The Chinatown Working Group, a community coalition, is looking for a planning consultant.  The person hired will help in the “preparation of a planning proposal that is focused on the work of its Cultural, Affordability, Preservation & Zoning and Economic Development committees.”   The organization received a grant from the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation to pay for the project.  University Settlement is acting as the “fiscal conduit” for the grant.  You can find out more information here.

Last fall, the Chinatown Working Group (CWG) began a top-to-bottom re-assessment of its governing structure, an exercise designed to make the community-based organization more democratic. This week, that process came to an end, as the organization approved governance tweaks.

The new system is meant to give leadership responsibilties to a wider variety of members. In the past, some participants felt the CWG’s two co-chairs ended up doing the bulk of the work and controlling the agenda.  But another proposal, aimed at proportional representation, went nowhere Monday night, in a session that ended in sniping and ill-will. Continue reading Chinatown Working Group Approves New Governing Structure

In a sometimes tense two-and-a-half hour meeting last night, the Chinatown Working Group (CWG) chose new interim leaders, created a new committee to look at overhauling the organization and scheduled a vote on several “action plans” covering important neighborhood issues.

Members elected two new co-chairs, Gigi Li and Mae Lee, who agreed to head the two-year old community planning group until the end of the year.  Thomas Yu and Jim Solomon, the previous chairs, decided not to accept nominations to serve another term.  Under the present governance structure, one co-chair represents the three downtown community boards (1, 2 and 3), while the other co-chair represents community-based organizations. Gigi Li, member of Community Board 3, was elected as the community-board representative.  She is co-director of the Neighborhood Family Services Coalition.  Mae Lee will serve as the community organization representative. She is executive director of the Chinese Progressive Association. Continue reading Chinatown Working Group Charts New Course

During the summer, it looked like the Chinatown Working Group (CWG) was on the verge of finalizing a comprehensive neighborhood development proposal for submission to the city.  That was before a blow-up over the hiring of a planning consultant to help refine a 197A Plan and a more recent campaign by some participants to restructure the 51-member organization in the name of greater democracy. Now it appears likely the CWG will spend the remainder of this year regrouping and will not be ready to forward their proposal to the Department of City Planning until sometime in 2011. Continue reading Chinatown Working Group Looks at Restructuring

A few weeks ago it looked like a community planning organization was at long last poised to finalize a comprehensive proposal for Chinatown’s future. But following a dispute about the hiring of planning consultant, it appears the Chinatown Working Group (CWG) is going to be in limbo at least until next month.

Continue reading Chinatown Working Group in Limbo

Photo via Chinatown Working Group web site.

Several days ago we reported on the latest controversy surrounding the Chinatown Working Group (CWG), a collection of 50 community organizations developing a blueprint for the neighborhood. Several members were displeased that the NYC Economic Development Corp. would be controlling the selection of a planning consultant, who will be hired to assist the CWG. Continue reading Possible Solution to Chinatown Planning Dilemma