As Ohio State and Campus Partners continue to move forward on their Gateway project, other shopping spots continue to roll downhill. Desperate to make OSU a shopping mecca and a student paradise, they are not doing a good job of following the trend. City Center, one of the closest malls for OSU students to reach, just lost one of its anchor stores, Jacobson’s. This has come on top of recent drops in sales because of people’s decision to shop elsewhere.

Just look at the variety. In the past few years we have seen the rise of Easton, Tuttle and now Polaris Fashion Place.

With all of these new shopping spots, Columbus has become something of a shopping paradise, but it was not always that way. When I was young, in the days when malls such as Northland and Eastland were the places to shop, there was barely a reason to come to downtown Columbus.

City Center was the first step in revitalizing Columbus and making it a better place to live. After the city sought developers to build City Center, many began to shop there.

I remember the first Christmas after it opened, when my mother and I shopping through the enormous crowds. This was the first real attraction in decades to draw crowds of people Downtown and give attention to the area.

Now Columbus is in a major phase of revitalization and has seen new attractions sprout up everywhere. We now have an NHL hockey team and an arena to house them along with a brand new basketball facility here at OSU. These arenas give Columbus, for the first time, a major indoor venue for concerts and shows. Other projects such as the Smith Brothers’ Hardware building, Miranova and COSI have also been pieces in the revitalization of our city.

Now, OSU is starting its Gateway project, a program for a new and better future for OSU students. But will it be all that they say it is? Can the planners of Gateway find a good balance between shopping and campus life?

Should residents of Steeb Hall look out their windows to see a blazing Gap sign shining over High Street like a beacon? “Come, shop; you know you love to spend your parents’ money.”

Or will they look out to see a slow-moving High Street with nice sidewalks, open greens and small locally-owned shops?

No one will know until the project is finished.

But the planners need to keep one thing in mind. We have enough places to shop. What we have now is a good distance from the university and it provides ample selection for even the picky shopper. What we do not have are quality living spaces, safe and clean streets and recycling programs.

For example, near Georgetown University’s campus, there is a central shopping and recreation area known as M street. It is much like High Street except it has a mall and many small, upscale shops. Like High Street, it has a kicking nightlife. But as soon as you leave the street, you are greeted with small quiet streets with nice-looking houses and not a lot of trash. It’s beautiful.

Will Gateway have this kind of effect on campus life here at OSU? Can students expect better living conditions off campus, or will prices rise as standards begin to fall?

I have lived here at OSU for five years, and I have hung out around this campus for much longer than that. Since this time, I have been the witness too much change; some good, some bad. What Gateway means for OSU, I don’t always agree with.

But the Gateway planners need to realize they hold the cards to improving, really improving, life at OSU.

It’s not about shopping, or new buildings, but creating an improved environment dedicated to the teaching of students. If this is the result, I will thank you and so will stores that already are close to campus.

Matt Claypool is a senior in history. He can be reached for comment at [email protected].