Last week Mayor Eric Adams announced “Chinatown Connections,” an initiative between the city and state aimed at revitalizing Park Row and Chatham/Kimlau Square in Manhattan’s Chinatown neighborhood. The $56 million project aims to transform the current layout of the plaza by introducing a more standard, four-way intersection, enlarging public spaces, and establishing direct connections from one side of the square to another for cyclists.
The city has initiated a community working group comprising key stakeholders from Chinatown to guide the project’s design and implementation. This group will meet at project milestones throughout the 18-month engagement process, ensuring that work reflects the community’s needs. The project will also include a traffic study.
In addition to changes to Chatham/Kimlau Square, the project plans to add a Chinatown Welcome Gateway to the neighborhood. The gateway’s design will be shaped by community input, and private fundraising efforts will supplement the $2.5 million allocated for its construction from the state’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative.
“‘Chinatown Connections’ is a city and state collaboration that will bring dramatic public realm improvements to Chinatown and public safety improvements to one of the busiest intersections in Manhattan,” said New York City Economic Development Corporation president and CEO Andrew Kimball. “Reimagining public spaces with pedestrian safety and outdoor amenities continues to be a top priority for the Adams administration, and we are looking forward to working with DOT and NYC Parks to revitalize this culturally significant area of Manhattan.”
The project plans to utilize $44.3 million in city funding with $11.5 million from New York State’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative.
Construction is expected to begin in 2027 and conclude in 2029.
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Chinatown and Little Italy both need a big clean up.
Keep the cars on Canal, Broadway, and Bowery and pedestrianize everything else
Reimagining public spaces with pedestrian safety and outdoor amenities, I like this vision of leaders: Thanks.
What a way to burn allot of money. The Pidgeons in Chatham Square are the big winners.
If that’s all this is I’ll be happy for the local residents but I smell gentrification
Will the NYPD be ending their occupation of Park Row under this project?