Local Writes Brownstoner About Gentrification in Bushwick: High Rents Forcing Out Families
A Brownstoner reader and longtime resident of Bushwick sent Brownstoner her thoughts about recent changes and gentrification in Bushwick: “Just a quick email to see if you can help me understand what exactly is occurring in Bushwick. I have lived in Bushwick for what seems like forever and seen the changes that have happened here….
A Brownstoner reader and longtime resident of Bushwick sent Brownstoner her thoughts about recent changes and gentrification in Bushwick:
“Just a quick email to see if you can help me understand what exactly is occurring in Bushwick. I have lived in Bushwick for what seems like forever and seen the changes that have happened here.
Yes I must agree some things are in the best interest of all who reside in this area but then again many of our longtime residents are forced to leave. Why you ask — well the rents are increasing rapidly and it is very difficult for the families to pay this.
All of the brand new apartments that are being constructed are for people with money; Bushwick was the place to go when rent was expensive in Queens, now you can’t even afford an apartment in Bushwick. Why I ask is this happening — new faces at every turn, coffee shops on almost every corner, the local bodega is no longer there as the rent has increased and they lost their lease.
It is as though we, the ones who lived here forever, born and raised, are now having to leave our beloved boro because Gentrification is in full effect and we are left on the bottom of the barrel.
My Brooklyn isn’t the Brooklyn because another townhouse just hit the market with an asking price of $40 million dollars, it is as though we the ones who lived in Bushwick where everyone knew everyone and looked out for them in the only way we knew how are gone. Everything is priced to the max and we cannot afford it anymore.
How can a middle class family afford a rent of $2,000 or even $2,500 when the family consists of three children and a single working parent, when bills need to be paid and food on the table. I find this totally out of control — no one ever wanted to live in Bushwick and now all of a sudden it’s hip to live in Brooklyn, but it is as though the yuppies, yes i said it, are taking over our beloved Brooklyn and we the ones who lived here forever are being pushed out completely because we cannot afford to live here anymore.
At the end of the day we feel as though we are being displaced and no longer have a say. Again I ask where are we going to go when we no longer can afford our rent???”
When you say you have lived in Brooklyn for what seems like forever, then my question is do you own your own home/apt.? These changes in the community make up is happening everywhere for the better or worse as one would see it. Living in NYC is expensive, but for those individuals that may have thought, well my rent is affordable so I don’t need to think about buying a property, should have thought differently. The rents are rising I agree 100% and so is the cost to run, maintain a building, and pay property taxes. How is that supposed to happen if the rents are still low?
I could guarantee this person doesn’t because he/she would be cashing out.They don’t understand that concept. Buildings use to costs pennies of the dollar back in the day in comparison to today .The overall majority of long term residents refused to invest into their own neighborhoods.They never used that disposable income when rent was was super cheap to put a down payment on a property. Everything has come full circle.
Exactly. What you give is what you get. That’s life in general no matter how you slice and dice it.
This pisses me off so much. The yuppies ,taste makers and trust fund babies come into these forgotten neighborhoods bring services and increase the overall quality of life in the ghetto and for some strange reason the hood shames them. Crime and poverty stricken bushwick has long been neglected by the very same people who complain about rising rents. Bushwick has been in shambles since the 80’s and so now when people invest,show interest, create shops and beautify parks something becomes wrong with that? Gentrification has turned some grimy ghettos in NYC into upscale neighborhoods. and I couldn’t any happier because i know what it was in the past.
People are so selfish I guarantee you if this person was blessed with a rent stabilized apartment they wouldn’t be complaining.We live in a capitalistic society that doesn’t care if you are a single parent in this city you either make it happen or you don’t.. We also live in a city where there are 1 million rent stabilized apartments that curbs stuff like this from happening everywhere in the city.. It really comes down to a matter of perspective
Bottom Line: If you can’t afford to live in bushwick then move into a more affordable neighborhood. Flatbush, East NY , the majority of Bronx,Staten Island or any of the numerous neighborhoods where rent is still affordable.
The question is NOT “where do to go when rents get high”, the question IS “what do you do when rents get high”. –The answer is, do something new. A new job, a new skill, a new business, a new position, you must do something new.
Bushwick does not have a bubble over it that freezes time just as is. Wake up! Smell the coffee. You want faster trains, better roads, more grocery stores, ect. yet would like to pay the same rent each month. No! That’s just now how things work. Just as the economy gets more expensive for you, it gets more expensive for the Landlord to. You can’t be mad at that.
I find it funny that people do the same thing day in and day out an expect the world to stay exactly as is. Working on 9-5 for the last 20 years and now it finally hits them. Year after year they watch their rent rise and do nothing but pray that things don’t keep changing. Hello! Things change! And you must change too!
I just don’t believe all the hype. The rent did not just double over night. It happens gradually. And for long time Brooklynites, they’ve had years and years to see this trend slowly happening before it really became exponential.
Many long term Brooklynites lived in a dream. Got too damn comfortable with that dream. Now reality has hit. Just as old time Bushwick people saw the obvious fast commute to and from Manhattan, new the newbies see it too. Don’t be made because they got hip.
I think your comment is right but there is more to it.
Brooklyn is now know as the coolest city on the planet. Right alongside Paris. There are tons of advantages that Brooklyn has over Manhattan and people are finally taking note of that. With this new enlightenment happening, the stigma that long term New Yorkers have about Brooklyn is going away fast!
It was only a matter of time before Bushwick was placed on the urban development surgery table for a makeover. A much needed urban design makeover. One that would serve future generations and not just the selfish individuals who want things to do frozen in time until they die. SMH!
Ultimately in the 90’s, New York City completely shifted it’s aim to being a first in class city for first in class citizens. No, not just a place for the wealthy but a place for individuals who value a luxury metropolitan lifestyle.
And what I mean by luxury is, higher quality for things, places, and ideas. So better grocery stores, safer neighborhoods, better schools, better parks ect. New York City is for those who enjoy a luxury lifestyle in a transit oriented city. Which is what everyone deserves. It’s the model for all city living.
These communities that are being “gentrified” a really finally taking their turn to be stabilized or normalized. Nothing more or less. And those who got used to the mediocre way of life have to now get with the times. The way it was intended to be.
However, there is one thing that remained consistent for most, their monthly mortgage payment. So despite pay rates being lower at the point in time, over time pay rates increased while the monthly mortgage payment remained the same. In addition to the home value increasing year over year.
In addition to that, almost all of these homes in Bushwick purchased for pennies, can now charge astronomical rates for rents. But do they do this? Instead of living like most New Yorkers, in one single apartment, they choose to inhabit the entire brownstone.
Point is, there is not a problem here is at. There does not need to be rent control or a protected fence around Bushwick that allows for the people there to live in some frozen bubble in time. No ma’am.