Bringing Prosperity Back to Chinatown
It’s time to bring life back to Chinatown. Leland Yee’s Plan outlines 6 concrete steps containing 28 specific policy commitments he will take as Mayor to revitalize Chinatown, renew its cultural strength, create housing and strengthen local businesses.
STEP ONE: BRING PEOPLE BACK TO CHINATOWN
Like many San Francisco neighborhoods, Chinatown relies on tourism for its economic strength. But in the past two decades, tourism has dropped and Chinatown has become less of a cultural magnet for people living in San Francisco and around the Bay Area. The first key to bringing prosperity back to Chinatown is to bring people back to Chinatown.
Bring Back the Night Market
San Francisco is one of the world’s gems, drawing millions of visitors each year. Yet unlike cities such as Hong Kong and Taipei, San Francisco’s Chinatown is quiet at night, with dark streets and empty restaurants. Why? Because San Francisco’s Chinatown doesn’t have a night market. Night Markets are hugely successful in major cities around the country and across the world, drawing tens of thousands of locals and tourists. From Hong Kong and Taipei to Seattle, Philadelphia, and Vancouver, city night markets are traditional, open-air venues where young people meet to sample new cuisine, older people come for a moonlight stroll, and tourists dare one another to try a dish of chicken feet. Reviving San Francisco’s Night Market can create a similar dynamic here—it will increase foot traffic for local merchants and restaurants, promote cultural pride, and revive the cultural heart of Chinatown. It was a vibrant, attractive part of San Francisco years ago, promoting delicious local cuisine and great bargains on local products, and it can be again. Bringing back the night market and making it a successful attraction is the key to bringing prosperity back to Chinatown.
Promote New Cultural Events
A number of popular events are held in Chinatown, including Chinese Lunar New Year celebrations and the Autumn Moon Festival. But to make Chinatown a truly vibrant cultural hub, we need to encourage more. Since currently successful events are rooted in traditional Chinese Holidays, expanding that theme to include others throughout the year, such as the Lantern Festival, events celebrating the Dragon Boat races, and eating out with family during Dongzhi could produce similar success. Other options should include table game, art and talent competitions. Upon assuming office, the Yee administration will work with Chinatown leaders and city departments to establish permits for these cultural events, with an eye towards growing the number of events held each year.
Activate the Alleyways
Chinatown’s alleyways are a significant tourist draw—tours led by students are well attended and a staple of Chinatown’s culture. The city’s Chinatown Alleyway plan has helped renovate more about a dozen of these hidden gems, and the city should do whatever it can to further promote them as attractions to tourists and residents alike, including growing the number and type of events we hold in the alleyways. One option is to hold food-specific events that capitalize on today’s popularity of mobile food venues. The city can work with the neighborhood to invite and help permit food carts to set up in a given alleyway on a given night of the week, showcasing different types of Chinese and Pan Asian cuisine.
Expand Chinese Film Festival Events
Local theatres like The Great Star used to provide screenings of Chinese films. The Chinatown community would benefit from reviving access to Chinese cinema, as well as establishing new arts events like Cantonese opera performances. And once the Chinatown City College campus is completed, the auditorium and surrounding campus would serve as a great venue for a Chinese film festival.
Promote Chinatown as a Destination
The Yee Administration will help work to advertise Chinatown in places throughout the city as a destination. That should include working with DPW to both improve signage for tourists and access signage around the city for residents to learn about Chinatown events. It should also include working with MUNI to help organizations access discounted advertisements on city buses, and coordinating a volunteer-based community patrol program to help guide tourists around Chinatown, especially during festivals and events.
Connect Chinatown to America’s Cup Visitors
The America’s Cup is expected to bring over 2.5 million visitors to San Francisco. The city should help all of its neighborhoods, Chinatown included, to both promote themselves and prepare for that tourism influx. The America’s Cup People Plan should include concrete commitments for transportation options from viewing sites to and from Chinatown to guarantee those 2.5 million visitors can enjoy what Chinatown has to offer.
STEP TWO: MAKE CHINATOWN SAFER
Chinatown is a vibrant community, and in order to keep it that way, it is necessary to make public safety a priority in its revitalization plan. As mayor, Yee will work directly with the Chinatown neighborhood to enact policies that will keep the community safe and clean for all.
Increase Police Presence Through Community Policing
Community policing provides essential neighborhood safety services and strengthens relationships between the police and the community. Yee is committed to working with SFPD to establish a community policing presence in conjunction with nighttime events and in the areas where Chinatown needs it most. That means developing a consistent presence in Chinatown and listening to the community’s public safety concerns.
Support Volunteer-Based Community Patrols
Fisherman’s Wharf has a community patrol system that has worked successfully in making a popular tourist destination safe for visitors and residents. Utilizing community volunteers and coordinating with SF Safe, community patrols work to monitor public safety as well as helping guide tourists to destinations. Chinatown could benefit from a similar system that works with nonprofit associations to create a volunteer-based community patrol program to guide visitors and encourage residents to look out for their neighborhood.
Improve Pedestrian Safety
Chinatown has an extremely high rate of pedestrian-involved accidents compared to the rest of the city. To address this, Yee will work to increase use of sidewalk bulb outs and improved signage for pedestrians. Additionally, Yee will work to direct MTA officers to certain areas of Chinatown during high traffic times to ensure cars respect pedestrian right of way, stay out of intersections during red lights, and generally make sure foot and vehicle traffic are moving smoothly and safety.
Crackdown on Graffiti
Increased police presence will put a damper on some graffiti activity, but the city should also dedicate funds to graffiti removal in Chinatown. Chinatown is an important tourist destination, and the city should invest in keeping it welcoming to the millions of tourists that pass through it every year. By establishing a graffiti abatement fund, businesses will get assistance paying for and cleaning up unsightly graffiti—other cities like Long Beach and Portland do this, and San Francisco merchants deserve the same.
Neighborhood Enhancements that Improve Public Safety
As mayor, Yee will look to find new ways to enhance the Chinatown neighborhood. Lighting upgrades, such as lantern lighting across streets, can provide dual benefit by improving safety in dark corridors and adding a new layer of cultural presence.
The city can also work with neighborhood organizations to find ways to better utilize street space—options should include finding more frequent or alternative trash pickup options to keep sidewalks and streets clear, and flex parking space use that can be used for café seating at night when parking is available at nearby garages.Prioritize Seismic Retrofits for Unsafe Buildings
The California Seismic Commission rates Chinatown as one of the most earthquake endangered neighborhoods in the state. Sixty percent of buildings in Chinatown are Unreinforced Masonry Buildings, and more than 20 years after the Loma Prieta earthquake, many of these at-risk buildings in Chinatown still haven’t been retrofitted to withstand a major earthquake. That’s unacceptable. The city needs to do everything in its power to protect the residents and businesses of Chinatown before the next major seismic event. That’s why Yee will look to reform the unwieldy and impractical Seismic Safety Loan Program to offer low-interest loans to property owners to make seismic improvements to their buildings. While this would require a ballot measure, the city could easily make sufficient funding available without increasing property taxes. As mayor, Yee will propose a ballot measure to reform the Seismic Safety Loan Program to make loans available to property owners to protect against the impacts of the next big earthquake.
STEP THREE: MAKE IT EASIER TO DEAL WITH CITY HALL
Navigating city bureaucracy is too confusing, complicated, and time consuming. Many businesses are frustrated with the time, effort, and money they spend trying to comply with city regulations or obtain permits. That’s not right. San Francisco should take better care of its merchants. As mayor, Yee will cut the red tape and make it easier for businesses, event organizers, and residents to work with the city.
Small Business Outreach and Technical Assistance
The Office of Small Business is understaffed and underutilized, which undermines outreach, education and partnering opportunities. Yee will revamp the city’s small business assistance services into an outreach- and casework-centered one-stop shop. That means dedicating a case manager to every neighborhood commercial district in the city—someone on the street, going door to door, getting to know the businesses in the area. Chinatown merchants deserve a caseworker they know and trust, someone who comes to them to address issues before they become problems. The case manager would be the point person for small businesses that need help with licenses, permits or other city services. They would help businesses with expansion plans. They would hold workshops for the community about how to navigate city rules and regulations. And they would make sure that small business voices are heard loud and clear in the halls of city bureaucracy.
Permit Streamlining and Assistance for Event Organizers
Promoting new events in Chinatown should not be hampered by an onerous entertainment permitting process. As Mayor, Yee will simplify that process by developing a master use permit policy that makes it easier for cultural organizations to sponsor new recurring neighborhood events. And by working with the Arts Commission, we can help organizers access funding to help get new cultural events off the ground.
Culturally Competent Permit Process
Even something as simple as an outdoor music permit at Portsmouth Square can be a daunting and onerous process without language access considerations. Yee has a clear record of expanding language access and will do the same at City Hall.
STEP FOUR: EASE TRANSIT AND PARKING CONGESTION
Since the Loma Prieta earthquake and the demolition of the Central Freeway, Chinatown has experienced tough economic times. Though the demolition of the freeway revitalized the city’s waterfront in ways few could have expected, it has created serious challenges for Chinatown’s businesses that we need to continue to address. One crucial step to promote Chinatown tourism and nightlife is to make it easier for visitors to get to Chinatown via public transit, and to make it possible for those who drive to find affordable parking.
Ensure the On-Time Completion of the Central Subway
Over 80% of Chinatown residents rely on public transit. The Central Subway will go a long way to alleviating the clogged transit corridors in Chinatown and North Beach. As mayor, Yee will work to make sure this project is completed effectively, efficiently, and on-time. However, the Central Subway is over ten years from completion, and we need transit and parking solutions now.
Relieve Congestion on Stockton Street
The Central Subway will help alleviate much of the congestion on the 30 Stockton , but since it won’t be completed until 2019 there are things we can do now to alleviate gridlock in the meantime. The 30 Stockton is consistently over 100% capacity during peak transit hours and often passes riders without stopping. Expanding use of Muni-funded shuttles could serve major hubs along that transit corridor, like Union Square and Moscone hotel areas, and take an alternate route to alleviate stress on Stockton Street. Other long-overdue improvements to the MUNI system, like computerized dispatch and tracking systems, will also go a long way to making sure there are enough buses to meet demand and that they run on time. Chinatown and North Beach riders deserve a public transit system they can rely on.
Expand Park & Ride Options into Chinatown
Golden Gateway Garage offers discounted all-day parking with validation and a free shuttle directly into Chinatown. The program works as a valuable tool in promoting everything Chinatown has to offer—but it’s currently only available on weekends. The city should extend park and ride options to run on weeknights and in coordination with Chinatown events. We can also consider expanding to other BART stations based on demand and traffic flow from other communities, such as the Bayview or further down the Peninsula. This can significantly increase Chinatown visitorship, as well as alleviate parking difficulties and traffic congestion.
Publicize Lower Nighttime Parking Rates & Availability in Real Time
The SF Park pilot program is currently testing variable pricing at Portsmouth Square, St. Mary’s Square, and Golden Gateway garages. That means lower parking rates at night when merchants and restaurants need business, but people largely don’t know about the program. Better signage publicizing the lower rates that also show real-time parking availability will mean more activity for businesses and less circling for parking on the street, helping alleviate congestion and improve traffic flow. We can also bring back parking validation so businesses can offer incentives to customers that encourage activity in the area.
Easing Parking Congestion and Traffic Flow
Extending the parking validation concept to include MUNI validation would expand that benefit to more people while also promoting smart transit use. And by working with merchants to find yellow zones that can be converted to parking spaces, we can reduce vehicular circling and improve traffic flow.
Ease Effects of Central Subway Construction on Local Businesses
As with all major structural projects, the construction of the Central Subway will have an effect on local business. As of yet, there is no city plan on how to address this concern. Yee’s plan for small businesses includes case managers assigned to every commercial neighborhood district in the city. The case manager for Chinatown will work directly with the Mayor’s Office and be tasked with ameliorating any potential problems or construction-related disruptions affecting local businesses. Specifically, case managers will work with these businesses to help design and implement plans to keep businesses open, visible, and shielded from undue noise or disruption during the construction period.
STEP FIVE: CREATE MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Housing conditions in Chinatown are far below where they need to be. Over 40% of Chinatown residents live in overcrowded conditions, and 60% of the housing stock is single room occupancy. San Francisco must look after one of its most dynamic cultural neighborhoods and address the serious housing concerns in Chinatown.
Support an Affordable Housing Bond to Improve Living Conditions In SROs
As mayor I will create an affordable housing budget set-aside that the city can bond against, creating a necessary stream of dedicated funding for affordable housing for a range of income levels. And since almost half of Chinatown residents live in overcrowded conditions, part of this bond should be dedicated for improvements to SROs where possible, like adding kitchens and bathrooms.
Enforcing Requirements for New Affordable Housing for Families
Though a recent court decision could give developers reason to contest the city’s requirements to include affordable housing in developments, Yee is committed to enforcing inclusionary housing requirements as part of any development agreement, because the city must continue to provide affordable housing options to its residents. Additionally, all new affordable units must be affordable to a range of income levels, and a portion of them must be large enough to house families.
Helping First Time Homebuyers
As mayor, Yee would also support expanding the City’s Downpayment Assistance Loan Program and the lesser-known City Second Loan Program, in which the City pays a portion of the downpayment for a new home and monthly mortgage, then recoups its investment when the home is later sold.
Supporting Rent Control and Protect Seniors From Unfair Evictions
For a community as densely populated as Chinatown, rent control and tenant protections are essential. Seniors, low-income families and the disabled are especially vulnerable. As mayor, Yee will never weaken rent control, and will use the office of the mayor to do everything possible to prevent illegal evictions of the elderly from rent controlled apartments.
STEP SIX: INTEGRATE CHINATOWN CITY COLLEGE INTO THE COMMUNITY
Once completed in April 2012, the newly built Chinatown City College campus will be an important presence in the community. Through strategic partnerships and sharing of resources, it can and should be a major hub of community activity.
Shared Use of the Auditorium for Community Events
The new building design, which Yee advocated for strongly, allowed not only for more students to be served by the new campus—it allowed an auditorium to be added to the design. Shared use of this resource with the community will provide a much-needed venue for neighborhood and cultural events, and can help draw activity to Chinatown.
Forge a Collaborative Partnership Between the College and the City
The city doesn’t currently work collaboratively with City College in any official capacity—forging an official partnership could yield incredible benefits to the community and students, like coordination around cultural events, sharing meeting and class space, and establishing service-learning initiatives that get City College students out into the community and working with CBOs to combat homelessness or improve educational opportunities.
Bring CCSF Job Training and Placement Programs to Chinatown
The city’s partnership with City College should also expand the current relationship between City College and the Office Of Economic and Workforce Development. OEWD currently works with City College in the Bayview to provide and promote job recruiting and job training programs—expanding this to Chinatown would be of huge benefit to both the community and students.
