To move or not to move — that is Target’s question.

The Ames Target store, located at 620 Lincoln Way, is planning to move to South Duff Avenue, where University Inn is currently located.

But a community action group, Quality of Life Network, wants to keep Target in its place.

Joe Lynch, the group’s coordinator, is worried that the possible relocation of Target would hurt the area of town in which the store currently resides.

Lynch’s group is pushing for Target to team up with the Department of Transportation and Hy-Vee, which is slated to open this summer, to build a parking ramp in the area. Quality for Life also wants Ames to extend Grand Avenue to the south, which would make the Grand Avenue/Lincoln Way intersection one of the busiest in the city.

Target doesn’t want to stay at the same location, partially because the company doesn’t own the land it’s on, and according to manager Bill Zook, officials want to own their own building.

A central concern of the Quality of Living Network is that when, or if, Target leaves its present location, a huge, empty building will remain. Because of the size of the store, it is unlikely that another store would want to rent the building.

This is the kind of problem Ames does not need in an already unsightly area.

But of even greater concern, Target officials are overlooking certain consumers who are very necessary to the store’s success.

Students.

Now that Hy-Vee is about to open a new store next to the present Target, Iowa State students can fulfill nearly all of their shopping needs in a one-square-block area. From CDs to cargo pants, chips to cosmetics, students could be able to buy it all in one stop.

And more importantly, students could get the stuff they need without needing a car. The Target/Hy-Vee block is within walking or biking distance from campus and is accessible from two different directions by CyRide.

If Target moves to South Duff, it will be abandoning a group of consumers it desperately needs to survive.

A two-story remodeled Target in its present location on Lincoln Way would be the best thing for the city and for students.

ISU students most likely aren’t the first group of consumers to come to mind when stores make business decisions. But in this case, the needs of students should be taken into account.