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Committee approves Sunset Chinese Cultural District CHESS report after extensive community outreach
Summary
The committee voted 3-0 to recommend the Sunset Chinese Cultural District's Cultural History, Housing and Economic Sustainability Strategy (CHES) report, which documents community outreach and proposes strategies across preservation, housing, economic development, land use and cultural competency.
The Land Use and Transportation Committee on April 21 voted 3-0 to recommend the Sunset Chinese Cultural District’s Cultural History, Housing and Economic Sustainability Strategy (CHES) report to the full Board of Supervisors.
Supervisor Joel Engardio introduced the item and praised the district’s community engagement. Grace Lee of the city’s Cultural Districts program described the CHES report as the product of extensive community input and city partnership; Lily Wong, director of the Sunset Chinese Cultural District (SCCD), summarized the outreach: the district engaged more than 3,000 community members, connected with nearly 400 organizations, held two in‑person town halls, executed more than 150 in‑person small‑business visits, and surveyed merchants and residents in Chinese languages. The CHES report frames strategies across six focus areas: historic/cultural preservation, housing access and stabilization, economic and workforce development, land use, arts and culture, and cultural competency.
Community witnesses and cultural district leaders offered strong support during public comment. Speakers included Emily Murase (Japantown Cultural District), Lisa Hsu, Jessica Ho, Ben Wong, representatives from Self Help for the Elderly, Asian Inc., Sunset Mercantile, and other community organizations; multiple speakers emphasized housing and small‑business stabilization needs and praised SCCD’s language‑accessible outreach.
Vice Chair Cheyenne Chen offered cosponsorship and highlighted the importance of culturally based strategies and language access. Supervisor Melgar moved to forward the CHES report to the Board with a positive recommendation; the motion passed with three ayes (Chen, Mahmood, Melgar).
The CHES report is a strategic, community‑driven plan; committee action forwards the report for Board consideration and does not itself create funding commitments or regulatory changes. The report’s recommendations are intended to guide city and community partnership work to preserve cultural assets and stabilize residents and small businesses in the Sunset Chinese Cultural District.
