Riverfront Chinatown....What's Up With That?

**dmike76** · September-24-14, 09:38 AM

Does anyone have any recent information on what's happening with the 'Chinatown' development over there on the riverfront? I would have thought by now that something would have happened with it; either it gets used or gets demolished. I would think there are still some legal issues with it, but I have no clue. It'd be nice to make use of that building.

**eliboyer** · September-24-14, 09:52 AM

Originally Posted by dmike76

Does anyone have any recent information on what's happening with the 'Chinatown' development over there on the riverfront? I would have thought by now that something would have happened with it; either it gets used or gets demolished. I would think there are still some legal issues with it, but I have no clue. It'd be nice to make use of that building.

The former Asian Village is the 1st floor of a parking structure, so I'm guessing demolition is out of the question.

**Danny** · September-24-14, 11:16 AM

Asian Town on Atwater and Beaubien St. is long dead and long gone. This is due to a lack of retail, predestrian and car traffic. Mr. Pangborn of Pangborn Designs Inc. was planning an ethnic Asian community in the riverfront for years. After Asian Town was built most folks don't know where it is. I have been inside Asian Town and its was just rows of 5 Asian restaurants. What Mr. Pangborn should have done is built a propose ethnic Asian community in Detroit neighborhood that would have housing for families and storefronts for them. They would have to provide their own security since most Detroit neighborhoods are mostly ghetto. He should have built it in Capitol Park. It be 'Greektown like' but its buildings and people walking around will be attractive so it one day grow and expand. It's a pity the Asian Town Project failed like Africantown, But Mr. Pangborn had learned his lesson of building any projects in the area that is less attracted.

**dmike76** · September-24-14, 11:55 AM

That's right, it's Asian Village.

**Király** · September-24-14, 12:46 PM

Originally Posted by Danny

What Mr. Pangborn should have done is built a propose ethnic Asian community in Detroit neighborhood that would have housing for families and storefronts for them.

I'm not aware of any successful ethnic enclaves anywhere that started in that sort of "build it and they will come" manner. They start organically. One family moves into an area, then another, then another. Once there is a resident population base soon there will be a store, a place of worship, a few more stores, a shopping mall. This kind of thing starts from the bottom up, not from the top down.

**downtownguy** · September-24-14, 12:52 PM

Danny, get your facts straight. Andrew Park was the owner and developer of Asian Village. Dominic Pangborn, a pre-eminent Detroit artist, designer and business owner, created the concept and lent his design expertise to the project. It was located in GMs garage because they were given an offer from GM they couldn't refuse.

Pangborn split from Park shortly after Asian Village opened. Park eventually went to jail over tax evasion. He might have gotten 30 months, but he pleaded it down to one year when he agreed to testify that he paid bribes to Kilpatrick top aid Derrick Miller to get a loan on Asian Village and also to obtain a contract on an unrelated security related business.

**MSUguy** · September-24-14, 01:37 PM

I forgot about, this you know with it being across from the GM Fountain; you'd think they'd be able to fill those retail spots . It's one of the popular areas of the Riverwalk. Who's responsible for the leasing? I've never seen sign saying the space is for rent.

**Danny** · September-24-14, 01:55 PM

Originally Posted by downtownguy

Danny, get your facts straight. Andrew Park was the owner and developer of Asian Village. Dominic Pangborn, a pre-eminent Detroit artist, designer and business owner, created the concept and lent his design expertise to the project. It was located in GMs garage because they were given an offer from GM they couldn't refuse.

Pangborn split from Park shortly after Asian Village opened. Park eventually went to jail over tax evasion. He might have gotten 30 months, but he pleaded it down to one year when he agreed to testify that he paid bribes to Kilpatrick top aid Derrick Miller to get a loan on Asian Village and also to obtain a contract on an unrelated security related business.

It was Mr. Pangborn who got credit for Asian Village. Andrew Park don't want to be in the spotlight because of the project [[ from bribes and kickbacks from the Kilpatrick ' So I say the his black mafia organiztion') would fail. He would be in the news. Then the paper trail would lead further into a FBI investigation. This conspiracy was settled and Park got a light sentence. Mr. Pangborn got away from it, too. Both of them should have gotten 5 to 10 years at Club Fed if the tax evasion evidence was a solid case. But that objection in the 36 District Court was sustained.