West Chelsea: Will The Far West Be The New Rockefeller?

West Chelsea is located in what is commonly referred as “the far west side”, referring to anything west of Tenth Ave. Here, the biggest development project Manhattan has seen since Rockefeller is underway. Hudson Yards has turned from a subway train cemetery into a panorama of expedited construction. Cranes rise like trees in what will soon be New York’s new upper-class oasis. This mega-project is a growing concern for low-income residents of the area, wondering how long will it be until they are forced by the circumstances to relocate. Chelsea is in a perpetual state of division. Upper and lower income residents may live a block from each other, but they have no real social or economical interaction.

Chelsea is one of the many neighborhoods in New York City undergoing hyper-gentrification. Although this is more of a pressing issue now, Chelsea has been gentrifying for the past 20-30 years. The arrival of the art galleries in the 1990’s created an atmosphere of sophistication and culture that drew people in. The opening of the High Line in 2005 also kindled new developments in the area, adding to the art culture started by the galleries. This quickly made the area a target for residential developers, and many higher income residents started to migrate in. Many design firms relocated their practice in the old warehouses by the Hudson River, which drew business and new young residents in. The rising rents moved many low-income residents away, and Chelsea began to evolve into the new hip art district of Manhattan.

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In the mid 20th century, more than 2,000 units of affordable housing where built in Chelsea. The Elliot, Chelsea, and Fulton houses are still in the area, their rents unaffected to the shifting landscape thanks to fixed rents (although some have lost their parking lots to residential developments). Even if rising rents are not a concern, the changing landscape is becoming too expensive for the residents. Many have begun to shop outside of the neighborhood in look for cheaper prices. These residences are exposed to both the good and the bad sides of gentrification. In one hand, the neighborhood has become safer and more beautiful. There are more public spaces for the residents to enjoy and people feel safe to walk around at night. In the other, the changing landscape has left the both economically and socially alienated.