Downtown resurgence: Chancellor Thorp has big ideas for University Square

Downtown Chapel Hill has been getting a bad rap lately. So it was exciting to see Chancellor Holden Thorp step up on Thursday with plans for a grocery store and parking deck at University Square.

It's clear that his vision for downtown will not just benefit students — it will benefit the town of Chapel Hill as a whole.

For students a grocery store downtown would be much more convenient especially for those who live on campus. And Kerr Drug's departure from Franklin Street makes this idea even more opportune .

Besides a grocery store Thorp also wants to add a parking deck to University Square .

This too is a fantastic idea. Limited parking is an unfortunate reality for any downtown area" and a new deck could help alleviate the problem.

It could also help existing restaurants and businesses by opening up more parking spaces for customers.

Thorp also mentioned that the University is taking into consideration the overall business climate of the downtown.

He expressed a desire to break the two-dimensional mold of ""T-shirts and beer"" that Franklin Street has been notorious for of late. The grocery store is a good start" and we hope that the University will continue to lead the way in diversifying the businesses downtown.

It's great to see the University take such an active role in revitalizing downtown but it is also important for administrators to seek the input of town residents.

The development of University Square is a win-win for students the University and the town.