EDITORIAL: A needed boost for 40th Street

A new cinema and food market would benefit both the University and local neighborhoods. A new movie theater and food market on 40th Street would give a much needed boost to the west end of campus. An arts-focused cinema makes perfect sense in tandem with an academic environment. It would be yet another feature making University City an attractive place to live, working well with the administration's plan to encourage more faculty to buy homes in the area. The unique offerings of such a theater could also lure people from other areas of the city to spend an evening in West Philadelphia. This would increase the number of people on the streets in the evenings and, in turn, the safety of that corridor. A full-scale food market would also answer a vital need. The small convenience stores near campus are expensive and lack variety. And the Thriftway at 43rd and Walnut streets, though not far out of the way for upperclassmen living on the western edge of campus, is quite a trek for students living in the Quadrangle, Kings Court/English House and Hill House dormitories. A three-block difference can mean a great deal when you are lugging several bags of groceries. Some fear that a second full-scale market would reinforce the division between campus and the surrounding neighborhoods, as students might tend to frequent one and Spruce Hill residents might use the other. But increased competition would be beneficial in that it would likely force an improvement in quality and variety and bring down prices at the existing establishments. Additionally, a market -- and a theater -- would provide increased job opportunities for local residents. Both establishments would fill current voids in the area. And given their expected success, they would serve as magnets for other merchants, so that University City could claim a vibrant retail district -- from Sansom Common to 40th Street.