Gentrification is taking New York City by storm and Senator Adriano Espaillat has a plan to help preserve dying neighborhoods. The House of Representatives hopeful could potentially become the first Dominican-American in Congress. His political ambitions aim to prevent the Bronx and Washington Heights from undergoing the same removal of culture that Harlem currently suffers from.
Espaillat’s proposal, “Protecting the Character of our Neighborhood: A Strategy on Displacement”, outlines a five rule process for housing development in what would be considered ‘gentrification mitigation zones’:
- Residents should have the right of first refusal for sale of residential buildings.
- In order to give residents a fair chance in exercising their right of first refusal, HUD would provide federally backed mortgages and assist in the formation of a housing cooperative.
- New residential developments must provide a mandatory community impact statement, detailing how the development would affect the neighborhood.
- Relocation assistance for residents displaced from a zone, through transfer tax (“for example, between .5% and 1% of the building’s sale price”).
- Developers of new buildings would be required to meet with community members, who will be allowed to voice their concerns and give input about gentrification concerns .
Based on Senator Espaillat’s plan, these neighborhoods would be identified based on “their history as a working-class area” and if they’re “connected to immigrant or minority communities”. Increased property values in these neighborhoods and signs of displacements are also factors for zone designation.
Espillat is set to make history as he leads in the election to succeed Rep. Charlie Rangel, who currently represents the 13th congressional district, which is composed of Upper Manhattan and western parts of the Bronx. His proposal to fight gentrification in New York City could curb fears of displacement and a loss of culture.
Impoverished areas with primarily black tenants have fallen prey to gentrification, eventually forcing them out. A 2015 report published by New York University’s Furman Center found a decline of blacks in gentrifying neighborhoods from 1990 to 2010 (37.9 percent to 30.9 percent). The population of whites experienced an uptick throughout the same time period from 18.8 percent to 20.6 percent.
The center also released a snapshot of rent increases in gentrified areas.
New Yorkers in Upper Manhattan will decide in the July 5th election whether or not Espillat will be able to move this plan through the necessary channels.
What do you think of Espillat’s proposal to combat gentrification? Let us know your ideas in the comments section.
