CHINATOWN GATEWAY COALITION

CHINATOWN MASTERPLAN 2010

Project Scope

Description

The Chinatown Master Plan 2010 project is a 2-year community-led initiative to create a master planning process and document to guide the future development of the Chinatown community. The project was made possible by funding provided by foundation(s) to the Chinatown Gateway Coalition to support this project.

Purpose

The purpose of the Chinatown Master Plan 2010 is to propose a plan for managing the Chinatown communityís growth for the next decade. Since the publication of the Chinatown Community Plan of 1990 and an updated version in 2000, the Chinatown community face new challenges that were not addressed in the previous plans. From 1990 to 2004, Asian Americans are the fastest growing population in Massachusetts while the Chinese American population alone has grown by 110%. In the past decade, Chinatown has seen a large number of developments that has changed the neighborhood economically and socially. As a center for the Asian American community in the Greater Boston area, the growth of the population has created more demands on Chinatownís public infrastructures, housing stock, social services, recreational space, and economic opportunities. The Chinatown Master Plan 2010 will assess these new challenges and create a vision to guide Chinatownís growth.

Study Area

The study area is the Chinatown community as defined by the boundaries of the Chinatown Neighborhood Council. The northern boundaries include: West Street, De Lafayette Avenue, and Bedford Street. The eastern boundaries include: Surface Artery/Albany Street and the Chinatown Gateway Special Study area. The southern boundary is East Berkeley Street and the western boundary Tremont and Charles Street.

(Download: Map of Chinatown Neighborhood Council boundaries.)

Timeline

The Chinatown Master Plan 2010 is a 2-year project starting from July 1, 2008 and estimated to end June 30, 2010.

Deliverables

At the end of the 2-year project, a Chinatown Master Plan 2010 report will be published and made available to the public. An entity will be created after the 2-year project to implement the Master Plan.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Project Components

Master Plan 2010 Oversight Committee

This committee of 13 members will oversee the Chinatown Master Plan 2010 project. Responsibilities shall include creating and adopting a vision for Chinatown's future growth, ensureing project objectives are met, and reviewing financial documents related to project. The Project Coordinator, Fiscal Agent, Technical Committee and Consultant Team will report to this committee.

The Master Plan 2010 Oversight Committee is in the process of being formalized. Currently, the Chinatown Gateway Coalition is accepting applications for individuals to serve on this body. Interested applicants are strongly encouraged to apply to serve on the Master Plan 2010 Oversight Committee.

The criteria to serve on the Master Plan 2010 Oversight Committee are:

1. Be a resident, property owner, or business operator in Chinatown as defined by the Chinatown Neighborhood Council boundaries.
2. Represent a local community agency, association, or affiliation that serves the Chinatown community.
3. Applicants that meet one of the above 2 criteria will then be evaluated based on experience, availability, and interest.

The deadline for applying is Oct. 17th. After the deadline, all applicantions will be reviewed and contacted by a member of the Chinatown Gateway Coalition. Finalists for the 13 seats of the Master Plan 2010 Oversight Committee will be determined by members of the Chinatown Gateway Coalition Steering Committee at a pre-announced community meeting.

(Download application form to serve on Master Plan 2010 Oversight Committee)

Fiscal Agent

The Fiscal Agent is responsible for the holding and disbursement of all funds related to the project. The Fiscal Agent shall report to the Oversight Committee on project expenditures and provide a limited-role in supervising the Project Coordinator. At the end of the fiscal year June 30, 2009, the Fiscal Agent shall provide an audit of the project's finances and submit a report to all wfunders. The Fiscal Agent for the Chinatown Master Plan 2010 project is the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, located at 885 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02111.

Fiscal Agent Contact:
Elaine Ng, Agency Director
Eileen Heng, Director of Administration and Finance
Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center
885 Washington Street
Boston, MA 02111

Project Staff

The Project Coordinator is responsible for coordinating all phases of the project from inception to delivery of product. Responsibilities shall include but not limited to: establishing a planning process for the project, creating an organizational structure and decision-marking body, managing the consultant team, disseminating information to all parties, gathering data and maps, developing training materials, reporting back to funders, ensuring objectives and timelines are met, and delivering a product at the end of the project.

Project Coordinator
Kye Liang - Coalition Coordinator
28 Ash Street
Boston, MA 02111
info@chinatowngateway.org

Community Planner
Alex Zhang - Asian Community Development Corporation
Research on environmentally-friendly green policies, create mapping and GIS database of Chinatown, help with translation of materials.

Community Organizer
Lydia Lowe, May Lui, Lisette Le - Chinese Progressive Association
Coordinate and conduct workshops and focus groups fo rmaster plan project.

Technical Committee

Status: The 1st Technical Committee meeting was held September 18, 2008.
(Download: 1st Technical Committee meeting notes available.)

Consultant Team

The Chinatown Master Plan 2010 project is supported by a consultant team of organizations and individuals that their provide technical expertise to the planning process.

Chinatown Main Street
Consultant Team Members: Tony Yee, Debbie Ho, Courtney Ha
Conduct a survey of Chinatown’s businesses and interview individual owners.

Project Advisor
Consultant Advisor: Beverly Wing
Help draft committee structure, regulations, and decision-making process, developing RFQs, and conduct trainings for staff and members.

Master Planner Consultant: TBD
Produce 2010 Master Plan document with input by the Oversight Committee, Technical Committee, Consulting Team, and Project Coordinator.

Download Files:

PDF map of Chinatown Neighborhood Council and Study Area boundary

Application form for Chinatown Master Plan 2010 Oversight Committee

Meeting notes: 1st Technical Committee meeting on Sept. 18, 2008