The Adams administration’s plan to spend $55 million renovating a historic Chinatown plaza has reignited local debate about neighborhood priorities, use of public space and aesthetics.
At the center of the disagreements, local business and political leaders say, is a planned multimillion-dollar “Gateway Arch” – in line with those in Chinatowns across the world – eyed for historic Kimlau Square. But the arch is only part of the swirling debate.
The substantial infusion of government cash follows a state pledge a little over a year ago to set aside $20 million on several projects to “revitalize” the neighborhood.
“In under-resourced communities like ours, when a big pot of money like this becomes available, there’s so much competition for all these needs,” said Yin Kong, co-founder and director of the neighborhood advocacy group Think!Chinatown and a member of the local planning committee that suggested projects ripe for state funding. “So I think it was sometimes hard to talk about a cohesive vision.”
The discussions have brought to the fore a range of challenges that have long weighed on the Lower Manhattan community’s future, including the lingering economic toll from the pandemic, population losses, flooding from superstorm Sandy, the nearby 9/11 attacks, and long-neglected public spaces.
According to a recent study from the city’s Department of Small Business Service, 57,159 people live in Chinatown, and the Asian population declined by 10% from 2010 to 2020, as Asian communities grew elsewhere in the city, principally in Queens.
But Mayor Eric Adams’ funding announcement, in his State of the City address last week, made plain that Manhattan’s Chinatown remains prominent. He said the city would spend $55 million revitalizing the Kimlau Square area, “giving one of New York City’s most historic districts the entrance it deserves.”
An infusion of funds
City Hall spokesperson Charles Lutvak told Gothamist that amount includes $44 million…
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