Sounds like tearing down Pioneer Homes (which I had already assumed was the behinds the scene plan when the corridor was first proposed) sounds much like the motivation so highly criticized regarding the original 81 project. It’s using the highway for gentrification. Displacing the poor with no stated plan for their relocation during construction, questionable directives assigning where they will live years later after construction is completed, is deja vu. Displacing these neighborhoods just like the original 15th ward might show we haven’t learned much after all these years. Proposing mixing public housing residents with high end residents in a shared new apartment living is unfortunately an unproven theory. How many of the displaced Pioneer Home residents and other poor residents currently living will be included in this planned integration after construction? What about during construction? How will they be identified years later to even move back ? Will they want to or be able to years later, Are we displacing the poor essentially forcing them to disperse like ward 15 hoping to gentrify the area while they will be away from all the organizations, medical and social nets that currently serve them in that area. What are the plans? Many more details should be revealed before undertaking such a re-engineering project. Hoping that much more forethought and detailed planning is done for this to succeed and not again be something 50 years later to be rehashed as a big mistake after the fact.
Not trying to be negative, who doesn’t want improvements in the area but we need to openly address all the repercussions and details for these plans as they are being slowly revealed.
