UWT Expands Sidewalk. Area Loses Parking

As I was driving the streets of Tacoma today, I noticed something that made me think.  It happens sometimes and, this time, I felt like sharing.  Market street has cones, barrels, and signs routing traffic from left to right and back again between South 19th and South 21st street.  The construction on the street is related to the new UWT student dormitory.  What I noticed is that the sidewalk extends out into the street where parking used to be.  Given the distance, it could be the equivelant of twenty spaces of street parking that would be useful for places like The Rock, UWT, Buzzard CDs, The Swiss, and others. 

Why does a dorm need twenty feet of sidewalk?  I have heard from a few different folks that they believe UWT wants to close Market Street to traffic.  I have never tried to confirm this detail and only thought of it again when I saw this construction (anybody?).  Could this sidewalk extension and compression of traffic be a first step toward making Market Street less necessary for doing business in the area?  In an area where street parking is relatively limited, what is the impact on local businesses?  I don’t know.  What do you think?