Built in the 1870s, Oakland Chinatown has survived catastrophic earthquakes, world wars, recessions, gentrification, a pandemic and a surge in anti-Asian hate.
Now, just as the mom-and-pop businesses that are the core of the 20-square block community struggle to get back on their feet after a punishing economic lockdown, Chinatown faces another threat: the Oakland A’s Howard Terminal stadium proposal.
The danger is both insidious and avoidable — and the City Council could help save Chinatown.
Of course, the Howard Terminal development will affect and alter nearby neighborhoods. But the biggest threat specific to Chinatown, less than a mile from the proposed ballpark, is traffic and parking. Stadium traffic to and from home games — on more than one out of five days a year — could choke off Chinatown’s streets and stifle its businesses.
The A’s plan completely fails to address this.