The old Sahara Motel on North Stone Avenue has sat vacant for years. Now, a local businessman wants to take the building, vintage 1950s road sign and all, and turn it into a private student residence hall.

The neighbors' concerns seem genuine, but the developer owns the property.

This is a great idea, not to mention an innovative use of property. The campus area needs more housing for students, and the building is only about a mile from the university.

The project is also a sign of urban renewal, taking a vacant building and doing something profitable and constructive with it.

But residents in the Dunbar Spring Neighborhood have different ideas for the halfway-completed renovation. Those residents want to see it converted to low-income elderly housing. The concern is over the noise and after-hours vomit that comes with college students.

Sure, the elderly can have fun like the rest of us, but there's certainly less of a risk of disturbance than with college students.

The neighborhood claims that they have already had to deal with Via Entrada, a student housing complex right down the street from the Sahara development.

The neighborhood's concerns seem genuine, but one fact remains ÷ the developer owns the property.

If, once completed, the residents or the owner violate the rights of the neighboring residents, then the guilty should be held accountable. But to deny someone the right to legally develop his or her property because of preconceived notions and fears about college students is groundless. The Sahara project is a worthwhile business endeavor, encouraging for inner-city redevelopment and beneficial for UA and Pima students.

Editorials are the opinion of the Wildcat in consultation with the opinions board and written by one of its members. They are Daniel Scarpinato, Jessica Lee, Jose Ceja, Jennifer Duffy, Brett Fera, Erik Flesch, Caitlin Hall, Jessica Suarez and Kendrick Wilson.