Rents increase, businesses are replaced and people are forced to move. Gentrification in Jackson Heights, once celebrated as one of the most culturally diverse and immigrant-rich neighborhoods, has shifted the community in many ways.
Longtime business owners and families living in Jackson Heights face rising rent, housing issues, economic and social pressures, threatening the neighborhood’s stability and past affordability. More gentrified businesses and companies start being developed where these original business owners have been for years, forcing them to shut down or relocate. Not only that, but many families cannot afford the rent, making it difficult to keep up with housing costs and networking connections. As a student who has been living in Jackson Heights all my life, I’ve noticed significant changes not only to the people around me, but also to the neighborhood itself as it becomes less of what it used to be.
Jackson Heights has always been defined by its dense housing, large families and a variety of ethnic stores and businesses. They not only welcomed others but created a community, but this also made them vulnerable to gentrification and change. For years people moved into overcrowded apartments with families of 5 to 6 members with weak tenant protections and old buildings. These are things that attract developers who see it as a new project and an “upgrade” waiting to happen. This reestablished buildings upgrade to co-ops, increasing property value and leading to higher costs for new residents and change in the socioeconomic status of the neighborhood. The median gross rent in Jackson Heights increased by 11.4% from $1,660 in 2006 to $1,850 in 2023, showing how rent has risen over the past years. The new buildings also lead to outside investments that raise rent prices even higher and draw more residents out. In 2023, 30.0% of rented households in Jackson Heights were greatly rent-burdened, leaving these families to move out and relocate.
To add on, stores that are still standing like Apna Bazar and Food Town also face the high rent but still have everyday shoppers. They are more culturally geared, leaving many of the new residents coming in to see it as unuseful to them, when the community relies on stores like them for ingredients that are hard to find in other places. Many local stores succeed mainly because they offer familiar foods, products and services wanted by residents from South Asian, Latino and Asian backgrounds. This alignment keeps economic activity local and sustainable, but with the want of a newer and modernized community, things might change. Kristina Cvjeticanin says gentrified businesses enter like cafes, restaurants or specialty shops they don’t usually cater to the immigrant majority so they generate less local economic activity and may even struggle financially. As many families have seen stores that are generally well-known closing down in the area, Jacquline Quiah, a parent living in Jackson Heights, says stores like The Children’s Place, Rite Aid, Payless and many pharmacies have closed down in the area, leaving many people unemployed and forced to find other stores. She also says with the rent rising and fewer jobs opening up, it doesn’t provide families with enough income to keep up with daily necessities.
Despite the many drawbacks gentrification might have, it also could help the community in the future. As Donovan Richards, Queens Borough President, says “You want to fight gentrification — the community has to be a part of the conversation. And there can be no solutions to the crisis without ensuring the people in these neighborhoods who are being driven out have a place at the table.” Adding new housing keeps rents lower and prevents displacement. However, rent still seems to maintain high prices as production rates and businesses aim for more profit rather than considering the type of people they’re drawing in and out. As former resident Lenny Rodrigues says, with the prices doubling in the area, they have less money for other necessities besides spending it all on their rent. As him and his family are constantly moving, the changes of rent in different places have changed drastically and have made finding a new house harder than expected.
Gentrification has changed Jackson Heights in many ways, and not always for the better. A neighborhood once known for its diversity, affordable housing and strong immigrant community is now facing higher rents, the loss of longtime businesses and families being pushed out. While new buildings and investments can bring improvements, they don’t help if the original residents can no longer afford to stay.
