The Regent Street-South Campus area is settled by both student and non-student residents. City officials and residents discussed future plans for the uniquely-arranged neighborhood Monday night.
The talks were preliminary and no action will be taken for some time. Still, most of the discussion centered on the redevelopment of housing in different areas throughout the Regent Street neighborhood. It also addressed a number of safety issues in the area—ranging from robberies to pedestrians safely crossing Regent Street.
The area the plan covers is from Camp Randall eastward to the Kohl Center and from Regent Street northward to Johnson Street. Encompassed in the area are major streets such as Park, Johnson and Dayton; in addition, many student dorms and university buildings reside there.
Regent Street neighborhood representative Laura Gutknecht said, ""This area is a prime target for development for the high density student area.""
Ald. Austin King, District 8, said about 3000 people live in the area, and of that number, a delicate mixture of students and residents exists. He said the plan looks to tackle the student housing in the area, create more green space and ensure safety for neighborhood locals.
Ald. Robbie Webber, District 5, agreed the area needs improvement.
""Park and Regent could be more inviting,"" Webber said. ""After dark it is a pretty foreboding area.""
Andy Heidt, a non-student who has lived in the area for many years, said student housing north and south of Regent Street has its negatives. He noted that houses occupied by students ""tend to take a real beating,"" and pointed to students' laziness in taking care of the garbage.
""Apparently they all had disabilities because they couldn't take out the garbage until the raccoons got to it,"" Heidt said.
The thought of high rises is also an unwelcomed idea. Webber said it needs to stay neighborhood oriented. She said green space is a must and that Johnson and Dayton Streets have the potential to be historic. But as of now, ""no street life exists.""
""One thing is for sure, I don't think they want an Equinox to be built on the corner of Mills and Regent,"" Webber said.
Still, Heidt said reasons students want to live in the area are obvious.
""If you live in the area, you're five blocks from campus, five blocks from the arboretum and five blocks from the stadium,"" he said.
