AN ADVISORY SERVICES PANEL REPORT Li ttle Saigon Wes tminster, Ca lifo rnia Urban L an d $ Ins ti tute Little Saigon West mi nster, Califo rnia Strategies for Transforming Little Saigon October 1 –4, 2007 An Advisory Services Panel Report ULI–the Urban Land Institute 1025 Thomas Jefferson Street, N.W. Suite 500 West Washington, D.C. 20007-5201 About ULI–the Urban Land Institute he mission of the Urban Land Institute is to • Sustaining a diverse global network of local provide leadership in the responsible use of practice and advisory efforts that address cur - land and in creating and sustaining thriving rent and future challenges. T communities worldwide. ULI is committed to Established in 1936, the Institute today has more • Bringing together leaders from across the fields than 40,000 members worldwide, represent ing t he of real estate and land use policy to exchange entire spectrum of the land use and develop ment best practices and serve community needs; disciplines. Professionals represented include de - velopers, builders, property owners, investors, ar - • Fostering collaboration within and beyond chitects, public officials, planners, real estate bro - ULI’s membership through mentoring, dia - kers, appraisers, attorneys, engineers, financiers , logue, and problem solving; academics, students, and librarians. ULI relies • Exploring issues of urbanization, conservation, heavily on the experience of its members. It is regeneration, land use, capital formation, and through member involvement and information sustainable development; resources that ULI has been able to set standards of excellence in development practice. The Insti - • Advancing land use policies and design prac - tute has long been recognized as one of the world’s tices that respect the uniqueness of both built most respected and widely quoted sources of ob - and natural environments; jective information on urban planning, growth, and development. • Sharing knowledge through education, applied research, publishing, and electronic media; and ©2007 by ULI–the Urban Land Institute 1025 Thomas Jefferson Street, N.W. Suite 500 West Washington, D.C. 20007-5201 All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of the whole or any part of the contents without written permission of the copy - right holder is prohibited. Cover photo Jennifer Lefurgy 2 An Advisory Services Panel Report About ULI Adviso ry Se rvices he goal of ULI’s Advisory Services Program issues and to provide recommendations in a com - is to bring the finest expertise in the real pressed amount of time. estate field to bear on complex land use plan - T ning and development projects, programs, A major strength of the program is ULI’s unique and policies. Since 1947, this program has assem - ability to draw on the knowledge and expertise of bled well over 400 ULI-member teams to help its members, including land developers and own - sponsors find creative, practical solutions for ers, public officials, academics, representatives of issues such as downtown redevelopment, land financial institutions, and others. In fulfillment of management strategies, evaluation of develop - ment potential, growth management, community the mission of the Urban Land Institute, this revitalization, brownfields redevelopment, mili - Advisory Services panel report is intended to tary base reuse, provision of low-cost and afford - provide objective advice that will promote the re- able housing, and asset management strategies, sponsible use of land to enhance the environment. among other matters. A wide variety of public, private, and nonprofit organizations have con - ULI Program Staff tracted for ULI’s Advisory Services. Marta V. Goldsmith Each panel team is composed of highly qualified Senior Vice President, Community Group professionals who volunteer their time to ULI. They are chosen for their knowledge of the panel Thomas W. Eitler topic and screened to ensure their objectivity. Director, Advisory Services ULI’s interdisciplinary panel teams provide a Cary Sheih holistic look at development problems. A re- Senior Associate, Advisory Services spected ULI member who has previous panel experience chairs each panel. Matthew Rader Senior Associate, Advisory Services The agenda for a three-day panel assignment is intensive. It includes an in-depth briefing com - Carmen McCormick posed of a tour of the site and meetings with spon- Panel Coordinator, Advisory Services sor representatives; interviews with community Romana Kerns representatives; and a day for formulating recom - Administrative Assistant, Advisory Services mendations. On the final day on site, the panel makes an oral presentation of its findings and con - Nancy H. Stewart clusions to the sponsor. At the request of the spon - Director, Book Program sor, a written report is prepared and published. Kimberley Todd Manuscript Editor Because the sponsoring entities are responsible for significant preparation before the panel’s visit, Betsy VanBuskirk including sending extensive briefing materials to Art Director each member and arranging for the panel to meet Martha Loomis with key local community members and stake - Desktop Publishing Specialist/Graphics holders in the project under consideration, partici - pants in ULI’s three-day panel assignments are Craig Chapman able to make accurate assessments of a sponsor’s Director, Publishing Operations Westminster, California, October 1 –4, 2007 3 Acknowledgments n behalf of the Urban Land Institute, the Hall, as well as Tami Piscotty and Rosemary Val - panel would like to extend special thanks dovinos in the city manager’s office, for their in - to Westminster City Manager Ray Silver sights and assistance. O for bringing this three-day panel study to Little Saigon. The panel also recognizes Chester While only on site for three days, the panel had Simmons of the city manager’s office for coordi - the opportunity to collect useful information nating the panel’s briefing materials, organizing from more than 30 area stakeholders. The indi - the study area tour, and scheduling interviews vidual perspectives of these Little Saigon busi - with the key stakeholders. ness owners, residents, and public officials were crucial to the panel process. These stakeholders The panel gleaned significant insights from the are major assets in advancing the interests of city’s thorough briefing materials as well as from their community. the guided tour expertly provided by Westmin - ster Police Lieutenant Bill Collins. The panel would also like to thank Chief of Police Andrew 4 An Advisory Services Panel Report Contents ULI Panel and Project Staff 6 Foreword: The Panel’s Assignment 7 A Physical Framework for Transformation 13 The Substance of Transformation 15 Roles and Responsibilities in the Transformation 20 Conclusion 23 About the Panel 25 Westminster, California, October 1 –4, 2007 5 ULI Panel and Pr oject Staff Panel Chair ULI Project Director J. Kevin Lawler Jennifer LeFurgy Managing Partner Consultant to ULI N-K Ventures LC Pasadena, California West Palm Beach, Florida ULI Project Staff Panel Members Cary Sheih John Hixenbaugh Senior Associate, Advisory Services President MuniPlan Saint Petersburg, Florida Michael J. Maxwell Managing Partner Maxwell + Partners LLC Miami Shores, Florida Trang D. Tu Principal Trang D. Tu Consulting Seattle, Washington 6 An Advisory Services Panel Report Foreword: The Panel’s Assignment rowing from a modest clustering of restau - rants and small shops geographically cen - tered at the intersection of Bolsa Avenue G and Magnolia Street in the late 1970s, to over a million square feet of commercial space dis - tributed over a mile and a half corridor today, the area of the city of Westminster known as Little Saigon has evolved as the de facto capital of the refugee and exile community of the former Re - public of South Vietnam. Little Saigon has emerged within the city of West - minster without direct city involvement in shap - ing the physical contours or composition of the area. To date, the city has supported the Viet - namese-American community’s desire to grow through the exercise of its traditional municipal functions and services. However, for over a decade the city and various stakeholders within the Viet - namese-American community have been actively discussing issues of mutual concern regarding the growth of Little Saigon. As part of its long-term economic development strategy, the city has raised a number of questions regarding the outlook for continued growth and development in Little Saigon. In order to help frame an overall strategy, the city commissioned the ULI Advisory Services program to address a series of specific planning and development issues in Little Saigon. Little Saigon is generally recognized as the oldest, The city of Westminster largest, and most prominent concentration of Viet - environment are all well-articulated concerns of is exploring ways to namese commercial activity in the United States. the city. enhance and sustain the There has been minimal redevelopment or revital - Although the area is presently thriving, the city long-term viability of ization of properties within the area, although recognizes twin, competing challenges for Little Little Saigon. some transitions from industrial to retail uses are Saigon. On one hand, Little Saigon has not now occurring with warehouse and light industrial reached its full potential as a cultural epicenter for properties. Fragmented ownership patterns, the Vietnamese-American community; at present, dated architectural design, traffic