He compared the two entities to "two oases" in the desert.
"They're kind of like two islands unto themselves," Smith observed in an interview with The Towerlight last week.
But, to take the metaphor a step further, he wants to build a bridge.
"Rather than a 'we against them' kind of attitude, I'm trying to encourage the community -- and I think Bob Caret is likewise trying to encourage the University -- to see, what are ways that the University can become, and can be perceived, as an asset of the Towson community? That's really my vision," Smith said.
Campus, county await housing proposals
The county executive's vision of improved "town and gown" relations won't appear overnight. "It's not any one project," he pointed out. But one project looms large in the space between community and campus: The University's intent to lease student housing. Last month TU released a Request for Proposals, asking developers to present proposals for residences within one mile of campus.
Prior to the RFP, Smith said he knew the University would be looking for off-campus student housing, but didn't know the details of the request for proposals.
"The suggestions that I had anything to do with the RFP are ludicrous," he said, responding to comments made by community members in an April 25 Towerlight article. "But," he added, "if I were out in the community pumping up one particular site, people might not think that those allegations are ludicrous."
It's clear that Smith is keeping a close eye on the process, though. During the interview, he mentioned the due date for proposals is May 19 and said he had heard that five or six potential sites in Towson meet the general criteria of the RFP.
"I have no idea what Towson's going to do in response to the bids that are submitted," Smith said.
He said he has kept relatively quiet about the Towson Circle III development because he didn't want to be perceived as favoring one proposal over another. He pledged that community groups would have an opportunity for input.
"In the event -- in the event, I will stress that -- that Towson University awards the bid to the Towson Circle III, there is going to be a public meeting where the community is going to have plenty of opportunity to express their ideas, their concerns, their suggestions," Smith said.
As the University has expanded, more students have spilled into nearby communities in search of housing. Smith agreed that some Towson students "have a little measuring up to do."
The University probably isn't going to stop growing anytime soon. As enrollment climbs, "those students are going to rent somewhere," he noted. "I think a well-managed housing complex, wherever it is, is a heck of a lot better than the students having the responsibility to manage themselves in a neighborhood."
Feet on the street, around the circle Whether or not Towson University students reside near the circle is almost beside the point. Smith believes Towson Circle III is an important project for the future of Towson. "A mixed-use project in that area, taking the place of the blighted houses that were there, is something that would be a tremendous advantage to the Towson business core," he said.
Smith fought hard for, and in April received, a $2 million bond from the state for initial site infrastructure improvements.
While some community leaders are concerned about the project, Smith said the business community is "very excited" about Towson Circle III.
"We want feet on the street...we want to create, I think, some excitement in Towson after 4:30," he said. "Towson's very interesting during the day, with all the office workers and government workers, but it would be nice to have some of that excitement, some of that traffic, and some of those customers available after 4:30 to support those little shops along York Road south of the circle."
Smith described riding down Charles Street near Johns Hopkins University: "There are beautiful homes, there's multi-unit housing, there's the University, there's retail, there's restaurants, there's young people jogging, people conversing on benches and on the hill. There's a lot of vitality, there's a lot of energy."
Is that what he foresees in Towson?
"I don't see why we couldn't have that," he said.
Opportunities for 'cross-pollination'
For four decades, Smith has watched Towson transform.
"I've seen a lot of changes in Towson," he said. "But it just seems to me that during that whole transition, although Towson has grown considerably as a business and government and commercial center, the relationship between the town and the University hasn't changed that much."
Smith doesn't believe the community thinks of itself as a college town. But he envisions a win-win relationship between the two entities: "I think [TU] would be better off and better served, and I think the community would be better off and better served, if the two could come together and develop positive inter-relationships," he said. He suggested the process would take several steps, some big and some small. For instance, stores in the Towson business core could sell TU memorabilia, Smith said, and the University could be more aggressive in marketing its events, lectures and programs to the community.
"I think people in the community would be impressed by the positive accomplishments and talents of University students," Smith said. "If there was just this cross-pollination opportunity for the community to be exposed to that talent."
Last October's inaugural Revelry & Rivalry parade and festival, scheduled to coincide with Homecoming, is another example of the collaboration. Smith said he hopes this fall's festivities are bigger and better than last years.
In addition, Smith said, Baltimore County planners are looking at ways to improve pedestrian access from the University to downtown Towson along York Road. Perhaps, bridging the two islands is more than a metaphor after all.
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