Nobody Wants a McDonald’s in Chinatown

McDonald’s wants to put a new store in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District (CID). Almost nobody thinks that’s a good idea. They are decidedly not loving it.

Last night, about 80 CID residents and supporters packed the meeting of the International Special Review District (ISRD), the neighborhood’s historic preservation board. Impassioned public comments, handmade protest signs in Chinese and English, and several people in Ronald McDonald-esque clown masks injected the typically sleepy meeting with life.

McDonald’s wants to place its new franchise on the corner of 4th Avenue South and South Jackson Street, along a busy thoroughfare close to the regional transit hub and sports stadiums. The storefront has remained vacant since Bartell Drugs closed four years ago.

In submitting its proposal, Mickey D’s managed a remarkable feat: Uniting the community to take action in the span of less than a week. At the ISRD meeting, the only people who spoke in favor of the new store were McDonald’s employees and the landlord’s property manager.

Concerns from neighbors ranged from the impact McDonald’s would have on other restaurants in the CID to the company’s incongruity with the Asian character of the neighborhood to worries it could attract homeless people and drug users.

“We want something that represents and takes care of this neighborhood,” said Karen Sakata Akada, owner of iconic karaoke bar Bush Garden. “All the small businesses, not large corporations, is part of what makes this neighborhood special.”

State Rep.-elect Kelabe Tewolde and Seattle City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck also attended the meeting to show their opposition. The ISRD board received more than 100 written comments in opposition to the proposed McDonald’s.

A consultant for the company gave a presentation on the proposed store’s design and exterior, saying it would bring 60 new jobs and activate the vacant commercial space.

It’s not the first time McDonald’s has tried to bring Happy Meals to the CID. In 2000, the corporation tried to open a store on 5th Avenue S and Jackson Street, only to withdraw after vociferous community opposition.

City and state law requires McDonald’s to obtain the ISRD’s approval to proceed with its development in the historic district. Board member Huy Pham indicated that the fast food giant would be unlikely to get it.

“I think you did your job in presenting and providing the pro forma behind why McDonald’s and the property owner might choose this proposal,” Pham told the consultant. “But there isn’t really anything you can modify to gain mine or a community consensus to approve. So I would suggest saving your time and money on moving with a different project.”