Mantua artist's resistance pushes Philly to build a better grocery store
The developers also deserve kudos for pricing 20 percent of their units for low-income residents. Despite Mantua’s Oz-like view of the Center City skyline, it’s one of the most devastated neighborhoods in the city. The population has plunged from 20,000 in 1940 to roughly 6,000 today, and just a third of the residents own their homes.
Yet, because of its proximity to Drexel University and its development juggernaut, student housing developments are lapping at Mantua’s front door. If Amazon chooses to put its new headquarters in Philadelphia’s Schuylkill Yards, Mantua will be at the head of the line for gentrification. Developments like the one proposed by Lomax can cushion the onslaught. What a lucky break that James Dupree was there to keep this valuable parcel from being wasted by a supermarket parking lot.
Via philly.com
