Spoiling the Crossroads?

[trailerkid]

Can anyone comment on the pattern of gentrification in the Xroads?

Why I'm asking is because it seems like the Xroads has gone from fringe artists district (well known that many in KC still have never heard of it) to high-end exclusivity in quite an alarming fashion. When I think of gentrification, I think of a critical mass of people(usually "well-to-do"), businesses, and residences taking over an existing neighborhood. This usually means that neighborhood businesses and residences are displaced. But I guess in the case of the Xroads, it just doesn't seem like there is really much of a neighborhood to take over. I consider some of the high end design stores part of the gentrification, but didn't they move into abandoned buildings?

I realize that gentrification doesn't have to be physical displacement, but it seems like 65% of the area was/is parking lots or vacant buildings, so now it is some high-end restaurants and lofts mixed in with the galleries/studios and parking lots. I know the new lofts and restaurants will make it harder for galleries because of the increased taxation, but it's just hard to imagine that there EVER were that many poor hipster artists down there before the current gentrification wave. Are there any estimates as to how many artists actually live(d) in the Xroads or how many studios have moved in the past 5 years?