The Belcrest Plaza Apartments in Hyattsville leases a one bedroom, one bath space for about $1,200. But the Mosaic at Metro Apartment down the street leases a one bedroom, one bath for about $400 more.
Bikayi Wuvalla’s lives near the Mosaic, and its prices have caused the Montgomery College sophomore film major’s rent to go up steadily. The higher rents in his neighborhood have been affecting his family.
“From what my parents have spoken about, [the rent is] now currently, like maybe $2,000, $2,100, but before it was between $1,500 to $1,700,” Wuvalla said.
Some residents in Prince George’s County are experiencing the effects of gentrification, which occurs when there is new development in an area that attracts higher-income individuals. This increases the value of homes, which can cause displacement of lower-income residents.
In Brentwood, Langley Park, Takoma Park and Hyattsville, the process of gentrification has been picking up pace. Hyattsville recently saw the development of new townhomes that range from $750,000 to $1.2 million. The median value of a home in Hyattsville in 2019 was $336,300. Hyattsville resident and University of Maryland student Elian Contreras said housing developers will be building more unaffordable apartment complexes in the future as well.
Click here to read the rest of the article written by Alexa Figueroa over at The Diamond Back
