On March 25, Manhattan’s District 3 held an important town hall meeting with the Department of City Planning to address the rezoning and land uses in the borough’s Lower East Side.
Among those present at the town hall meeting held P.S. 20 were representatives of the Chinese Staff and Workers’ Association and other community members. Close to 100 people attended the meeting to request that the city government preserve the history and tradition of the Chinese community and end the trend towards gentrification.
Chinese community members held up signs in English and Chinese: “Against Gentrification,” “Protect Low-Income Families,” and “Against Discrimination,” to convey their opinions. Wah Li, a spokesperson for the Chinese Staff and Workers’ Association, said that the City’s plan encouraged business to develop high-rises. While developers must reserve a portion of the properties for residential purposes, those who could apply must have a minimum income of $60,000. According to Li, most of the Chinatown residents would not able to meet the high threshold.
Speaking at the town hall meeting, Li said that Chinatown needed garment factories, restaurants, and other small businesses so that local workers could make a living. She pointed out that many low-income families live in the neighborhood and urged the officials and city representatives to relay the community’s messages to the city government and to prevent Chinatown from becoming gentrified.
Another member of the Chinese Staff and Worker’s Association said that the city government’s did not include much development for Chinatown. The Association hoped that the city government could expand the area for development and would not discriminate against Chinatown in any way.
Many Chinese residents at the meeting said they had been living in Chinatown for several decades and expressed their concern with Chinatown’s trend towards gentrification. With more and more high-end condos built in Chinatown, they are slowly being displaced out of their own neighborhood. They hoped that the City government would act quickly to prevent an economic and housing crisis.
