In the past few years, ETSU has expanded significantly with the football stadium, the Martin Center and the Culp renovation. Along with the campus’s expansion, more businesses have been popping up across the street. We now have Starbucks, Subway, Alumni Hall, First Watch, and soon to be, Cootie Brown’s. It seems like the surrounding areas of Johnson City are able to expand and grow as ETSU grows and admits more students.
As the area across from campus expands its venues, it will hopefully bring more businesses that fulfill the needs of students on campus. All ETSU faculty and students can easily access the lots across the street, but realistically, the people who could potentially benefit the most from the areas are students who live on that side of campus and students who don’t have cars.
Kroger and Earth Fare are the closest grocery stores to campus, and depending what side of campus students live on, it can be hard to get to these stores if they’re on foot. I think a small marketplace grocery store would be useful if it were built closer to University Parkway, so students could just walk across the street.
We have a lot of restaurants around in the area but not much else to go do immediately close to campus. We need some kind of fun, recreational activity across the street that students can walk to from their dorm or walk to after they’re done with classes. This could be a roller-skating rink, a small movie theater, an arcade or an escape room. Students wouldn’t have to drive across town to be able to go do something fun besides go out to eat.
ETSU should also strive to create partnerships with the future businesses and arrange to allow students to use their ID Bucs at those locations. First Watch already does, and it would be beneficial if all businesses included the practice.
Hopefully, the future businesses will add some variety and convenience for ETSU students and faculty to enjoy.
