Scottish Rite / Afifi Temple Property on Vassault
Any developers out there looking for some land? We just heard that the Scottish Rite and Afifi Temple properties in the 800 block of South Vassault will be hitting the market any moment now. Why should you care? It’s about 10 acres of very centrally located land with two large meeting halls. The location is near Pearl and Highway 16. Any reasonable speculator will conclude that most of the value is in the land and I don’t hold out much hope that a pair of 1970s era meeting halls are architecturally interesting. I haven’t checked the property out myself. Anybody know? This could be a sizable townhome/condo/apartment project. Who wants in?
Link to a Google Map of the property.
6 comments
J Jesse October 19, 2011
I see this as a recreation of a Tacoma “Chinatown” – which should have still been there if not for the Tacoma Method.
It’ll be exciting to get something that awesome going in the south end of downtown.
E Elizabeth Burris October 19, 2011
Wow,
This could be wonderful!
I don’t see the harm in giving them a year.. after all the city hasn’t had any offers on the property.
A Akula October 20, 2011
Oh please let this happen, I live just up the street from this and would love to see that pop up in such a good location.
J Jmac October 20, 2011
This is exactly the kind of revitalization this town needs. Hope it works out!
M Mofo from the Hood October 20, 2011
“The APCC, assisted by the Seattle Chinatown International District PDA would like for the city to either donate the land outright, or sign a 99-year lease at non-profit rates.”
—-paragraph 3 from the posting.
For the sake of liberty and justice for all, let’s test the universality of the City of Tacoma diverse and equal philosophy:
“Walmart would like for the city to either donate the land outright, or sign a 99-year lease at non-profit rates.”
J joe-nate October 21, 2011
Great and innovative idea. Given city center location, density should perhaps be increased. Opportunity to create green space in secure environment. Project should have big-business component—helping the larger city through immigrants reach out to prospective overseas Asian trade investors. Business plan must make sense—important as well that commerce there creates some tax revenue. Immigrant communities bring vitality to a city. This property has languished for decades. Key needs are for economic activity and jobs and inclusiveness for people of all ethnic/racial backgrounds in an area meant to celebrate Asian design and tradition. Chinatowns were historically places of segregation and, sometimes, sorrow—this new vision should celebrate diversity and new community-building. Tacoma Nihonmachi’s loss in 1942 ruined the slope, with weeds replacing enterprise. Business leaders in Tacoma should help protect and guide the pilot light of the vision—the model of the relatively new economically vibrant Little Saigon east of Seattle’s Chinatown could be a template. Enterprise matters.