SCIDpda’s Community Initiatives team facilitates community-led projects by providing project management, grant writing and management, and community engagement and outreach services.
SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT
CID SMALL BUSINESS RELIEF TEAM
The CID Business Relief Team is a joint effort between the Chinatown International District Business Improvement Area, Friends of Little Saigon, and the Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority, along side Shanti Breznau, our CID Business Development Consultant, to assist CID small businesses in mitigating the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Our three organizations focus on year-round on economic development and small business assistance in the CID. While our organizations have traditionally worked together over the years, this is the most intentional effort our organizations have done to share, align, and collaborate our resources to best serve the businesses in the Chinatown ID.
More info here.
SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, RETENTION, AND RECRUITMENT
In 2014, through funding from the Office of Economic Development, the SCIDpda facilitated a retail study of the CID. This work catalyzed the hiring of our Business Development Consultant Shanti Breznau and has helped informed the business development work that SCIDpda has been doing for the past five years.
Community Initiatives have recruited new businesses to the district, catalyzed programs such as Storefronts Seattle that activate vacant commercial spaces, and provided businesses with counseling or referrals to other technical assistance providers. In 2015, we grew this aspect of our work to include a new coworking and business counseling space, established to encourage entrepreneurial growth in the neighborhood while also helping to support existing businesses.
If you are a new business looking for space in the Chinatown International District, contact Shanti Breznau the CID Business Development Consultant at shantib@seattlechinatownid.com.
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE SMALL BUSINESS RESILIENCY NETWORK
SCIDpda is a member of the Department of Commerce Small Business Resiliency Network. We offer in-language support and materials, technical assistance in applying for grants, and assistance navigating local, state, and federal resources.
FACADE IMPROVEMENTS (2012-2018)
At the crossroads of neighborhood revitalization, economic development, and preservation is the work we do with facade improvements. Community Initiatives works with property owners and business owners – often immigrant or refugee-owned, mom-and-pop enterprises – to coordinate small scale improvements to neighborhood storefronts. We help leverage funding from local and national sources and support the project from the brainstorming and fundraising stages through to implementation and reporting. By making progress towards visible enhancements to the neighborhood, we hope to support commercial vitality and cultural vibrancy of the Chinatown/International District.
HING HAY COWORKS
Hing Hay Coworks (HHC) is a shared workspace and community development hub that seeks to help its communities thrive through the cultivation and support of local small businesses by providing technical assistance, space, and community resources for economic growth. Centrally located in the heart of Seattle’s historic Chinatown International District (CID) and minutes away from downtown, HHC is the ideal workspace for local entrepreneurs, freelancers, startups, and nonprofit organizations that value a sense of community and camaraderie while getting their work done.
PUBLIC REALM – Studies and Plans
NIHONMACHI ALLEY CONCEPT PLAN (2024)
Full report here.
Nihonmachi Alley carries a multitude of roles for Seattle’s Japantown. It is a community hub for local events with regional draw. The alley also provides utilitarian purposes for waste management and as a multimodal thoroughfare. The purpose of this document is to present a design vision for Nihonmachi Alley. This plan is a culmination of conversations with the Japantown community of the Chinatown International District neighborhood, community engagement strategies for the duration of this project, and future aspirations to implement the preferred design alternative. This document is the starting point for future design and planning for further study, fundraising, and implementation.
JACKSON HUB PLAN (2019)
Full report here.
In 2017, the Alliance for Pioneer Square and Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDpda) reached out to Historic South Downtown to create a robust community-based planning and outreach project to envision a Jackson Hub that would welcome neighbors and visitors to Seattle. The Jackson Hub concept design focuses on improvements that can be made to this important public space within the next five years. The report also looks forward to several visionary ideas the community embraced, to plant the seeds for future planning efforts
MAYNARD ALLEY CONCEPT PLAN (2019)
Full report here.
SCIDpda, in conjunction with the Maynard Alley Partnership and Zeroplus, is working to reshape Maynard Alley to transform this underutilized public space into a more vibrant and dynamic place. Design recommendations were solicited to further this effort and Zeroplus was contracted to assist with the process of developing strategies toward these goals. This study outlines design elements to transform Maynard Alley into a safer, community-oriented, and pedestrian-friendly place by eventually implementing some or all of the strategies from the conceptual design.
POST-OCCUPANCY EVALUATIONS:
DONNIE CHIN INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S PARK & HING HAY PARK EXPANSION (2019)
Full report here.
In Autumn 2018, we partnered with Professor Jeff Hou to conduct a study on Hing Hay Park and Donnie Chin International Children’s Park. The goal of the evaluations was to understand how the parks have been performing, how they serve different users, including residents, visitors, and different age groups in particular, and what the continued challenges are, as well as areas for improvement. Please find the full study here.
CID LIGHTING STUDY (2018)
The full 2018 CID Lighting Study report is now available in English, Chinese, and Vietnamese. The purpose of this study is to develop an action plan for improving the neighborhood lighting. Good lighting should encourage more evening activity, especially for pedestrians and retail businesses, and may increase the perception of the CID as a safe and welcoming environment for all. Funding for this study is provided by the City of Seattle’s Office of Economic Development.
JACKSON STREET CONNECTIONS (2016)
The Seattle waterfront is often disconnected from the rest of Seattle and its neighborhoods. Improvement on public safety and pedestrian walkability are the main goals to activating the underused waterfront. Together with Pioneer Square, the City of Seattle and other neighborhoods, the Chinatown International District community helped map out areas that requires special attention as it pertains to the young children, families and elders. Learn more about the plans here: Part 1 Part 2
PUBLIC REALM – Creative Placekeeping
13TH & FIR MURALS (2023- )
BEACON PACIFIC VILLAGE MURALS (2023-24)
HING HAY PARK PAVILION LIGHTING (2022)
KOBE TERRACE LIGHTING (2021)
MAYNARD ALLEY LIGHTING AND MURALS (2020-21)
NIHONMACHI ALLEY LIGHTING AND MURALS (2017)
In partnership with the Friends of Japantown and the Wing Luke Museum, SCIDpda facilitated the design and installation of catenary lighting across the alley entrance and a series of murals, drawn my local artist Amy Nikaitani, that depict historic and current Japanese American businesses in the Chinatown International District.
LITTLE SAIGON COMMUNITY CROSSWALKS (2017)
In the heart of the Little Saigon neighborhood, a total of four decorative community crosswalks will be installed at the intersection of 12th Ave S and S Jackson St. The crosswalks will improve pedestrian safety at a busy intersection as well as contribute a cultural marker to Little Saigon. A local Vietnamese American designer was selected by a committee of community representatives to work with the Little Saigon community to come up with a design. The crosswalks are slated to be completed later in 2017.
This project is funded by the Neighborhood Matching Fund and supported by the Seattle Department of Transportation.
HING HAY PARK EXPANSION (2017)
Hing Hay Park is a public park in the Chinatown International District of Seattle, Washington. At the corner of S. King Street and Maynard Avenue S., the park has an authentic pagoda, a gift from Taiwan, in the center, along with benches and chess tables for friends and family to gather.
CANTON ALLEY (2017)
DONNIE CHIN INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S PARK (2010)
A beloved neighborhood children’s park renovated in 2010 thanks to the efforts of the Friends of the International Children’s Park. Since 2006, SCIDpda has been supporting the efforts of this community group to address concerns about safety and usability of the local park, assisting with design development, advocacy efforts and fundraising. IDEA Space, SCIDpda’s community development resource center, works closely with community residents and partners at Wing Luke Asian Museum, International District Housing Alliance, Denise Louie Education Center, International District Community Center, University of Washington, City of Seattle (Parks and Recreation and the Department of Neighborhoods) and InterIm CDA to ensure that the park renovation is a community-driven and owned project.
ADVOCACY
BALLARD LINK EXTENSION
UNREINFORCED MASONRY REPORT (URM)(2016)
Unreinforced masonry, mainly brick, is one of the most common building types of the early 20th century, the primary era of development in the historic Chinatown International District neighborhood. Unreinforced masonry construction does not hold up well during earthquakes, meaning these buildings are a hazard in Seattle. The City of Seattle is trying to figure out how to protect people during earthquakes, and that will involve upgrades to unreinforced masonry buildings. The SCIDpda has been involved with policy discussions, and in 2015-2016, wrote a case study report on how URM policy may affect property owners and tenants in the CID and in Pioneer Square. Both neighborhoods are historic, are under historic preservation design review at the city level, and have a high number of URM buildings. We hope to build on this report with additional study of how to make upgrades feasible for property owners in the CID. The 2016 report is available in English and Chinese. Appendix for URM report is available in English. Please contact marykater@scidpda.org for a copy or with any questions about URM properties.
LITTLE SAIGON LANDMARK PROJECT (2012)
The Little Saigon Landmark project started with the City funding a feasibility study in the fall of 2012. The mixed-use Landmark Project envisioned a gathering place of the region’s Vietnamese community which included a cultural center, Southeast Asian grocery, Emerald Night Market, and restaurant as its main components. In 2014, SCIDpda conducted the Little Saigon Landmark Project Feasibility Study study in partnership with the Friends of Little Saigon. The mixed-use Landmark Project will consist of a Vietnamese cultural center, night market, and affordable housing.
