Industry City – Innovation Lab

With its 1-billion-dollar redevelopment of Industry City, Jamestown Properties is envisioning an innovation hub of food manufacturing to clothing to technology to media – a new gathering where creativity feeds off of one another and fosters innovative economy. It is certainly interesting that these buildings will be turned into mix-use manufacturing and private business, but a question is what will happen to the surrounding Latino-Asian population as more and more skilled jobs appear and force native, hardworking residents to move out? As Tarry Hum mentions in her article, the rezoning of Greenpoint-Williamsburg waterfront had devastating effects on its Latino community. With an influx of skilled jobs and rising housing costs, many Greenpoint-Williamsburg residents were driven out by forces of unbearable financial stress.
In response to ameliorate the concerns of Sunset Park’s residents, Jamestown Properties, with partnership from New York City College of Technology, opened “Innovation Lab,” a community-based skills training center, designed to teach the local residents the skills necessary to work in their tenant’s private businesses. By doing so, the private business owners of Industry City can employ local talent, ensuring stable jobs for the nearby neighborhoods and, possibly, delay gentrification. I feel that this is a good start for the investors because instead causing gentrification by rezoning and redevelopment, a conscious effort is made to educate and integrate the community with the businesses of Industry City, causing potential commercial growth with the community. It’s a small step, but if everything works out well, then other redeveloping areas can also adopt ideas like Innovation Lab.