Longtime residents feel they are getting pushed out by newcomers moving to the city

New challenges for Detroit
Longtime residents feel they are getting pushed out by newcomers moving to the city

BY LOUIS AGUILAR
THE DETROIT NEWS

At a recent Midtown preview of a documentary about Detroit to be shown in Germany and France, longtime city resident and artist Olayami Dabls sat in "amazement," he said.

"I have not seen so many people of African descent and people of color in any other documentary about Detroit," said Dabls, who is featured in the film.

That's saying something because Detroit, whose population is 82 percent black, has been the focus of many documentaries with more on the way. Perhaps half of the people interviewed in the documentary featuring Dabls are African-American.

The film focuses on the same theme many boosters, investors and new online media sites cast about Detroit — a new city emerging from its post-industrial ruins. But a growing number of Detroiters say they often feel left out of that positive story. Though Detroit is on the verge of bankruptcy, it is starting to deal with issues of gentrification, where some people are getting pushed out.

Many potential home buyers in Corktown, Midtown and downtown often get outbid, many real estate agents said. It's a combination of not enough high-quality inventory and stiff competition.

Amber Wilson, 28, knows this firsthand. The Southgate resident wanted to move to Corktown, but quickly found herself outbid on at least three residences last year.

"Some Oakland County couple paid more than $100,000 cash for a loft, because they wanted their daughter to move back from Chicago. I can't compete with that," said Wilson, a graphic designer who had been pre-approved for a $120,000 mortgage loan. Nor did she want to buy a home in disrepair, which seemed the only other option for her in that neighborhood.

In downtown, the Trolley Plaza apartment complex was bought by new owners, who upgraded the facility, changed the name to Washington Square Apartments and increased the rent 20 percent or more.

"It went from diverse to mainly young and white," said Jack Sexton, a former resident. "That's too bad because a lot of people wanted to stay but they couldn't afford it."

Continued at: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2.../BIZ/201050332

Sorry, I think the subtitle of this story is disingenious, at best.

A little bit ridiculous when the city is at 1/3 of its peak Population.

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Originally Posted by begingri

New challenges for Detroit
Longtime residents feel they are getting pushed out by newcomers moving to the city

BY LOUIS AGUILAR
THE DETROIT NEWS

At a recent Midtown preview of a documentary about Detroit to be shown in Germany and France, longtime city resident and artist Olayami Dabls sat in "amazement," he said.

"I have not seen so many people of African descent and people of color in any other documentary about Detroit," said Dabls, who is featured in the film.

That's saying something because Detroit, whose population is 82 percent black, has been the focus of many documentaries with more on the way. Perhaps half of the people interviewed in the documentary featuring Dabls are African-American.

The film focuses on the same theme many boosters, investors and new online media sites cast about Detroit — a new city emerging from its post-industrial ruins. But a growing number of Detroiters say they often feel left out of that positive story. Though Detroit is on the verge of bankruptcy, it is starting to deal with issues of gentrification, where some people are getting pushed out.

Many potential home buyers in Corktown, Midtown and downtown often get outbid, many real estate agents said. It's a combination of not enough high-quality inventory and stiff competition.

Amber Wilson, 28, knows this firsthand. The Southgate resident wanted to move to Corktown, but quickly found herself outbid on at least three residences last year.

"Some Oakland County couple paid more than $100,000 cash for a loft, because they wanted their daughter to move back from Chicago. I can't compete with that," said Wilson, a graphic designer who had been pre-approved for a $120,000 mortgage loan. Nor did she want to buy a home in disrepair, which seemed the only other option for her in that neighborhood.

In downtown, the Trolley Plaza apartment complex was bought by new owners, who upgraded the facility, changed the name to Washington Square Apartments and increased the rent 20 percent or more.

"It went from diverse to mainly young and white," said Jack Sexton, a former resident. "That's too bad because a lot of people wanted to stay but they couldn't afford it."

Continued at: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2.../BIZ/201050332

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I don't know if I can get on board with this.

So 20 white grad students move into Washington Square Apartments and displace the existing tenants to...where? Southfield? If your rent goes up by 20%, then move 3 blocks away where you can afford the rent. Or 5 miles away to East English Village where they're apparently giving houses away. Or 7 and Livernois.

That said, there is definitely a tension and resentment about having other people come in and move in to areas you once called home and can no longer afford. I understand that.

But you know what? That's exactly what needs to happen in order for the city to pay its bills. Let's be honest...if the most attractive parts of your city are affordable to a family making $35,000-$45,000 per year, then the remaining parts of your city are going to look like 3rd world country.

Nobody likes to get displaced and feel they have to move. But seriously, a city that is 8% white and has only a 25% white component in its "hot" neighborhoods of Corktown, Midtown and Downtown is NOT becoming a playground for the 1%.

Frankly, it seems like its a win-win for the city if some decent folks like the Midtown business owner who was quoted buy or rent a place in some of the outlying neighborhoods and stabilize them as well.

The data don't seem to support the allegations.

Reading the article, one would think there's some massive influx of affluent white folks into these areas.

The Census data show that there has been a very modest increase in the white population in these neighborhoods.

In the Greater Downtown Area [[Downtown, Midtown, Corktown), there has basically been the addition of a couple hundred white folks over a 10-year period, while the area lost thousands of black folks.

So the data show more black flight than white influx, which leads to the perception of "white ascendance". The white population isn't growing much, but the black population is declining.

I did an internet search on one of the people in the story and came upon this blog response to the article. Seems pretty accurate to me.

http://theblackbottom.com/

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Originally Posted by Bham1982

The data don't seem to support the allegations.

Reading the article, one would think there's some massive influx of affluent white folks into these areas.

The Census data show that there has been a very modest increase in the white population in these neighborhoods.

In the Greater Downtown Area [[Downtown, Midtown, Corktown), there has basically been the addition of a couple hundred white folks over a 10-year period, while the area lost thousands of black folks.

So the data show more black flight than white influx, which leads to the perception of "white ascendance". The white population isn't growing much, but the black population is declining.

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I think that you're right about the data not supporting it. I would also add that looking at population gain is an incomplete part of the story -- at least as far as the "feelings of displacement" are concerned. While the area may have gained only a few hundred residents in the last 10 years, they've certainly gained thousands of employees in midtown/downtown...as well as an influx of white suburban "tourists" that has skyrocketed in 10 years. That's reflected in the new restaurants and businesses that have opened up in midtown/downtown in the last 10 years...businesses which are more likely to have clientele that draw from all over Metro Detroit rather than citizens of the city.

But at the end of the day, you're still talking about numbers in the thousands and certainly not hundreds of thousands.

The notion that rich people are kicking people out of the city is laughable. And opposition to the fact that the wealthy new "migrants" have nicer lifestyles than the residents who have been "displaced" is misguided. The wealthy are always going to have nice things than the poor. The missing component to this is that people are forgetting that when all these wealthy people and the higher rents they bring force you to move out of your apartment building...they also bring thousands and thousands of dollars in taxes to the city.

We should be sensitive to the feelings of the displaced. But enough with the class wars, it's unproductive.

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Originally Posted by Bham1982

The data don't seem to support the allegations.

Reading the article, one would think there's some massive influx of affluent white folks into these areas.

The Census data show that there has been a very modest increase in the white population in these neighborhoods.

In the Greater Downtown Area [[Downtown, Midtown, Corktown), there has basically been the addition of a couple hundred white folks over a 10-year period, while the area lost thousands of black folks.

So the data show more black flight than white influx, which leads to the perception of "white ascendance". The white population isn't growing much, but the black population is declining.

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I agree with your statements but I would take the number of white additions with a grain of salt. From my experience the majority of people moving downtown and midtown still maintain addresses elsewhere for insurance and tax purposes.

The number of additions is much higher. Sadly the number of people paying income taxes is not. Eliminate the income tax and get insurance rates in line and I can guarantee that you would see a pretty large increase in counted residents in those two areas. Probably the same for Lafayette park

Sounds like gentrification is going to become part of the new Detroit lexicon.

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Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

Sounds like gentrification is going to become part of the new Detroit lexicon.

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Well that's how it goes you know.

If you own something it's hard to be displaced.

So these cries of displacement are more than likely coming from renters, squatters or those who thought they were going to buy an 8,000 sq ft house for ten dollars.

Maybe these are just the growing pains of the long socialistic, gimmie gimmie, the one who shouts loudest is right economy of Detroit relearning capitalism's tenants of supply and demand. "Gasp"

Seriously, look around. Go for a drive on Conner near city airport. Go one block east or west of Woodward in Highland park. Has anyone been down six mile lately or gone for a trek up Michigan? We're a long way from city-wide gentrification. So a handfull of hipsters are now living in Corktown and a young lady gets outbid on a loft. There goes the neighborhood!

It's only going to be a matter of time before they start cleaning up alleys and vacant lots, revitalizing playgrounds, mowing yards. I mean seriously it's going to get to a point where I won't be able to defecate in public spaces!

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Originally Posted by hamtown mike

If you own something it's hard to be displaced.

So these cries of displacement are more than likely coming from renters, squatters or those who thought they were going to buy an 8,000 sq ft house for ten dollars.

Maybe these are just the growing pains of the long socialistic, gimmie gimmie, the one who shouts loudest is right economy of Detroit relearning capitalism's tenants of supply and demand. "Gasp"

Seriously, look around. Go for a drive on Conner near city airport. Go one block east or west of Woodward in Highland park. Has anyone been down six mile lately or gone for a trek up Michigan? We're a long way from city-wide gentrification. So a handfull of hipsters are now living in Corktown and a young lady gets outbid on a loft. There goes the neighborhood!

It's only going to be a matter of time before they start cleaning up alleys and vacant lots, revitalizing playgrounds, mowing yards. I mean seriously it's going to get to a point where I won't be able to defecate in public spaces!

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Sounds like good show for Bravo: Please Gentrify This Old [[Abandoned) House!

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Amber Wilson, 28, knows this firsthand. The Southgate resident wanted to move to Corktown, but quickly found herself outbid on at least three residences last year.

"Some Oakland County couple paid more than $100,000 cash for a loft, because they wanted their daughter to move back from Chicago. I can't compete with that," said Wilson, a graphic designer who had been pre-approved for a $120,000 mortgage loan. Nor did she want to buy a home in disrepair, which seemed the only other option for her in that neighborhood.

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So a Southgate resident is upset because suburbanites bid up the price of her ideal house in her ideal [[tiny, high-profile) neighborhood to the point where she couldn't afford it? And this is the News' example of a "longtime Detroiter" being "pushed out?" I'm confused.

Who is displaced or forced out when a once commercial building that has been empty for 30 years is being re-developed into residential?

The Downtown Central Business District has been traditionally office tenants and is a ghost town after 6PM daily.

I think I may have been the one to outbid her on the loft. I'm sorry everyone, I didn't know I had caused the tipping point for gentrification. I'll go graffiti up some buildings and kick over some trash cans. Hopefully, this can be undone.

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Originally Posted by antongast

So a Southgate resident is upset because suburbanites bid up the price of her ideal house in her ideal [[tiny, high-profile) neighborhood to the point where she couldn't afford it? And this is the News' example of a "longtime Detroiter" being "pushed out?" I'm confused.

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Yeah, are Southgate residents suppose to get a discount?
It sounded like a BS line to me anyways. She probably figured she could build up resentment by saying some rich girls mommy and daddy in Oakland County stole her loft away from her.

"Midtown and downtown lost far smaller percentages of their population...Each of the three neighborhoods gained white residents, who now represent at least a quarter of the population in each of three areas."

And this is considered gentrification? Hahah good one, news. 'Gentrification' is yet another obnoxious buzz word so many 'urbanites' use these days. Aren't there only a handful of residences in the entire city worth over 1M? Isn't there still vacant land and abandoned buildings everywhere in these cherished areas? Give me a break.

I hope this is just a backhanded positive publicity piece.

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Originally Posted by ResurgetCineribus

I think I may have been the one to outbid her on the loft. I'm sorry everyone, I didn't know I had caused the tipping point for gentrification. I'll go graffiti up some buildings and kick over some trash cans. Hopefully, this can be undone.

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I'm dyin' of laughter over here!!!:D

So YOU'RE the one who keeps signing my building....

It's refreshing to read these posts after reading the article. Good to know I'm not the only one who found it [[the article) a bunch of poo.

Why did it matter that the couple was from Oakland County?

It seems to me, that people are pissed off that it's getting harder to find a steal of a deal now. Wasn't too long ago, that couple from Oakland County would have had to pay at least double for that loft.

If this is true, its great news; we need to displace more low-income people with more high income people in this city!

I live in Oakland CA. When displacement takes place in San Francisco, which is so expensive, the displaced are generally forced to move way outside of the city to find something affordable. If one is displaced in Detroit what do they have to do - move a block or two away?

Gentrification is what Detroit needs. The alternative is to stay poor and broke. If we increase the tax base, property taxes ect…we’ll then have the funds to better serve the poor. Let’s just be honest and call these naysayers what they are: racist.

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Originally Posted by gameguy56

A little bit ridiculous when the city is at 1/3 of its peak Population.

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A little bit ridiculous? To me, it's off the charts. There's so many beautiful houses absolutely wasted in this city, on just about every block, it's enough to make a person cry.

The title of this would also work for most cities that border Detroit.