Opinion: Millbrook's Downtown Revival Is Real — But Who Gets Left Behind?

MILLBROOK, June 12 — Walk down Harlan Street on a Saturday morning and you'll see something that would've been unthinkable five years ago: a line out the door at a specialty coffee shop, a yoga studio where the old laundromat used to be, and a wine bar with Edison bulbs and a chalkboard menu. The Millbrook Downtown Development Authority has been calling it a renaissance, and honestly, the numbers back them up — retail vacancies on the main corridor are down to 8 percent from a high of 31 percent in 2019.

Progress Has a Price Tag

But here's what the press releases don't mention: the average two-bedroom apartment within four blocks of Harlan Street has jumped from $875 a month to just over $1,400 in three years. Maria Delgado, who ran a family alterations shop on Prentiss Lane for 22 years, told me last week she got a lease renewal notice that nearly doubled her rent. She's closing in August. She's not alone — at least six long-standing small businesses owned by residents of color have shuttered or relocated to the edges of the city since the redevelopment push began. That's not a renaissance for everyone. That's displacement with a fresh coat of paint.

What We Should Be Asking City Hall

The development authority deserves credit for attracting investment. But the City Council needs to ask harder questions before approving the next round of tax incentives.

• Is there an anti-displacement fund in the budget?
• Are legacy business protections being considered?
• Who is sitting on the advisory board — and do they actually live in the affected neighborhoods?

Millbrook can have a thriving downtown and protect the people who kept it alive through the lean years. Those goals aren't mutually exclusive — but they won't happen by accident.