Welcome back to Japantown
May 17, 2008
The Japantown Merchants Association of San Francisco welcomes the Asian Heritage Street Celebration back to Japantown. We hosted the very first Street Celebration in 2004, and the return seems timely and relevant.
Since hosting the first event, Japantown has undertaken a major revitalization process. Two of three Japan Center mall buildings, two hotels and the Kabuki Theaters were sold to a Beverly Hills developer with plans to renovate the shopping and dining malls. The developer has already remodeled the two hotels and the theaters, and is now concentrating on increasing commercial spaces along with plans to include a residential element.
These plans remain on hold until the Japantown Better Neighborhood Plan is developed and approved by the City later this year. The plan will establish land use, transportation, preservation and four other key elements for future development within the boundaries of Japantown, and help protect its 100-year history. You can learn more about the Japantown Better Neighborhood Plan on their website japantown.sfplanning.org or contact the Japantown Task Force, Inc. at (415) 346-1239.
Once the Better Neighborhood Plan is approved, the Japantown Merchants Association will focus on existing tenants and adjacent businesses during the renovation of the malls. We are urging the developers to realize the potential severity of the renovation to these successful businesses, and to minimize the impact on them and their patrons. We also anticipate they will invite any displaced businesses to return to the new malls.
Thank you, Asian Heritage Street Celebration, and congratulations on a successful event!
Richard Hashimoto, President of the Japantown Merchants Association of San Francisco
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