USC's got those gentrification blues again. Citing concerns over low-income folks being pushed out, the city's Planning and Land Use Management Committee is holding off (yet again) on approving the $1.1 billion The Village at USC project that would knock down the creaky old University Village shopping center and replace it with new retail, restaurants, student housing, a hotel, and, possibly, a Trader Joe's. Last month, the committee asked for data regarding the effects of the development on local rents, and they've now been "given a raft of new data to help them decide whether they should approve" the project, according to the Los Angeles Times. At a hearing yesterday, they said they needed more time to digest it all. USC is currently working with anti-poverty groups to handle concerns over gentrification, which has already started in the area, thanks to DTLA's resurgence and the opening of the Expo Line, according to a column in the Times. USC promised it will put $8 million toward affordable housing options, but locals want $20 million and more dormitory beds built--they want the planned 1,200 increased to 4,000. Gentrification worries over the new University Village have been vociferous for months; one of the main groups citing concerns, United Neighbors in Defense Against Displacement, say they support the project, but just want to make sure it respects the existing community.
· USC's proposed 'Village' expansion project is delayed again [LA Times]
· City Wants Report on The Village at USC's Gentrifying Effects [Curbed LA]
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