Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Japantown Plan topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning staff previews Japantown Better Neighborhood Plan and community workshop
Summary
Planning staff summarized goals and schedule for the Japantown Better Neighborhood Plan, emphasizing cultural preservation, business retention, pedestrian improvements and short-term upgrades at Japan Center. A community workshop was announced for April 25 and a draft plan release for mid-May.
Planning Department staff presented an update on the Japantown Better Neighborhood Plan on April 23, outlining goals to preserve the area’s cultural resources, sustain locally owned businesses, and improve streets and public spaces.
Rosie Dudley said the two‑year planning effort (kicked off March 2007) has produced objectives in chapters on historic resources, economic development, land use and housing, building design and heights, public realm, transportation and a focused chapter on the Japan Center site. Short-term recommendations include interior upgrades and minor exterior improvements to Japan Center, strategies to retain existing businesses, and a proposed Webster Street linear park.
Staff announced a community workshop for April 25 to present draft recommendations and an expectation to distribute the draft plan in mid‑May. Commissioners and steering‑committee members pressed staff for demographic information on Japanese American residents and for strategies to address parking and merchant relocation during potential mall reconstruction. Community speakers urged creative plans to keep merchants and address potential parking loss.
Dudley and other staff pledged follow-up: to look into demographic figures, coordinate with the mayor’s office and redevelopment resources for small‑business support, and report back with more detailed community‑economic development actions.
