Is gentrification a growing problem in San Antonio? Mayor’s task force weighs gentrification

Surrounded by family and concerned members of the community trying to find ways to help her, Judy Salazar sits next to her mobile home in Mission Trails Mobile Home Park in San Antonio on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014. The structure of the mobile home began coming apart when it was in the moving process from Mission Trails to Lackland Village RV Park and was left in the road after repeated attempts to move it were unsuccessful. Salazar and her husband have been living in it for several days without running water or electricity. less Surrounded by family and concerned members of the community trying to find ways to help her, Judy Salazar sits next to her mobile home in Mission Trails Mobile Home Park in San Antonio on Wednesday, Oct. 22, ... more Photo: Lisa Krantz Photo: Lisa Krantz Image 1 of / 81 Caption Close Is gentrification a growing problem in San Antonio? 1 / 81 Back to Gallery

Gentrification has increasingly become a hot topic in San Antonio, as more people move back into downtown and surrounding neighborhoods, suddenly bringing an influx of economic development and new people to older, long-estbalished neighborhoods that have seen little investment in previous years.

Former Mayor Julián Castro called for the formation of a task force of council members and community leaders to address gentrification last summer, following a controversial decision by City Council to rezone a South Side mobile home park so it could be redeveloped — a decision that meant hundreds of families would have to leave their homes.

The group, called the “Mayor’s Task Force on Preserving Dynamic and Diverse Neighborhoods,” has met roughly half a dozen times. It’s slated to return to City Council with potential recommendations in February and March.

But understanding and defining gentrification can be a tricky process, that’s sometimes led to heated discussions among committee members.

“When you say gentrification, what does that mean to you? When I say gentrification, what does that mean to me?” said Jackie Gorman, a task force member and executive director of San Antonio for Growth on the Eastside. “If we’re having a conversation, and we’re both using the same word, and they mean different things, are we really having a productive conversation?”

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