Do you think Englewood is in the process of gentrification? (Chicago: limousine, neighborhoods)

[Sandra<3]

Today at work, several coworkers and I were having a pretty intense debate about this subject. With the plan opening of a Whole Foods store in 2016, do you think that this marks the beginning of Englewood's improvement? One of my coworkers that resides in the south suburbs feels that this is just another plan to push lower income Blacks out of the city by making the area appeal to yuppies. (He's sort of a NIMBY that dislikes the urban poor). Another coworker feels that Whole Foods is just trying to appeal to the Black demographic. (IMO, if that was really the case, WF's would invest in areas with higher income blacks like Hyde Park, Beverly, Olympia Fields, Flossmoor,etc. ). The other coworkers basically sided with one of the two reasonings stated above.

So, do you think WF's Englewood store is really just a master plan to "redevelop" the neighborhood or just to provide the residents with quality food?

[urza216]

Originally Posted by Sandra<3

Today at work, several coworkers and I were having a pretty intense debate about this subject. With the plan opening of a Whole Foods store in 2016, do you think that this marks the beginning of Englewood's improvement? One of my coworkers that resides in the south suburbs feels that this is just another plan to push lower income Blacks out of the city by making the area appeal to yuppies. (He's sort of a NIMBY that dislikes the urban poor). Another coworker feels that Whole Foods is just trying to appeal to the Black demographic. (IMO, if that was really the case, WF's would invest in areas with higher income blacks like Hyde Park, Beverly, Olympia Fields, Flossmoor,etc. ). The other coworkers basically sided with one of the two reasonings stated above.

So, do you think WF's Englewood store is really just a master plan to "redevelop" the neighborhood or just to provide the residents with quality food?

I live in downtown Flossmoor and I don't think people actually want a big old Whole Foods Market down the street... A little organic Italian cooking shop just opened up though.

[BRU67]

No. My guess is that it's calculated move by Whole Foods Market IP, LP to build on their image of "corporate responsibility". "Look at us! We're in the food desert! We care!!" That will make the rest of their customer base (high income liberals who decidedly do not live in places like Englewood) feel good and buy more high priced organic vegetables and tofu. I highly doubt one Whole Foods is going to suddenly make this violent, burned out, isolated, and just generally sad area appealing to yuppies. I think the antenna on someone's tin foil hat is facing the wrong way here ;-)

Now, I definitely wouldn't put it past the City to, at some point in the future, use eminent domain to acquire some of the many large swatches of vacant land in the most troubled neighborhoods (like Englewood, Austin, East Garfield Park, et al) and build middle and upper middle class housing on them.

In this time of tight budgets and other problems, this won't happen anytime soon. But if the "back to the city" movement continues in full force after the economy recovers, I can totally see the City starting to look into this. And why not? These areas are pretty underutilized from an economic perspective.

[urza216]

OP, why couldn't you have posted this on my thread?

[urza216]

Flossmoor Fall Fair was so annoying. They actually opened up the PRIVATE lot I park in to the public. I pay 105 dollars every 4 months to park there but now anyone can? I had to park in the church lot to walk to my building. It was kind of annoying.

If a Whole Foods opened up in Flossmoor's business district, where would all those customers park? lol. OP, I suggest you actually come down to Flossmoor sometime.

[Sandra<3]

Originally Posted by urza216

OP, why couldn't you have posted this on my thread?

Well I didn't want to hijack your thread lol

Originally Posted by urza216

Flossmoor Fall Fair was so annoying. They actually opened up the PRIVATE lot I park in to the public. I pay 105 dollars every 4 months to park there but now anyone can? I had to park in the church lot to walk to my building. It was kind of annoying.

If a Whole Foods opened up in Flossmoor's business district, where would all those customers park? lol. OP, I suggest you actually come down to Flossmoor sometime.

Who said the store would be in Flossmoors' business district? . Isn't Vollmer and Crawford still Flossmoor?

[TBideon]

No. Englewood is in truly dire shape, and Whole Foods coming is not so much market driven as it is....experimental and a marketing move. I don't see any middle income blacks, gays, yuppies, artists, etc, moving into the area, which are usually indicators of positive momentum.

[chet everett]

I mostly agree with Bru67 & TBideon -- this is an "experiement" but less of about Whole Food selling groceries than WF wading into the poltical arena where it teams up with rich insiders (that would be Rahm for anyone paying attention to the $18M he pocketed working Wasserallla...) and trying to win points with it traditional "limousine liberal" types that will be motivated by its efforts to "big food to the underclass in the urban food deserts" both for the boost this gives it to competiors (everyone from WalMart to Trader Joes to even "traditional hippy dippy co-ops" as profiled in today's Trib...).

Of course the real story is how this is qualifies for $10M in TIF funds when there is no way that this will generate anywhere that kind of economic activity. Honestly a grocery store like this, or even a more value oriented "supercenter" from WalMart / Target / Mejier would probably make much more impact.

As to questions about "appealing to a broader range of consumers" I see no evidence that any such move is behind this except in the sense that over the years WF has moved into more "urban" areas -- they have been enticed into stores in even downtown Detroit, though from what I understand the client base there is more "office workers" like Chicago's existing South Loop and River North WF locations... I am sure there is data that one could obtain about the various grocery buying habits of different ethnic groups of similar economic strata. My hunch is that WF has looked at these kinds of things and might at some point try to target stores toward the South Suburbs but right now they have different set of priorities. Competition is brutal in the grocey segment and having a $10M TIF to eliminate any risk for them is a HUGE positive AND it paves the way for WF execs to ask similar hand outs of other communities. I doubt that any town in the south suburbs would be so desperate as to throw that magnitude of dough at 'em but with this on the table as precedent it sets up interesting moves...

[jonnynonos]

I was very perplexed when I heard this and can't think of a reason beyond what several people above me posted: image and marketing.

Unless there is some big thing like a hospital complex nearby that employs a ton of people, enough to make it lucrative.

I would say that the vast majority of middle class and even most upper middle class people stay clear of Whole Foods, let alone poor people. It nearly doubles your grocery bill the prices are so high.

[urza216]

Originally Posted by Sandra<3

Isn't Vollmer and Crawford still Flossmoor?

hmmm... Yeah, that is indeed Flossmoor. And somehow the Speedway right there is Matteson. I suppose they could raze all the grass and plop a Whole Foods down there. However, it's more likely Whole Foods would open up on Halsted in Homewood. I won't be holding my breath though.

We actually already have a Whole Foods in Orland Park.. And Whole Foods customers are willing to drive 20 to 30 minutes because it's freakin Whole Foods... right?