Slog
News & ArtsFriday, August 6, 2010
City / Architecture Rebranding the ID
Posted by Riya Bhattacharjee on Fri, Aug 6, 2010 at 3:47 PM
- R.B.
- From parking lot land to tower land: the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Washington Street has been marked for proposed upzoning
The Seattle City Council’s Committee on the Built Environment is currently gauging the proposal, which is expected to come before the full council early next year. The ID community views the proposed project as a double-edged sword. They say that while more density would improve the cultural and economic vitality of the district, it could potentially price out existing mom-and-pop stores, who are already scraping by. “It’s important to preserve the cultural vibe in Little Saigon and the International District,” said Quang H. Nguyen, founding-member of the Washington Vietnamese American Chamber of Commerce, during a recent walking tour of the area with the Committee on Built Environment.
Nguyen pointed out that Little Saigon by itself supports about 60,000 people of Vietnamese and Southeast Asian descent. “We support rezoning to increase density, but building tall concrete and steel structures will only pass the cost down to small businesses and drive them out.” Most businesses in Chinatown/ID on average pay less than a $1.50 per sq. ft. for rent every month.
Nguyen, who also belongs to the Seattle Chinatown/ID Preservation and Development Authority, continued, “I am not saying we should preserve dilapidated buildings, but how do we preserve affordability of living in the city?” Similar rumblings can be heard in the adjacent Jackson Place neighborhood, which is filled with single-family homes and small businesses. Ryan Morgan, treasurer of the Jackson Place Neighborhood Council, said that the community is hesitant to support the proposed 65 feet to 85 feet building heights. “We are worried about land values going up, worried about shadows on the smaller houses—these ideas are exciting and disturbing at the same time,” he said.
They have a point. Sure, our skyline needs a few more buildings, but should it come at the cost of driving away that Chinese immigrant who spent all his life savings to open up a dollar store? Seattle Department of Planning and Development senior planner Susan McLean said that the city is doing everything it can to develop a more retail-friendly environment in Chinatown. Historic preservation and revitalization, development rights transfers to encourage rehabilitation of historic buildings and protection of affordable housing fall among DPD’s long-term goals for Chinatown/ID, she said. For instance, the highest recommended height of 240 feet in Chinatown/ID will not apply to affordable housing areas which DPD hopes will alleviate redevelopment pressure.
Regardless of zoning and redevelopment, small businesses in the ID are already at risk. Chinatown’s roughly 300 businesses saw their revenue plunge from $66 million in 1997 to $41 million in 2006.
- R.B.
- Dollar store in Seattle Chinatown- show us what you got,
Rebranding Chinatown/International District is a big chunk of the project. In fact, there is even a merchandizing consultant who has been brought in to suggest some variety in food and retail (ahem, maybe something other than barbecue pork?).
- R.B.
- We need this
The first thing that struck me about the Chinatown/ID here was how boring it was. Where was the hustle and bustle, the colorful Chinese lanterns and streamers that are ubiquitous with Chinatowns in New York and San Francisco? Maybe Seattle likes its Chinatown low key, I thought then. But whaddya know, five years later I am sitting at a meeting where councilmembers are complaining about exactly that: the lack of vibrancy which could turn the place into a destination once again. If it were up to me, I would sign an ordinance today demanding that shopkeepers hang their wares outside for people to see (FYI, someone did complain in the survey that they were afraid to go into the stores because they couldn’t see what was being sold inside).The Committee on the Built Environment—which comprises of Council Members Sally Clark, Sally Bagshaw, and Tim Burgess—agree that pedestrian-friendly sidewalks, more trees, attractive storefronts and a cleaner environment would do wonders to the place. The upzoning can wait, let the rebranding begin.
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"Where was the hustle and bustle, the colorful Chinese lanterns and streamers that are ubiquitous with Chinatowns in New York and San Francisco?" Yeah, this kitsch is really unattractive to me.
That said, the ID does seem dead. I even like Vancouver's paltry Chinatown better.
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Sadly there isn't anything Seattle can do about its street grid. It would be nice, though, if the people making plans had some idea what streets that aren't suburban-dull look like.
It bears mentioning also that the ID used to be a lot more vibrant than it is now, back before the city willfully destroyed it. The Japanese Deportation, Yesler Terrace, and I-5 were all kind of a long time ago, but it would be nice if the city would show SOME kind of historical awareness of their own responsibility. In fact, one reason to fear this redevelopment plan is precisely the long track record of the city destroying what it claims to be helping. More recent examples include the atrocity of the bus tunnel station, the hateful, anti-urban new skyscrapers that were allowed to be built along 4th Ave. S., and the traffic routing there, on Dearborn, and on Airport Way S.
A look at the arial map of the district reveals just how shockingly much of it is pavement and inaccessible areas. The city doesn't seem to recognize this is true.
You could say the same thing about Pioneer Square.
I could also point out that the leadership in the ID all too often comes from the 1970s-era "community organizers" who don't really understand or represent a lot of what's gone on there in the forty years since they took up their positions as unelected liaisons to the white folks at City Hall. You can see this in the lack of interest in Little Saigon's landlords; they're a newer generation (and even Little Saigon is a misnomer in an area that is more recently overwhelmingly new Chinese).
Road diet the four-lane streets in the ID, widen the sidewalks, upzone a little, and there ya go. Vibrant ID. And it wouldn't hurt to clean the streets and sidewalks once in a while.
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The neighborhood is fantastic and part of its charm is its uniqueness. Seattle's Chinatown ID is not and never will be San Francisco's, Vancouver's or other. Let it stand apart as something that this city can celebrate. Jamfest and the Night Markets are great events that bring people into the community. IMHO what the neighborhood needs is a diversity of businesses to support the various needs and interests of residents and visitors alike. And a mix of residents that can afford to support the businesses.
Momo, Kobo, Pink Godzilla, the tea houses and Asian specialty shops like Sun May & Minh Chau Jewelery and Gifts are all great, but won't support the neighborhood on their own. Determining what is needed is like walking on a tightrope. What is the right mix of businesses that can continue to support the neighborhood without displacing those who helped to create the neighborhood?? And what is the residential mix that can support those businesses? Do a search on Vision 2030 and see what members of the community are advocating for.
1.) "Sure, our skyline needs a few more buildings, but should it come at the cost of driving away that Chinese immigrant who spent all his life savings to open up a dollar store?"
You imply a false dichotomy here, how do taller buildings drive up rents for immigrants? What drives up rents is when the area becomes more attractive and the demand for retail space outstrips the supply. Presumably that is the idea behind this economic development strategy but taller buildings won't do that in themselves, you can have tall buildings in shitty neighborhoods too. Even if it increases development pressures, I'm pretty sure property owners are only taxed on the current use, not the allowed use. And even further, most of the buildings in the ID are protected as part of a National historic district.
2.) "Where was the hustle and bustle, the colorful Chinese lanterns and streamers that are ubiquitous with Chinatowns in New York and San Francisco?"
Are you really comparing Seattle's Chinatown to the two biggest and most famous Chinatowns in the United States? Our Chinatown never did and never will rival those, sorry.
And also, Seattle's Chinatown has plenty of kitsch, so I'm not really sure what you're talking about. There are the dragons, the gate, Takagawa fountains, Hing Hay park and the Mural, Banners, and other Asia-themed art. If anything, it seems they over do the Chinatown stuff, likely because they have to make up for a lack of real character.As Fnarf rightly points out, the area has been shit on for years and today its really just a shell of a functioning neighborhood.
The issues go deep and its going to take a long, long time before its a healthy community again, not just an ad campaign, more street trees, and a few taller buildings.
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"today its really just a shell of a functioning neighborhood" - spoken like a true white outsider (as am I). What we have to acknowledge - and hopefully COBE will too - is that existing today there is a delicate fabric of a community that needs to understood and nurtured so that that changes do not further displace it as well. While the ID is not as residential as it could be, and it does not have the vibrancy of Cap Hill, it does have a life and that life is not well understood by those on the outside.
Livable South Downtown is a vestige of the Nickels era "develop develop develop" mentality where every neighborhood is treated as a blank slate and eligible for intense growth or urban renewal.
The "International District" today is a complicated blend of various cultures and interests that have been woven together over time as @Fnarf attests. And our city's blunt instrument of rezoning is dangerous to it. Particularly one as sweeping and dramatic as that proposed.
I agree with Riya's sentiment that the rezone can wait and other more tactical actions should be addressed first. The urgency to complete the rezone by some on COBE reflect a lack of sensitivity or understanding of the issues. And this effort overall is driven by the idea that doing big things - rather than the right thing - is leadership.
It should also be noted that Vision 2030, while developed with representatives from various elements of the ID community, it is weighted towards wanting a marked rebuild and has been tempered to a large degree by "70's era community organizers" (who understand this shit a lot better than Fnarf). This effort needs to engage more of the Vietnamese diaspora that Quang Ngyuen alludes to.
Overall, the pace of change needs to be measured so that a wholesale reinvention of the neighborhood, such as what is happening in South Lake Union, does not occur. At least that is if we truly value what the ID represents and has to offer.
Local people must be involved in planing ID's retail outlets and the
eataries to highlight local and Asian flavour.
And streets can be made to appear narrower by accomodating sitting spaces and landscape gardens within a part of the wider streets; and these spaces can also be used for children to sit and draw. such schemes would make the area more attractive to visitors.
Narrower streets with streamers stretching along shop fronts and gifts stacked on side walks would attaract the visitors and add colour to this district.
Krishna Bhattacharjee
1) Put in a nice multistory parking lot so people can get to the destination. Light rail was a good first step for adding access from S. Seattle, but if people are coming from North or East, they'll most likely drive.
2) Make the place feel cleaner/safer so once there people will feel safe to linger outside and explore
3) After doing one and two, add housing
A few ridiculously expensive and disruptive gambles for the same goal (or is it):
1) Redevelop the place by blowing up existing building and replacing them with newer, douchier developments that don't fit the community. Optionally, leave it an empty lot.
2) Repeat until said community no longer exists
(For guidance, reference Capitol Hill)
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