is South Shore Being Gentrified? (Chicago, Lincoln: middle-class, house, neighborhoods)

[Atlanta_BD]

Sorry if this has already been discussed.

I hear the area is being gentrified. Has there been any major changes say, in the last ten years or is it changing slowly?

I used to live on South Shore Drive many years ago and loved it, but even then it still had its bad spots. When I visit Chicago, I see things have changed, then I also feel like I have gone back in time when I go to certain areas.

I loved living on the lake and having close proximity to downtown on South Shore Drive and I never had any trouble.

If there have been any changes, what are they?

[Link N. Parker]

I know last year, there was a developer who was hyping a large tract of land that was purchased; he is planning a large scale "new neighborhood" there. I think its off of that new beach that was built (31st maybe??).

The development will be like a small version of East Lakeview, built from the ground up, with mid-rise housing with retail/restos on the first floor. Kind of like those "faux urban" places you see in the burbs, but fully integrated into the existing Chicago street grid.

He was promoting this via a Dave Matthews Band concert that he promoted last year, that was held in an area that is right where the development will go in. So apparantly, he is promoting it to that crowd. I think the thoughts, are that the new development will appeal to people who, 3 years from now, will be turning 30 and starting to get married and have kids. I cant find the link tho right now.

[ParkerP]

Not really gentrified. More like flipped to hell. During the housing boom, it was invaded heavily by (cheap) flippers who now aren't able to sell their flips for $2. Though I will say, the apt building my friend lives in at 6700 & Oglesby was mainly black but now a ton of UofC students are living in it. Someone must have tricked them into thinking it was hyde park lol. But naw, its cool.

[JBVirtuoso]

Originally Posted by Link N. Parker

I know last year, there was a developer who was hyping a large tract of land that was purchased; he is planning a large scale "new neighborhood" there. I think its off of that new beach that was built (31st maybe??).

The development will be like a small version of East Lakeview, built from the ground up, with mid-rise housing with retail/restos on the first floor. Kind of like those "faux urban" places you see in the burbs, but fully integrated into the existing Chicago street grid.

He was promoting this via a Dave Matthews Band concert that he promoted last year, that was held in an area that is right where the development will go in. So apparantly, he is promoting it to that crowd. I think the thoughts, are that the new development will appeal to people who, 3 years from now, will be turning 30 and starting to get married and have kids. I cant find the link tho right now.

I suspect you're thinking of the South Works development, which is currently in the planning stages. The neighborhood will be located along the lake between 79th and 92nd or so. That's assuming it will ever come to fruition, which is a big assumption. I think this is technically in the South Chicago neighborhood; South Shore usually describes the area between 67th and 79th.

Even if this does get built, it's going to take a long time for it to catch on with the target audience. It's relatively far from the Loop compared with other lakefront neighborhoods, and even with the US 41 extension, it will suffer from a lack of transportation options. Commutes to the Loop via public transit from there will be close to an hour, and since there are few destination areas around the development, I doubt that too many professionals will find that attractive.

As for South Shore proper, I wouldn't really say it's gentrified. I don't spend a ton of time in the neighborhood, but since I live in Hyde Park, I drive through occasionally. I recently drove through at night, and it's pretty clear that the neighborhood has a long way to go. There are some really beautiful blocks in the neighborhood, and during the day, I think it looks totally fine. However, at night, there are people hanging out in front of liquor stores and in the middle of the streets, especially south of 71st. There's also quite a bit of trash and debris lying around compared with most Chicago neighborhoods.

If I had to pick one part that's gentrifying, it might be east of Jeffrey between 67th and 71st. But at this point, I'd find it hard to justify living there. The area really doesn't have a lot in the way of amenities, and it's kind of inconvenient to get to areas that do have amenities.

[ChiNaan]

Originally Posted by Link N. Parker

Kind of like those "faux urban" places you see in the burbs

Ugh. Those fake urban "planned community" things in the burbs are appalling on every level. The thought of having one in the city makes me sad.

Originally Posted by Link N. Parker

He was promoting this via a Dave Matthews Band concert that he promoted last year, that was held in an area that is right where the development will go in. So apparantly, he is promoting it to that crowd. I think the thoughts, are that the new development will appeal to people who, 3 years from now, will be turning 30 and starting to get married and have kids. I cant find the link tho right now.

Well, he got the DMB fan demo party right -- They tend to be bland suburban white middle class d-bags with no taste. He missed the age part, though. Their fans tend to be in their 30's-50's.

[Atlanta_BD]

Originally Posted by ParkerP

Not really gentrified. More like flipped to hell. During the housing boom, it was invaded heavily by (cheap) flippers who now aren't able to sell their flips for $2. Though I will say, the apt building my friend lives in at 6700 & Oglesby was mainly black but now a ton of UofC students are living in it. Someone must have tricked them into thinking it was hyde park lol. But naw, its cool.

It very well could be the next Hyde Park. Should have been by now in my opinion. It's in a prime location. It's on the lake and near dowtown with great old buildings.

[ChiNaan]

Originally Posted by Atlanta_BD

It very well could be the next Hyde Park. Should have been by now in my opinion. It's in a prime location. It's on the lake and near dowtown with great old buildings.

What makes Hyde Park "Hyde Park" is not that it's next to the lake or has great old buildings. It's that it has one of the most prestigious universities in the country, and all the resources that come with that. You can't just replicate that in another neighborhood.

Also, South Shore is nowhere near downtown. Hyde Park isn't even near downtown, and South Shore is further.

[JBVirtuoso]

Originally Posted by ChiNaan

What makes Hyde Park "Hyde Park" is not that it's next to the lake or has great old buildings. It's that it has one of the most prestigious universities in the country, and all the resources that come with that. You can't just replicate that in another neighborhood.

Also, South Shore is nowhere near downtown. Hyde Park isn't even near downtown, and South Shore is further.

Correct. There's also the fact that the university has really been a stabilizing force in Hyde Park. It's always supported a large student population, thanks in no small part to the difficulty of getting to Hyde Park from elsewhere in the city. Businesses in the area have always had this captive audience, so Hyde Park has really enjoyed more stability than the rest of the south side lakefront.

I really think the distance factor is really going to slow South Shore's progress. South Shore is as far from the Loop as Rogers Park is, but unlike Rogers Park, there's not much between South Shore and the Loop. Aside from Hyde Park, it's just a relatively empty stretch of residential neighborhoods until the South Loop. So most people who would move to South Shore would spend their time in their neighborhood and then skip to downtown and points north. Those with cars might be able to engage the rest of the south side a bit more, but there's just not much around for people relying on public transit. Also unlike Rogers Park, public transit on the south side lakefront is pretty lacking. There is the Jeffrey Express bus, as well as the Metra Electric, but it still takes almost an hour to get downtown from South Shore.

[Jandur]

Originally Posted by ChiNaan

Ugh. Those fake urban "planned community" things in the burbs are appalling on every level. The thought of having one in the city makes me sad.



Well, he got the DMB fan demo party right -- They tend to be bland suburban white middle class d-bags with no taste. He missed the age part, though. Their fans tend to be in their 30's-50's.

What are you, a bland urban black/brown middle-class d-bag with an illusion of superior taste?

[JacksonPanther]

Originally Posted by JBVirtuoso

I really think the distance factor is really going to slow South Shore's progress. South Shore is as far from the Loop as Rogers Park is, but unlike Rogers Park, there's not much between South Shore and the Loop. Aside from Hyde Park, it's just a relatively empty stretch of residential neighborhoods until the South Loop. So most people who would move to South Shore would spend their time in their neighborhood and then skip to downtown and points north. Those with cars might be able to engage the rest of the south side a bit more, but there's just not much around for people relying on public transit. Also unlike Rogers Park, public transit on the south side lakefront is pretty lacking. There is the Jeffrey Express bus, as well as the Metra Electric, but it still takes almost an hour to get downtown from South Shore.

1. South Shore is as far as Rogers Park, but WITHOUT the slowdown of the gap between Hollywood (the start of Lake Shore Dr) and Rogers Park. SS to Downtown is MUCH quicker by car than RP to downtown.

2. Where do you get that "it takes an hour to get DT from SS"? It doesn't take an hour for the Jeff Express even all the way from 103rd! Saying it takes an hour from SS was a bold faced untruth!

3. South Shore will not appeal to the "get drunk in Lincoln Park and stagger home on the Red Line" crowd. If that crowd is necessary to gentrify a neighborhood, then indeed SS will never gentrify.

4. There is a huge untapped market of Black folks that want a nice place to live, but don't want to live in a majority white neighborhood. Jackson Park Highlands never has listings for very long. Dempsey Travers' place down in Chatham sold out very quickly. Right now black folks with means have to buy a greystone on King Dr and rehab it. The house is nice, but the neighborhood still sucks, which negatively impacts their ability to gain equity very quickly. Which means even black people with money don't gain wealth as quickly as whites in a similar situation. If SS was a showpiece, black folks with means would flock to it. I know that doesn't satisfy the definition of "gentrify," since the people are not white, but whatever.