The Development
What is being proposed:
New high school (600-700 seats)
Mixed-income housing
Retail/commercial development
Long-term land control agreements
Why this matters
Development redistributes land, wealth, and power – and without enforceable protections, longtime residents can be displaced.
What is Purpose Built Communities?
Purpose Built Communities is a redevelopment model founded in 2009 to transform distressed neighborhoods into mixed-income communities.
Similar redevelopment efforts in other cities have resulted in displacement of longtime residents when protections were not enforced.
Examples of communities redeveloped using the Purpose Built model:
East Lake, Atlanta
Original public housing demolished
Only ~25% of original residents returned
Now includes a private golf course
Perkins Homes
Public housing demolished
Residents displaced
Grocery store promised
Still delayed
What we are organizing for:
Right-to-return policies
Tenants cannot be displaced without relocation assistance / tenants can return with moving assistance
Local hiring requirements (80% of hires come from Cherry Hill)
Contracts prioritized for local or minority-owned businesses
Grocery store or healthy food access
Community advisory board/resident oversight
