SAN FRANCISCO — For a century and a half, San Francisco’s Chinatown, the nation’s oldest, has sheltered waves of immigrants. It’s the birthplace of Chinese America, and to some extent, the broader Asian America.
Now, Chinatown faces powerful economic and demographic challenges as the city undergoes an unprecedented boom in tech jobs.
Rising rent elsewhere in the city has entrepreneurs eyeing Chinatown for offices, entertainment and housing. A $1.6 billion subway set to open in 2019 could provide an economic boost, but it also brings development pressures in a neighborhood coveted for its location.
At the same time, many Chinese Americans have scattered across the Bay Area, reducing Chinatown’s customer base.
“It is the last frontier, when you think about it,” said Bertrand Pellegrin, a brand specialist with the firm b. on brand who is interested in helping preserve the neighborhood. “It is one of the last central places downtown that has not been completely gentrified and overdeveloped.”
Some civic leaders say traditional values and zoning regulations should protect the neighborhood of 15,000 to 18,000 people against too much development.
Others say younger generations of property owners may take the money from the rising land values and run.
“The battle has always been to limit growth,” said Howard Wong, a founder of a group opposed to the subway construction. “A huge transit development will make that situation worse.”
Chinatown leaders don’t agree on what the district should be, other than a gateway for immigrants and destination for tourists.
