A Good Thing or Not

[02roadking]

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Trader Joe's grocery-store chain has dropped a plan to open a new store in the heart of the city's historically African-American neighborhood after activists said the development would price black residents out of the area.

http://news.yahoo.com/trader-joe-39-drops-black-neighborhood-store-plan-224732374.html

[BridgeTroll]

I like their reply... 

"We open a limited number of stores each year, in communities across the country," it said in a statement. "We run neighborhood stores, and our approach is simple: If a neighborhood does not want a Trader Joe's, we understand, and we won't open the store in question."

[urbanlibertarian]

Hasn't gentrification been good for the long time residents of Springfield?

[strider]

Gentrification is not necessarily good, but it doesn't need to be bad either.  Investment in the area must be across the board not just geared towards the higher end rents.  The mantra should be if you are good enough to work there, you are good enough to live there.  Ten years ago, a movement was promoted by developers and SPAR Council to move any and all they did not want nor like out of their community.  Meanwhile, prices were artificially driven up and neighbors were turned against neighbors.  Pretty much all of the hype was artificially created.  That type of forced gentrification is not good for anyone.  The increased property taxes certainly do drive out the poorer renters, but that is a slower process. The real problem with the is that the younger people can also be squeezed out and those are the ones that are often the most needed to keep the forward progress going.  In many ways, the big crash helped Springfield more, in the long run, than it hurt because those kinds of people can afford Springfield once again. And new lower income housing is once again being built. A good, solid mix economic groups seems to be key to having a truly successful neighborhood. Now all we need it is fixed rail to spur the mixed use development needed to keep moving forward.

For what it's worth, if a company like Trader Joes wanted to come into Springfield, I think it would be a positive.  It would make it easier on the existing stores and may even force the regular stores to drop pricing, which would help offset the higher rents, etc.  I suspect the issue with a company like Trader Joes hurting a community would only be if they are the only store like it, then they set the prices higher for all.

[thelakelander]

I don't see how this situation is any different from a community being against the opening of a Walmart in their neighborhood.

[acme54321]

I don't see how this situation is any different from a community being against the opening of a Walmart in their neighborhood.

Yeah but it's for the opposite reason which is the strange thing.  People generally don't want a WalMart because they view it as an inferior/undesirable product to be in their neighorhood (regardless if thats true or not), here they are basically saying Trader Joe's is too nice for their neighborhood.  Don't see that too much.

[standalone]

A Trader Joe's or even a baby Publix is what I'm hoping for Springfield.  Both groups tend to try to blend with the neighborhood while others seem to think the neighborhood must reflect them.  Read that as Fresh Market and Walmart.  There are some people who think the protest of Walmart is "all about a certain cast of people" the same is true of Fresh Market.  Walmart also means a whole lot of traffic in an area of narrow streets and limited parking.  Fresh Market does not have that problem instead what makes you think I would be stupid enough to pay more money for food that grew in the same ground as Winn Dixie.

[thelakelander]

I don't see how this situation is any different from a community being against the opening of a Walmart in their neighborhood.

Yeah but it's for the opposite reason which is the strange thing.  People generally don't want a WalMart because they view it as an inferior/undesirable product to be in their neighorhood (regardless if thats true or not), here they are basically saying Trader Joe's is too nice for their neighborhood.  Don't see that too much.

Seems like more of an economical situation for that neighborhood than race. Evidently, existing neighborhood residents don't want to be priced out of the place they call home. If that's the case, it's conceivable that a Trader Joe's could be just as damaging to the neighborhood's cultural and economic make-up as a Walmart is to local businesses.

[BridgeTroll]

It could be any number of reasons.  Their statement was respectful and succinct.

[ben says]

Gentrification is good if it incorporates its existing residents into the big picture. Bringing options to lower-income neighborhoods only works if said options bring opportunities.

I will say that the gentrification happening north of Calhoun in Charleston's HD is pricing out lower income residents from the area. Take from that what you will.

[Tacachale]

I don't see how this situation is any different from a community being against the opening of a Walmart in their neighborhood.

Yeah but it's for the opposite reason which is the strange thing.  People generally don't want a WalMart because they view it as an inferior/undesirable product to be in their neighorhood (regardless if thats true or not), here they are basically saying Trader Joe's is too nice for their neighborhood.  Don't see that too much.

Seems like more of an economical situation for that neighborhood than race. Evidently, existing neighborhood residents don't want to be priced out of the place they call home. If that's the case, it's conceivable that a Trader Joe's could be just as damaging to the neighborhood's culturaland economic mmake-up as a Walmart is to local businesses.

And I think that people conflate their own demographic and economic identities when discussing issues like this far more than is absolutely necessary.

Yes, we're all familiar with Simms.

[02roadking]

I found the article below with a bit more backgound info. I also found the comment section a bit interesting. I glanced around the area from Google streets. Guess I'm just a bit jealous of them.... TJ, you can come to Springfield anytime you want.

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2014/02/portland_african_american_lead_1.html

[thelakelander]

I just took a look through Google Earth. Structurally, it appears to be years ahead of Springfield. The architecture and density seems comparable but the main corridors have a decent amount of building stock remaining and there's recent infill construction. Seems the gentrification situation here is where a Springfield may find itself in another decade or two.

[BoldBoyOfTheSouth]

I've never been to that neighborhood who does not want Trader Joe's.  I have however, been to many grocery and neighborhood food stores in less than desirable neighborhoods and they mostly are dumpy places with little variety, very high prices, bad service & terrible selections of fresh fruits and vegetables (fresh, hardly) but plenty of unhealthy processed foods.

Have you even been to a Trader Joe's?  They try their best to blend into neighborhoods, use local artists, try their best to locally source their fresh and organic fruits and vegetables. Their prices are very reasonable and they try their best to offer fresh and healthy food. They encourage people to use cloth or other reuseable shopping bags instead of plastic.

TRADER JOE'S ALSO PAYS THEIR EMPLOYEES A LIVING WAGE WITH BENEFITS.

[thelakelander]

I'm sure residents of Portland are familiar with Trader Joes. There's a larger story behind all of this.