Point Breeze Gentrification

[philly57]

Interesting article here in the City Paper. It's scary to know that the new zoning code gives NIMBY community groups even more power. Not a good sign for the city.

Point Counterpoint
One woman has long controlled zoning in Point Breeze. Now, she might be losing her grip.

Developer Ori Feibush would like to purchase and develop some vacant, city-owned land in Point Breeze — or, more precisely, all the vacant, city-owned land in Point Breeze, more than 100 lots altogether. To do that, though, he needs the support of his district's City Council member — until recently longtime Councilwoman Anna Verna, now rookie Kenyatta Johnson — and to get that support, he needs the backing of the community.

In Point Breeze, that comes through one person: Claudia Sherrod, the executive director of South Philadelphia H.O.M.E.S. Inc. (SPHINC), a nonprofit low-income-housing developer that has long tripled as the neighborhood zoning committee and as the Office of Housing and Community Development-contracted Neighborhood Advisory Committee (NAC) for Point Breeze.

Point Counterpoint | Philadelphia City Paper | 03/01/2012

[philly57]

He wants to build in Point Breeze; not all residents like the plans

BY NATALIE POMPILIO
Daily News Staff Writer


BY NOW, they know the name Ori Feibush in Point Breeze. Some praise it. Others curse it.

Feibush, 27, is a real-estate developer. In the last four years, by his estimate, his company - OCF Realty - has built more than 150 homes in the neighborhood. Now he wants to build a coffee shop and a pharmacy, to revitalize a long-neglected corridor.

But not everyone likes his plans. Windows on buildings owned by Feibush have been shot out. A dead pitbull was tossed onto the steps of his Point Breeze home. And a flier circulating recently in the neighborhood featured Feibush's face on the body of Mr. Burns, the wealthy boss on "The Simpsons." It read: "IS HE Preying on the Poor and minority [sic]?

[ACretin]

guys like ori might have saved themselves a lot of trouble if they'd hired more general contractors and subs, as well as labor, from the actual neighborhoods where they are buying and reselling houses. putting some money back in the community helps a lot. don't tell me nobody ever hired an undocumented worker on a construction site in south philly.

[Hollywood 2000]

[B]


BY NOW, they know the name Ori Feibush in Point Breeze. Some praise it. Others curse it.

Feibush, 27, is a real-estate developer. In the last four years, by his estimate, his company - OCF Realty - has built more than 150 homes in the neighborhood. Now he wants to build a coffee shop and a pharmacy, to revitalize a long-neglected corridor.

But not everyone likes his plans. Windows on buildings owned by Feibush have been shot out. A dead pitbull was tossed onto the steps of his Point Breeze home. And a flier circulating recently in the neighborhood featured Feibush's face on the body of Mr. Burns, the wealthy boss on "The Simpsons." It read: "IS HE Preying on the Poor and minority [sic]?

Hey at least the soon to be former neighbors are outgoing and friendly! I give this guy credit for having the balls and patience to deal with the status quo and overall corruption while continuing to move forward in his endeavors in this neighborhood. More power to him!

[the mule]

guys like ori might have saved themselves a lot of trouble if they'd hired more general contractors and subs, as well as labor, from the actual neighborhoods where they are buying and reselling houses. putting some money back in the community helps a lot. don't tell me nobody ever hired an undocumented worker on a construction site in south philly.

You don't really believe that would get CCoPB off his back do you? Part of his problems stems from the nature of the anti-gentrification crowd, and they're going to be against his developments no matter who is building them as long as the prices are where they are and as long as new residents are the "outsiders" they fear. The other cause of his problems is that he has actually fought back against that crowd instead of patronizing them and trying to ignore their racially tinged barbs. When you fight back against zealots like that they just dig in their heels and make it personal.

I was at an event a few years ago networking with minority and women owned businesses to use in my own development work. I was having a lot of great conversations with contractors and other professionals, and all of the sudden a man pushed in between the two women I was talking to and jabbed his finger in my face saying, "I don't know who you are, where you came from, or why you're doing any of this work because you don't hire any minorities." Never mind that my partner sitting right next to me was black, that my business has made an emphasis of hiring small, minority subcontractors throughout its entire history, or that I voluntarily came to an event with the sole purpose of meeting minority contractors; the man who admitted he didn't know who I was was unsuccessfully trying to bully me into hiring his business. There are just some people who have their minds made up against you and your cause, and there is no reasoning with them.

[Gladys]

using the race card to bully your way into business... hmm.... glad it was unsuccessful.

[seand]

People are greedy. That they would use whatever seems handy to help themselves no longer surprises me much. Its just important to call it what it is.

[ArcticSplash]

CCoPB has made nasty remarks about Claudia and SPHINC just like pro-renewal people have at her circus of zoning meetings. But at least Claudia is willing to make changes if anything to preserve her power over the zoning representation voice.

There is one developer CCoPB will never criticize and that is Universal Companies. How many dead pitbulls have been left at the doorstep of Universal's offices on Federal Street?

Of course if you're Kenny, you can easily buy off people like Tiffany by tossing her a free apartment. Then she'll shut up.


I wonder how well the neighborhood would react if Universal Companies started citing low-income Puerto Ricans now living in Kensington to become homeowners in Universal properties in Point Breeze? I suspect that would not go over very well.

[philly57]

Personally, I think the whole "gentrification" argument is a farce. 50 years ago PB was a nice, stable, middle class neighborhood (I think Jewish and Irish?). Over the last few decades, the current group of residents moved in and destroyed the neighborhood. Now that it's coming back to life, I would call that revitalization. Anti-gentrification folks make it seem like they've owned the neighborhood for eternity.

[Naveen]

Personally, I think the whole "gentrification" argument is a farce. 50 years ago PB was a nice, stable, middle class neighborhood (I think Jewish and Irish?). Over the last few decades, the current group of residents moved in and destroyed the neighborhood.

Who are the "current group of residents"? Interesting you mention the ethnicity of people who lived in PB "50 years ago", but not now. Why?

The reasons for urban decline are much more complicated than people moving in and "destroying" a neighborhood. Gentrification is real, and has real effects. I'm a proponent of it, one reason being that it helps everyone in the city, not just the upper-classes.

[PBSusan]

Blacks. He means blacks. Is this a secret? There ARE a lot of reasons for urban decline. They include the use and sale of drugs, chronic unemployment, and not taking care of properties. This leads to crime and blight. This creates a ghetto. Just because it makes you uncomfortable doesn't change what happened to the neighborhood.

[teriaki]

No matter what, Ori doesn't deserve any of what happened to him.

[Naveen]

Blacks. He means blacks. Is this a secret?

I'm glad you don't hide behind code words like he does.

There ARE a lot of reasons for urban decline. They include the use and sale of drugs, chronic unemployment, and not taking care of properties. This leads to crime and blight. This creates a ghetto.

There is only one part of this that is correct. As is to be generally expected, most of it is backwards.

Just because it makes you uncomfortable doesn't change what happened to the neighborhood.

You assume too much.

[Jay from Philly]

I'm glad you don't hide behind code words like he does.



There is only one part of this that is correct. As is to be generally expected, most of it is backwards.



You assume too much.

His houses have been shot at and they left a dead dog on his front porch. Does anybody think that if a bunch of Jews left a dead dog on the porch of a Black developer and shot at his properties it wouldn't be national news?

[Naveen]

His houses have been shot at and they left a dead dog on his front porch. Does anybody think that if a bunch of Jews left a dead dog on the porch of a Black developer and shot at his properties it wouldn't be national news?

We're talking about two different people.

Also "bunch of Jews". Seriously?

[Jay from Philly]

[QUOTE=Naveen;479510]We're talking about two different people.

Also "bunch of Jews". Seriously?[/QUOTE

The tray yoofs who assaulted the Jewish lawyer and the cab driver at 15th and Chestnut were not charged with a hate crime, because according to DA Seth Williams, the tray yoofs were not yelling racial slurs UNTIL they put their hands on the their victims. I guess a Jewish developer trying to rehab properties in Point Breeze is committing a hate crime.

[Naveen]

The tray yoofs who assaulted the Jewish lawyer and the cab driver at 15th and Chestnut were not charged with a hate crime, because according to DA Seth Williams, the tray yoofs were not yelling racial slurs UNTIL they put their hands on the their victims. I guess a Jewish developer trying to rehab properties in Point Breeze is committing a hate crime.

Huh? What does this have to do with it? Stay on point.

[the mule]

Personally, I think the whole "gentrification" argument is a farce. 50 years ago PB was a nice, stable, middle class neighborhood (I think Jewish and Irish?). Over the last few decades, the current group of residents moved in and destroyed the neighborhood. Now that it's coming back to life, I would call that revitalization. Anti-gentrification folks make it seem like they've owned the neighborhood for eternity.

Check out the 1934 Appraisal map here: PhilaGeoHistory Maps Viewer

By 1934 the north, west, and central portions of PB were already largely black. The south and east edges were still mostly italian. The Jewish population was mostly concentrated on the east side of Broad.

The pink shades represent the black population, green italian, and blue jewish.

[mixiboi]

Saw this in the paper:

[MariusPontmercy]

Saw this in the paper:

Those must be for the "affordable" houses they were putting up. Back in Berks County thats the going rate of your starter mcmansions now after the bubble burst.

The times they are a changin'