Although I would 10 times more like to have Hi-Lo as my neighbor than Whole Foods, I feel that the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Council has no right to demand anything from Whole Foods that it did not demand from Hi-Lo. (“Whole Foods will not create fund,” Sept. 23.) I would say the same about our state senator.
I wonder why neither the JPNC nor the senator ever said anything about the trash that always surrounded Hi-Lo and the same that surrounds the close-by CVS.
Todd Pulliam, Jamaica Plain
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What the residents of Jamaica Plains seem to be afraid of is gentrification fueled by 'trendy' stores (such as Whole Foods) moving into the area. Nothing about the Hi-Lo is trendy. Hi-Lo isn't the type of store that is built to attract individuals of higher socioeconomic statuses, but Whole Foods is.
Significant amounts of research has shown that gentrification leads to the intensification of the surrounding ghettos, by forcing many residents into the ghettos due to urban expansion and higher housing prices - accompanied by an overall higher cost of living.
For the residents of JP, fear of gentrification is completely legitimate, and asking for a 1% donation for a housing displacement fund seems absolutely reasonable.
If you want to know more about gentrification I highly recommend "Urban Fortunes: The Political Economy of Place," which might help you understand how this new addition to JP could hurt the current residents.