South Philadelphia: Housing Developments in Point Breeze

Older Residents Fear the Worst as Newcomers Move into Point Breeze

https://vimeo.com/18394704]

“There was a time when a white person wouldn’t come into this neighborhood,” said Nick Reeves, laughing. “Except sometimes in a car, but even then they would lock the doors and drive fast until they were through.”

Reeves has lived in Point Breeze for 45 years. He points to the house where he was born and raised on the 2100 block of Manton Street. Today, he still only lives a few blocks away.

“I’ve been here my whole life besides the time I spent in the military,” Reeves, a retired U.S. Marine Corps veteran, explained. “I was lucky to see so much of the world because not many people get too far out of this area.”

Point Breeze has long been an area plagued with poverty. In 2008, 34.7 percent of Point Breeze residents were living below the poverty line with a median household income of just $26,150.

With Point Breeze’s recent influx of newcomers, construction projects and impending gentrification, some local residents worry about the changes that will happen within their neighborhood and how they will be affected.

Reeves expressed his own fear that once older residents see a significant number of newcomers moving into the renovated homes that they will be intimidated into moving out of the area.

Despite lingering feelings of worry that surround the changing landscape of Point Breeze, many original residents, including Reeves, are looking forward and can view it as welcomed change.

Reeves pointed to a sign that hangs on the outside of the bar behind him. It reads “POSITIVELY NO DRUGS IN OR AROUND THESE PREMISES.”

“Unfortunately, that sign doesn’t mean much. There are drugs on this corner, and the next one and the one after that,” Reeves explained.

The drug trade has been another issue that has ravaged Point Breeze for years, causing high crime and murder rates. Earlier this month, Point Breeze was recognized as an area that needed extra help from the Philadelphia Police Department. The police department’s second wave of their citywide effort, Operation Pressure Point, will focus on crime in Point Breeze.

Jean-Robert Latortue, a new homeowner in the area, said he believes that the influx of younger people and newer businesses into Point Breeze will help remedy some of the social ills the neighborhood has faced in the past.

“Working families are going to realize that the new Fresh Grocer or other new business is going to be a place where their 15-year old kid can work as opposed to standing outside on the block. This is creating positive opportunities for people.”

Antoinette Johnson, a newcomer who helped found the Point Breeze Pioneers, a community group that seeks to reclaim abandoned spaces and beautify the neighborhood through greening, has been met with a lot of interest from original residents who are ready for change in their neighborhood.

“People are kind of seeing that some of the changes that come with gentrification don’t have to be done by newcomers,” Johnson explained. “Everyone has the power to get a tree out front of their home if that’s something their interested in. I think a lot of Point Breeze residents have thought that, ‘Oh, Center City looks nice because there are rich people.’ But, in reality, there are steps that everyone can take to make their home or block nicer because there are resources.”

Although many more residents are interested in getting involved with Point Breeze’s changes, the reality is that as development continues, unfortunately, some will find themselves priced out.

This is especially an issue for renters in Point Breeze. About 33 percent of Point Breeze’s 25,860 residents are renters. In 2008, the median rental price was just $550. As more people seek to live in the area, property owners will have the option of charging more for their properties per month.

At a recent public meeting with Mayor Michael Nutter and Council President Anna Verna, who introduced the Neighborhood Stabilization Project, city officials recognized the importance of affordable housing and stressed that it was their first priority for Point Breeze. Also responding to the community’s fears, the mayor put to rest misconceptions that individual property taxes would increase based on surrounding new properties.

Numerous calls and emails to Executive Director Terri Gillen of the Redevelopment Housing Authority, who is working on the project to stabilize Point Breeze, remain unanswered.

Home Construction Dominates a South Philadelphia Neighborhood

https://vimeo.com/18394687]

When Jean-Robert Latortue and his wife, Krista Yoder-Latortue, were looking to buy a home three years ago, they readily agreed on a rehab in the Point Breeze section of South Philadelphia.

Their big, three-story home had much more to offer than more expensive homes in more affluent areas considering Point Breeze’s walking distance to Rittenhouse Square and Center City. Despite the area’s intrinsic flaws, like the historically high crime rate and bouts of foreclosed and abandoned homes, they were charmed by the area’s sense of community and felt safe moving into their new home.

“I liked that it had maintained a sense of community,” said Yoder-Latortue.

However, trying to adjust to their new living arrangement was not easy. Though they tried ignoring the mass of trash that mysteriously kept ending up in front of their house, they initially got the sense that they were not exactly welcomed.

Things have significantly changed since the Latortues were among the first newcomers to move in three years ago. More rehabs are quickly popping up along Point Breeze’s main streets and the sounds of construction are a daily occurrence.

Antoinette Johnson, who helps run the Point Breeze Pioneers, a community group that aims to green vacant lots, has seen and heard the construction as well.

“There is an influx of construction this spring, especially. It’s mostly on vacant land parcels but there are also abandoned homes being bought up and redone,” she said.

Despite the overwhelming amount of houses that are being constructed in Point Breeze, residents said the new homes stand out from the older ones.

“You can spot the new constructions from far away. They’re the three-story houses,” said Nick Reeves, a longtime citizen of Point Breeze. “We’ve never had three-story homes in this area before.”

Longtime residents or original residents, like Reeves, of Point Breeze have been witness to the area’s changes for a long time. According to Trulia.com, housing prices in Point Breeze have appreciated 91.4 percent in the past five years due to recent housing rehabilitation and new construction.

Johnson said he thinks the influx should have been expected, “Point Breeze is at 40 percent vacancy and to fill that you’re going to have to welcome new people at some point.”

Some residents, however, are hesitant to the rapid changes. One recently formed community organization called the Concerned Citizens of Point Breeze aims to fight against the neighborhood’s gentrification, fearing that many residents will be pushed out of their homes. Others are ready to see Point Breeze change its reputation.

Since starting the Point Breeze Pioneers last year, Johnson has been hearing increasing amounts of positive feedback from original residents, and has started to engage everyone in the process of making the neighborhood more beautiful.

For example, last year the Point Breeze Pioneers campaigned to get neighbors signed up to get sidewalk trees planted outside homes. Only 12 neighbors participated. This year when they began campaigning, 57 applications came in.

Though Johnson’s purpose in Point Breeze is to green and beautify the neighborhood, she said she understands how her organization can be viewed within the confines of gentrification.

“It can be seen as though we’re trying to make a sweep through change, but it’s not the case,” said Johnson.

Jean-Robert Latortue, who also participates in some Point Breeze Pioneers efforts, also said he sympathizes with and understands the communities concerns but stressed that Point Breeze’s situation is not unique to the area but is happening all over the United States.

“The inner-city has recently become more desirable and people are beginning to move back,” explained Latortue. “This is a phenomenon that is not just occurring in Philadelphia. It is happening throughout the country.”

The new homeowners said they feel that it is still important for newcomers to Point Breeze, or any area where gentrification is a topic, to be sensitive to the area they are entering as Johnson has learned firsthand since living in Point Breeze.

“It’s been a reality check for me. When you move here, you definitely don’t think of yourself as an agent of gentrification. You think of yourself as taking the place of an abandoned home that once housed derelict,” she explained. “So it’s been a shocker for a lot of new people to understand how they might represent a threat.”

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