Renaissance Pointe, Gentrification by any other name

Michael Summers writes a great story about Renaissance Pointe. In the article pictures are missing of the actual location, matter of fact the only signage is street sign with the street names of Hanna and E. Creighton, when in fact the house is being built on Bowser Street.

This would place it closer to the incomplete Phoenix Place addition rather than the buildings and churches in the Hanna-Creighton synergy.

There is a reason why. Perception, fool the people into being what they read rathern than what they can visible see.

This summer a house was to be built on John Street. I did not say anything about a dirt being shoveled and calling it a groundbreaking but a model house. Instead, on June 27, 2007 you will get a photo op moment to showcase land prepared for a house on Bowser, after the house was torn down. But there was delays there, because, renovation had to occur to the house next to the vacant land for the new housing. Correction this house is not on Boweser. I provided a slide show of the house in an earlier post:

Building a $100,000 next to a house disrepair would instantly cut the value off of that $100,000. At least that is what common sense tells me and not the trending folks at the auditor and assessors offices here in Fort Wayne.

Nevertheless, Fort Wayne has never been a Chicago or Fall Creek. The city has always restricted what they would built for African-American even when mandated by the government. Yes, I said it, because folks need to know what you are dealing with.

The best housing for the central city residents were 50 houses that were built throughout the central city. But those houses were used as rental properties rather than sold to the individuals who occupied those homes. The homes were well-built and many still remain located throughout the city. But it did not happen, instead, folks were beat out of their hard earned money.

Those homes are place where Fort Wayne could start in providing homeownership, selling those homes to potential owners. Instead of building out of price range. But Fort Wayne was never about doing the right thing. It was always about gaining the confidence of African American for their votes.

Now it's about overpricing their neighborhoods to push older residents into senior apartments after they lose their homes from the burden in the increase of their property taxes.

But Michael story makes a better read, because it sounds good but a picture tells a different story, so view the video. My pleasure.