Asian Fortune Your source for all things Asian American
By Yi Chen
DC developer Monument Realty is pushing ahead a massive 10-story residential and retail building in the heart of historic DC Chinatown. The site of the project is located in Square 453, bounded by 6th, 7th, H and Eye Streets, NW, in the Downtown Historic District.
The Historic Preservation Review Board reviewed Monument project’s revised proposal prepared by Hick Cole Architects—only a site, height, and massing plan—at a recent public hearing. Eight members of the Board voted unanimously to approve the staff report and offered additional comments.
The staff report, prepared by David Maloney and Steve Callcott of the Historic Preservation Office, acknowledged the revised proposal “illustrates a number of substantial improvements over the previous plan.” However, a major concern is that the proposed building’s “height remains very tall for the block of small-scale buildings on Eye Street.”
Square 453 is one of the most intact historic blocks in the Downtown Historic District, containing 19th and early 20th century buildings with a consistent scale of relatively narrow range of heights between 2-5 stories. The block is bisected by an alley running north-south opening to H and Eye Streets with a cross alley running east-west. The alley was known historically as Essex Court and contains a collection of alley buildings.
The east end of the alley leads to Wah Luck House located at the corner of 6th and H Streets. It is now the tallest building in Square 453 but Monument’s proposed building height is about 20 feet higher than Wah Luck. Many residents oppose to the height and have already spoken out at a recent ANC meeting.
Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2C Commissioner John Tinpe relayed the residents’ concerns to the Board. “Will there be enough parking for customers as well as neighbors in the area,” Tinpe questioned. In Monument’s current plan, Ming’s Restaurant will be converted into an entrance to the residential building. The public parking lot next to it will be built into the 10-story residential and retail building, no longer a parking space.
Monument’s project has a 3-level parking garage with 170 private parking spaces, only for the building’s residents and retails, not for public. It is unclear at this point whether the building will be condo or rental. But one thing is certain – for Chinatown’s visitors, parking would become even scarcer.
Other major concerns voiced at the ANC meeting were “the percentage of affordable housing” and “the use of alley,” Tinpe said. However, despite strong opposition from the residents, ANC 2C provided a letter of support for Monument Realty.
A recent report “Chinatown: Then and Now” released by the Asia American Legal Defense and Education Fund conducted Census and land-use study of Chinatowns in Boston, New York, and Philadelphia. The findings show decrease in Asian populations, increase of high-end businesses and luxury condominiums in all three Chinatowns.
The report argues that government incentives and policies have accelerated gentrification in the East Coast Chinatowns and suggests the development of housing and neighborhoods should focus on people rather than profit.
Similarly, DC’s Chinatown has transformed from an ethnic enclave into a regional “Times Square” since Verizon Center was built in 1997. Most of the immigrant population and small businesses have been pushed out to suburbs in Maryland and Virginia. Monument Realty’s project affects one of the last blocks in the city that is still home to most of Chinatown’s immigrant residents as well as several Chinese American businesses and restaurants.
Chinese American architect Alfred Liu, who designed the Friendship Archway and Wah Luck House, called this the “last stand” for Chinese communities. “The block where the project located is the central and major block on Chinatown historical area. If this block could not be protected, this area would become no more Chinatown.”
At the hearing, immigrant residents and Chinese American business owners offered opposing views of what Monument’s project means for Chinatown’s future.
Chinatown’s immigrant residents shared Liu’s sentiment. Wah Luck House Tenants Association’s Xiang Li Zeng worries that “the development will raise property and housing values, also completely change the historic character of the neighborhood.” He strongly urged the Board to protect Chinatown’s historic buildings and characters.
“DC Chinatown provides living environment for new immigrants,” said Jia Ting Xu, 73, who has lived in Chinatown since 1992 when she emigrated from Shanghai with her husband. After her testimony, Xu slowly walked back to her seat with a cane. That morning, her husband pushed her to Judiciary Square in a wheelchair because they felt “it’s important to have low-income immigrant residents’ voice heard.”
Wah Luck House is a federally subsidized Section 8 housing complex constructed in 1982, providing much-needed affordable housing to primarily low-income, limited-English proficient Chinese seniors and families in DC Chinatown. The Tenants Association Vice President, Chang Chao Chen, opposed Monument’s plan to close portion of the east-west alley that leads to Wah Luck’s back entrance. “If the only alley way is blocked, then fire trucks and ambulances will not be able to come in the back entrance,” said Chen, “We will not support this. We ask the government and Historic Preservation Review Board to protect our Chinatown.”
Board Chair Gretchen Pfaehler asked for further “clarity on the proximity of the building’s relation to the Wah Luck House.” A portion of the proposed building is only 25 feet away from Wah Luck House and Pfaehler is concerned that it is “potentially too close to the property and may need to pull back.”
Some Chinatown business owners, however, see this development project as an economic opportunity to benefit from. Audrey Wong, whose family owns Ming’s Restaurant on 617 H St. NW, said “historic preservation means we are frozen in history, frozen in time. It makes no sense.”
Linda Lee’s family property on Eye Street, which used to be her husband’s medical office, has also been included in Monument’s project. In her testimony supporting the project, Lee said, “Chinatown must move forward with this modernization process in order to continue with economic revitalization.”
Stan Lou and Ted Gong organize a monthly “Talk Story” program in Chinatown which shares Chinese American stories. Lou said he supported the project because “Monument has indicated its willingness to consider granting space for community area that may be used to develop programs that will preserve our community’s legacy and educate us all of our history.”
“It is not the architecture or the food that makes Chinatown. Rather it is the activities that are done in Chinatown that matter,” said Gong, who is the Director of the 1882 Project Foundation and President of DC chapter of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance but said he supported Monument’s project as an individual.
In a recent meeting held at Hickock Cole Architects Georgetown office, Monument Realty’s Senior Vice President Kirk Salpini said the size of the community space is about 2,400 square feet and a possible location would be the first floor of the row house on 610 Eye Street. Lou and Gong both attended the meeting and submitted a proposal for the use of the community space as a National Chinatown Museum and Talk Story Center.
However, the project’s opponent Alfred Liu pointed out that “there are already three community space in Chinatown – the Community Cultural Center, Community Church and Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association – and they provide enough working space for Chinese communities.” He suggested instead, “The new building should allocate low-income housing project.” Back in November 2009, Jia Ting Xu had urged the city to build more affordable housing in Chinatown at a council hearing. She said typical wait-time is five to seven years for Wah Luck.
Monument’s project has divided the Chinatown community but the Board Chair Pfaehler said, “It’s not uncommon to find tension on the edges of historic districts. We are a community built on our heritage and there is a reason this is a historic district.”
Board member Graham Davidson also suggested a study to “look at what we did thirty years ago in terms of planning; was that helpful or not in the transition of this (Chinatown) neighborhood.”
The Board concluded that Monument’s current proposal is “still not compatible with the historic character of the alley in several respects.” Monument’s plan to build above the one-story auto shop (620 Eye Street) and two-story carriage house (618 Eye Street), two structures from 1912 and 1916, and across both the north-south and east-west portions of the alley “completely changes its spatial character and feeling as a historic environment.” The Board asked Monument Realty to “further develop an appropriate solution” as well as to “step back on the H Street façade.”
Monument Realty will likely request another hearing in May. In addition, Monument plans to appeal to the Mayor’s agent for permission to demolish 616 Eye Street (rear), a five-story contributing building in the Downtown Historic District constructed in 1922.