The pulse of the community will change, perhaps forever. City Councilwoman Cindy Chavez, who represents the district, worries about the two-year gap without the anchor of the school. So does Doria Brown, a single parent whose two children attend Horace Mann. When a new Horace Mann opens in 2002, student enrollment will more than double to 750. The new school is the first of a series of public developments on nearby streets.
Retail services are sure to follow.
The city and owners of the Albertson's have talked about a new store with housing. A future BART line slicing under San Fernando or Santa Clara streets is being debated. All this is likely to create a different sort of neighborhood. Rents are bound to go up, squeezing families already fighting to keep up. Small ethnic restaurants that dot the area may be forced out.