Of course Chinatown itself was moved there to make way for the Federal Triangle development. You would have thought that that would have been the impetus to create some lasting political institutions to fight city hall (or capitol hill). The threat of moving Chinatown after the 1906 SF earthquake and fire is what first galvanized the chinese community there into planning a citywide boycott and work stoppage. And that political organizing has lasted for a 100 years. Perhaps it was an issue of chinese laborers needed to fuel SF's docks and canneries. While DC's chinese community didn't have that kind of economic leaverage. The Chinese in both Oakland and SF are a force and there are continuous battles even now about how and if other Asian groups get a seat at the table (especially in Oakland where the Chinatown library branch is always a bit of a political football). Say what you will about unions, but the longshoreman did much to teach Californians about how to organize.
DC's Chinatown traditionally had a big gambling component- many restaurants had upstairs casinos- these were basically for the Chinese people and the DC police didn't do much to shut them down or to really cross into their territory.Why not bring this culture back? The Chinese people have many unique qualities and variations in their society that could make for an injection of re-newal into DC's Chinatown.Why not legalize gambling - say in the 8-10 block Chinatown area- and make it a special exception kind of deal that can be used to encourage Chinese to re-locate back into the city from the scum- burbs.DC is horribly neglectful of it's own ethnic heritage- with many who should know better out- right denying that it ever existed at all [ in 1900 some 10 - 15 % of DC's reisidents spoke German and did not speak English - for instance]. The Chinese, Greeks, Germans,Irish, and yes- Appalachians- should all be recognized and encouraged to re- establish ethnic enclaves. This would be the ultimate in historic revitalisation.
this is the first gambling proposal for the city that I can support. Interesting.
My knowledge of Chinatown only comes from books by George Pelecanos...
Sue Hemberger's screed is nothing more than fear mongering among the same cast of characters that oppose every new development proposal or bar/eating place in the greater Tenleytown/Friendship Heights area.
I can appreciate that in the "eastbanc" era, there should be due diligence for any sort of Public-Private Partnership, and that the time and money factors should be very carefully weighed, but come on, this is an idea on the surface of Tenleytown development since the mid to late 1990's.
It is an opportunity to remake part of Tenleytown, dramatically improve the Janney School and reform the Tenley Library into a vital cog of the neighborhood. In the process, there is an opportunity for much needed inclusionary housing in Ward 3.
Rather than the doom and gloom that ms. Hemberger casts on this discussion, why not, with eyes wide open, embrace the possibilities for the community?
Gabling in Chinatowns is usually associated with gangs and the chinese mafia. The gang warfare in the 1950s and 1960s in Chinatown in SF was as brutal as Chicago in the 1920s or the drug warefare in DC in the 1980s. Even cities like LA and SF that have large asian populations, also have large asian populations in the suburbs -- mostly to escape inner city schools. But DC has another unique problem -- we don't have decent post-secondary schools. Virginia, especially, but Maryland too has the excellent community colleges and state schools.
The added problem that we have is that DC doesn't have large commercial areas that could be cheaply taken over for asian businesses. It's far cheaper to start a business in DC is going to be much higher than Wheaton or Merrifield or Chantilly. And you'll be a lot closer to the Asian-American workers. Until DC can also attract jobs in healthcare, biotech and IT, you aren't going to see large numbers of Asians return to the city. And import/export businesses have also largely moved to the suburbs. This is a product of gentrification to some extent. And it's why Asians have left Manhatten for Queens, and San Francisco for South San Francisco and Oakland.
Of course, on top of all of this is that the city of Washington is scene as hostile to ethnic diversity that is not black or white -- and who can blame them? The powers that be destroyed Chinatown, not once, but at twice.
I can't speak for Sue, but I think the concern is more about exclusive land deals and whether or not the school or library get satisficed in ways that are deleterious. I.e., Oyster School was rehabbed by LCOR, but now there is no playground because it's an apartment building.
The ANC3E website has some good materials, notes from various people that the group has met with/interviewed on this topic, such as with Allan Lew, the new schools facilities revitalization manager, etc.
I *can* speak for Sue. I've never opposed a restaurant or bar. I may have signed a petition, years back, opposing 3 stories of porn, but that's the closest I've come to helping deprive T'town residents of a night out!
Actually, one interesting thing about last Thursday's ANC 3E meeting was that there was a pretty visible demonstration that the anti-bar contingent and those who are concerned about the public land sale are discrete groups. Both issues were on the agenda that night. Many of the latter group left as the discussion of the liquor license began. Only one person took the "anti-" side on both issues.
Thus far, no one is offering Tenleytown better school or library facilities than what DCPS and DCPL have planned to build. And both of those projects are fully funded through capital budgeting (and will be paid for through those budgets even if there's a public-private project at this site). So there's no need for a land sale to transform that corner. In fact, a PPP will certainly delay this tranformation, by slowing down the rebuild of the library. For a variety of reasons, it's not yet clear whether a PPP could or will accelerate the modernization of the school.
Basically, what such a project is likely to add is underground parking and condos at that site. How much and what kind of affordable housing gets built remains to be seen. If it's housing reserved for households with genuinely low-incomes and built to accomodate families with school-aged children and if it's at least a few dozen units, that's a project I'd consider worth delaying the library for. If it's a dozen 700 SF units priced for people making $118,000 a year, then it'll be a farce. IZ proponents in this neck of the woods often don't distinguish.
I'm often struck by how people who seem to have a very superficial grasp of a project tend to assume that those who disagree with them have some kind of personality disorder rather than more and better information. Let's hear a fact-based argument on the merits of this approach at this particular site. In two months of sustained and fairly wide-ranging involvement and research on this project, I've yet to encounter one.
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