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I Love Franklin Avenue has a good post about the changing face of Franklin Avenue over the past two years. To break it down: “21 new businesses have opened their doors since the summer of 2008, with another 7 coming soon. 17 businesses have undergone (or are undergoing) some type of renovation, and 15 business (including 2 new ones and 2 renovated ones) have closed. The vast majority of this action has taken place in the four-block stretch between Eastern and Park Place.” While gentrification is clearly at work, the writer points out the pattern is somewhat unconventional: some businesses opening as a result of gentrification couldn’t make it, with other less typical businesses are still thriving. Also the rising rents are causing many business owners to struggle with a customer base that doesn’t always shop locally. Some questions that remain at the end of the piece include how commercial displacement may lead to residential displacement (there are three new developments around Franklin Avenue) and what are “the best strategies for making changes [to] serve the widest portion of the neighborhood possible.”
Two Years of Commercial Development on Franklin Avenue [I Love Franklin Ave.]


What's Your Take? Leave a Comment

  1. To backtrack: I understand that only about 45 years ago, Franklin Ave was fine between Eastern Pkwy and Park Place and didn’t need gentrification. So it went down and now hopefully will go back up. This cyclical thing about gentrification is making me dizzy.

    If someone can explain, please do.