Philadelphia 2035 (Reading, Lancaster, York: exodus, advice, apartment)

[Pennsport]

Originally Posted by AJNEOA

That's part of the industry problem. Minimum wage was never intended to be something that you could support a family on. Raising wages to $15/hour for someone flipping McD's burgers isn't going to go well ultimately. Lower hours, more automation is likely to follow.

I'm with cpomp. Housing is not expensive in Philadelphia, except for a few pockets. We're better off bringing better jobs in to raise those up that live here, rather than trying to "fix" everything with the "housing hammer".

Well yeah, of course you're both exactly correct and this approach would actually be better for the city and region, not to mention the majority of city residents. The problem is, the "officials" in our overtly corrupt local government, as well as the "journalists" of our agenda-driven city paper couldn't care less what makes the most sense for the most people. They are out for self-preservation, so if affordable housing keeps them in power and a job, affordable housing it is. I'm just glad this is all temporary as the wave of profit will wash over this mess like a tsunami in the coming years/decade.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by southbound_295

The term affordable housing doesn't mean low income housing. There are people who can't afford half a million dollars for housing but who can't qualify for low income housing. They have been ignored by builders for quite a while. It's a problem, nationwide.

I suspect that you haven't been in an Aldi recently. Aldi has unbelievable buying power, on a worldwide basis. The inventory is not aimed at the lowest common denominator.

Having a decent grocery option in Mt Airy will help with gentrification.

Even though its southeast quarter is largely poor, Mt. Airy doesn't really need to be "gentrified" - at least not according to the model followed in the rest of the city.* And in much of it, not at all.

The building in question is also close enough to Germantown that it will attract shoppers from it. (It may be just a bit easier for me to reach this store than it will be the one at Broad and Godfrey, but I'm not certain. It will require a change of buses for me where I can get to the other store just by riding the K and walking a bit. However, the 23 bus will drop me off right at the Mt. Airy store, and I won't have to walk from the store to catch it, and even if I use a granny cart, that makes a difference if you're laden with grocery bags).

Aldi has managed to pull off a rare feat: holding onto its original largely lower-income customer base while attracting a new clientele of price-conscious higher-income shoppers. Mt. Airy would seem to me to be the ideal location for such a store.

*I assume you read my Next City feature on Germantown that ran in July? I'd describe what's happening here as "organic" gentrification. The difference between this version and the standard one is that it's taking place at a slower pace using largely homegrown resources (I count Ken Weinstein's Jumpstart grads as part of that "organic" process).

Originally Posted by cpomp

Let me rephrase since I might have been a little confusing. This particular developer in that article is a true affordable housing developer, providing slightly below market rate housing for working professionals (teachers, nurses, social workers, etc.) That is a fantastic use of affordable housing.

But in the eyes of certain city council members, affordable housing has become interchangeable with low income housing, and there has been this push/ obsession with that movement, and it makes no sense to me.

The real fight should be lowering poverty and creating industry, giving away houses does not alleviate or break the cycle, also, the land of $500k+ homes in Philadelphia is very limited to CC and surrounding, so again, I think people tend to inflate the "affordability" crisis in Philadelphia, when in my mind I see a poverty and lack of jobs crisis.

New York, San Fran, and soon DC have an affordability crisis, not Philadelphia.

Agreed. In the meantime, the low-income people we do have have to live somewhere.

I note that the plan Mayor Kenney trotted out pretty much said we would create such places by rehabilitating the homes we already have. Sounds good to me.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by Pennsport

Well yeah, of course you're both exactly correct and this approach would actually be better for the city and region, not to mention the majority of city residents. The problem is, the "officials" in our overtly corrupt local government, as well as the "journalists" of our agenda-driven city paper couldn't care less what makes the most sense for the most people. They are out for self-preservation, so if affordable housing keeps them in power and a job, affordable housing it is. I'm just glad this is all temporary as the wave of profit will wash over this mess like a tsunami in the coming years/decade.

um, why the sneer quotes?

You may not agree with her line of argument, but Inga Saffron is more than competent, and she has the Pulitzer to prove it.

And you appear to be sleeping through the wave of "(social) impact development." That long-abandoned office building at Broad-Erie-Germantown - the one I call "the transit-oriented development we wasted" - will get new life thanks to a social impact developer.

And trust me, these people are out to make a profit too. I participate in a quarterly roundtable that brings most of them together. Here's an exceptional project one of them recently did over in Strawberry Mansion:

Eastern Lofts (Mosaic Development Partners)

This duo, who've been through Jumpstart Germantown, don't attend meetings of that roundtable, but they should. They've already put 10 units towards Mayor Kenney's tally around the corner from me:

Bloyd Street Capital

Here's how they got their name.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

um, why the sneer quotes?

You may not agree with her line of argument, but Inga Saffron is more than competent, and she has the Pulitzer to prove it.

Joseph Pulitzer was one of the fathers of " yellow journalism", along with William Randolph Hearst, so it's odd, imo, that those awards have taken on so much meaning.

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

Even though its southeast quarter is largely poor, Mt. Airy doesn't really need to be "gentrified" - at least not according to the model followed in the rest of the city.* And in much of it, not at all.

The building in question is also close enough to Germantown that it will attract shoppers from it. (It may be just a bit easier for me to reach this store than it will be the one at Broad and Godfrey, but I'm not certain. It will require a change of buses for me where I can get to the other store just by riding the K and walking a bit. However, the 23 bus will drop me off right at the Mt. Airy store, and I won't have to walk from the store to catch it, and even if I use a granny cart, that makes a difference if you're laden with grocery bags).

Aldi has managed to pull off a rare feat: holding onto its original largely lower-income customer base while attracting a new clientele of price-conscious higher-income shoppers. Mt. Airy would seem to me to be the ideal location for such a store.

*I assume you read my Next City feature on Germantown that ran in July? I'd describe what's happening here as "organic" gentrification. The difference between this version and the standard one is that it's taking place at a slower pace using largely homegrown resources (I count Ken Weinstein's Jumpstart grads as part of that "organic" process).



Agreed. In the meantime, the low-income people we do have have to live somewhere.

I note that the plan Mayor Kenney trotted out pretty much said we would create such places by rehabilitating the homes we already have. Sounds good to me.

I realize that Mt. Airy doesn't need gentrification, for the most part. However, having a good, decent, grocery store in the neighborhood will keep people in place & will be the dealbreaker for some people who have more choices.

I don't have a crystal ball, but I suspect that if Aldi spreads around more stores with their new format it will attract some Lidl stores & the 2 will make a positive difference in Philadelphia.

[MarketStEl]

Originally Posted by kyb01

Joseph Pulitzer was one of the fathers of " yellow journalism", along with William Randolph Hearst, so it's odd, imo, that those awards have taken on so much meaning.

His first paper, however, was the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, hardly a scandal sheet.

He also endowed the journalism school that hands out the Pulitzers, that of Columbia University. That's the most prestigious journalism school in the country (ahead of the nation's oldest, that of the University of Missouri, which he also pushed to establish but did not endow). That probably explains why these are the most prestigious awards in American journalism and literature and have been just about since they were first awarded in 1917.

[Hannah5555]

Originally Posted by MarketStEl

His first paper, however, was the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, hardly a scandal sheet.

He also endowed the journalism school that hands out the Pulitzers, that of Columbia University. That's the most prestigious journalism school in the country (ahead of the nation's oldest, that of the University of Missouri, which he also pushed to establish but did not endow). That probably explains why these are the most prestigious awards in American journalism and literature and have been just about since they were first awarded in 1917.

[Pine to Vine]

Visiting family and found this article on some major investments at PHL over the coming year: https://www.delawareonline.com/story...on/1355587002/.

[Pine to Vine]

Comcast lands Sky: https://www.nbcnews.com/business/bus...-giant-n912216.

Good news for the home team.

[kyb01]

Originally Posted by Pine to Vine

Comcast lands Sky: https://www.nbcnews.com/business/bus...-giant-n912216.

Good news for the home team.

Splendid news.