street area for housing options. The UW campus area is already host to a number of high-rises and apartments, which begs me to wonder if there is a true necessity to build up, especially in an area so rich in campus history.
The rebuilding of the Mifflin Street area will result in fewer housing options for students. These houses, while old, have seen the likes of hundreds of students, many of whom are experiencing their first glimpse of home ownership. With their chipped paint or crumbling foundations, Mifflin Street homes are the portrait of Madison college life. UW students deserve to have the opportunity to take part in the Madison tradition of life on Mifflin. Perhaps the most obvious foreseeable problem is the potential loss of a community and lifestyle. What makes Mifflin Street so great is its authenticity. Much more than a street, Mifflin is a neighborhood, a place to play beer pong and hang out on balconies. The reconstruction and rebuilding of the area has the potential to undermine the essence of the Mifflin Street community.
For years the Mifflin Street area has been host to a campus voice. It’s been a safe place for liberals, conservatives and radicals alike. The history of the street seeps through the fa?ade of the Mifflin street houses, recalling such events as the Vietnam protests of 1969 and the police involvement in the 1996 riot. But history aside, Mifflin Street marks the shift from student life to adult life for many of those on campus.
No editorial about Mifflin could be complete without mention of its famous block party, one that has become a symbol of the greater Madison area. But even the much anticipated yearly party could be facing serious change. More than an event to host underage binge drinking, the Mifflin Street block party is a statement on part of the UW campus refuting authority and enforcing the rights and decisions of the student body. And while the hordes of students who attend it might not know the backstory associated with it, they continue to carry on the tradition. But the very practice of this event is being challenged as city planners look to revamp the area. Sure, the streets may continue to close down to host a block party, but what will continue to define Mifflin as a street different from that on any other university?
City Planner Bill Fruhling, who seems to be at the head of the controversy, has mentioned that these are merely suggestions. Let’s keep it that way. Plans likely will not go through if enough of the Madison student community reacts. And that’s where you come in. If you, like me, don’t want to see historic Mifflin Street go to the way of high-rises in a cheap downtown imitation, let city planners know. Keep Mifflin Street the Mifflin Street we all know and love, as the reconstruction would truly be a loss to the greater Madison area.
Emily Osborne ([email protected]) is a sophomore intending to major in journalism.
