MILLBROOK, June 3 — Walk down Vine Street on a Saturday morning and it's hard not to feel good about where this city is heading. New restaurants, renovated storefronts, a film festival application in the works, a homegrown band signing a record deal — Millbrook has real momentum right now, and I don't want to be the person who rains on that parade. But I've been covering this city long enough to know that momentum has a way of rolling right over the people who can least afford to get out of the way.
The Numbers Don't Lie
Average rents in the Southside District have increased 34 percent over the past three years, according to data compiled by the Millbrook Housing Coalition. The median home sale price citywide crossed $280,000 for the first time this spring. These are not abstract statistics — they represent families who've lived in Millbrook for generations facing the very real possibility that they can no longer afford to. The Fitch family, whose diner is currently the subject of a documentary film making festival rounds, is a perfect symbol of this tension. We celebrate their story on screen while the mechanisms that will displace them continue to grind forward off it.
What the City Can Actually Do
I'm not arguing against growth. I'm arguing for intentional growth — the kind that requires developers receiving city incentives to include affordable units, that funds the Millbrook Housing Authority adequately, and that stops treating community benefit agreements as optional line items. City Council has a vote on the updated development incentive framework coming in late July. That vote matters. If you live in Millbrook and you care about who gets to stay here, you should know your council member's name and you should make sure they know yours.
- Average Southside rent increase (3 years): 34%
- Median home sale price, spring 2024: $280,000
- City Council development framework vote: late July
