"Tenants of an affordable housing complex will become home owners - rehab construction to begin in Chinatown"
Chuck Ng, Ming Pao Reporter
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Ming Pao San Francisco
Asian Law Caucus, Mayor's Office, San Francisco Land Trust, Chinatown
Resource Center and tenant representatives held a press conference at 53 to 55
Columbus, San Francisco, to celebrate their building becoming the first tenants
owned affordable housing development. The interior rehab construction for the
21 units is estimated to complete in 6 months. Asian Law Caucus' headquarter
will move into the site, helping the agency in providing better service to the Chinatown
residents.
Asian Law Caucus' Program Director, Gen Fujioka states that in the 90s, in an
effort of preserving the building's affordability and protecting the tenants'
rights, litigation was brought against City College. At the end, the building was preserved. Currently, a
joint venture among Mayor's Office, San Francisco Community Land Trust,
Chinatown Resource Center, a designing company and the Caucus are working
together to rehab the building. The 2nd and 3rd floors are affordable housing
units and the Caucus' office will leave its Market Street site and move into the building's the ground floor
space.
Sze Wing Hung (spelling), the Community Liaison of the Caucus pointed out that
the plumbing and electrical systems will be renovated. The entire process will
likely to complete in 6 months. During the construction, some tenants will be
able to remain in their units while other will relocate. All relocation costs
will be paid by the City and private sponsorship.
San Francisco Community Land Trust's Board Member, Tracy Parent, states that
the Trust is happy to participate in this project. She states that some tenants
are unable to find homes and forced to move from Chinatown or
San Francisco. Preserving the building means saving 21 affordable
units for families that are able to continue living in Chinatown;
most importantly, these families will become property owners of the first,
affordable home owner occupied property. She further states that the Trust is
taking responsibility in gathering needed funds to ensure completion of the
project.
Chinatown Resource Center's Executive Director states that his organization is
a community service agency that has been providing service to tenants in the
community. This project allows residents remain in the building and is
welcoming the return of Asian Law Caucus to Chinatown.
This agency will continue to provide great community service to the Chinatown residents.
The fruition of the project indeed serves multiple good causes as the Center
will provide support to the project by providing property management service to
the Tenant Association.
Tenant representative, Kin Kung Ky (Spelling) states that during the 1990
lawsuit, he had fought to preserve the building. It is great to see that
several government and community agencies are working together to rehab the
building. Mr. Ky knows that during the rehab, 3 families will remain
in the building while the other will be re-locating off-site on a temporary
basis.
After the press conference, there is a wall breaking ceremony. The tenants and
Asian Law Caucus' Executive Staffs broke a wall opened with hammer to symbolize
the ending of the old and starting of the new.
|
San Francisco Community Land Trust | P.O. Box 420982 | San Francisco, CA 94142 
