I first got an inkling of this news from Mike Thelin over at the Burnside Blog, in a profile he wrote on City Commissioner Erik Sten. Now, as confirmed by the Portland Development Commission, popular Asian supermarket chain Uwajimaya is strongly considering opening a store in Portland’s downtown Chinatown neighborhood. Although I’ve heard rumors that they have been sniffing around Chinatown since at least 2004, this time there is some solid information.
PDC is supporting this project with a $100,000 pre-development loan to assist Uwajimaya and Sockeye Development LLC, with the feasibility of building on the surface parking lot between NW 4th and 5th, and Couch and Davis (otherwise known as “Block 33”) ,and “Block 32”, just to the South. The feasibility study began 30 days ago, and is expected to take four months to complete.
While no solid plan has been presented to the City, the project looks like it might be modeled on the successful rehab of the flagship 50+ year old Uwajimaya in Seattle’s International District. Ideas include up to 160 units of mixed income housing above the store, an underground parking lot below, and the possibility of a “phase II” additional high rise housing and retail development in the future.
The Seattle Uwajimaya has been credited in helping spur renewed interest and investment in the immediate area, and increasing the number of middle income residents in that neighborhood.
Peter Englander, the PDC Development Manager in charge of the Old Town/Chinatown Urban Renewal District, stated in an email this morning that PDC is very supportive of this project and have been in discussions with Uwajimaya for over a year. Additionally, he wrote,
“…the Downtown Portland location is unique because of its location in Old Town/Chinatown as well as proximity to the Pearl District. The Portland site will also benefit from direct access to regional light rail on one side and a future Portland Streetcar line on another. This will afford the opportunity to both serve the larger Downtown as well and customers from throughout the region. In addition, Uwajimaya is really excited about opportunities for a strong street presence for the store and expects that the store will literally open onto the street along Fifth Avenue, perhaps with roll up doors and vendor carts.“
I lived in close proximity to the Seattle Uwajimaya in the 1990s, and I am thrilled they are considering a similar project here. Chinatown needs a “catalyst development” and large anchor to turn it around, and as Uwajimaya is a well regarded destination business, it will fit perfectly with Portland’s reputation as an burgeoning food city. It will be an active and functional Asian based grocery, that will help serve basic needs of Central City residents and draw in tourists at the same time. Housing attached to a supermarket is smart, and will create a thriving 24-hour area that will feel safer than the current empty storefronts, by creating what urban planner types call, “eyes on the street.” Uwajimaya sells some of the best Asian groceries (including some of the freshest and hard to find fish and produce) in the region. I won’t miss the drive to out to Beaverton whenever I need my fix.
If you are interested in more information or want to show your support for this project you can contact Uwajimaya through their website www.uwajimaya.com.
Cuisine Bonne Femme says
No tease. Uwajimaya is very interested, The City of Portland is interested and supportive, PDC has stated they have money to help make it happen, a private developer has stepped up to the plate, and there is land available on that block. Win-Win for everyone.
reflexblue says
don’t tease.
twschopp says
Win-win indeed! No more driving out to Beaverton for PDX Asian food geeks, and just the sort of development Old/China Town’s needed for quite some time. But one does have to wonder… where was Uwajimaya during the Burnside Bridgehead debate??? Oh well, better late than never!
vespabelle says
Will they bring the Kinokuniya with them? (Because that’s my favorite part about a trip to Uwajimaya!
jojo says
excellent!
now we just need a petco and I wouldn’t have to leave downtown anymore. 8)
TomatoPie says
Very nice. One more reason to cross the river!
fuudluvr says
As someone who cooks Asian food often, I find that you can get more authentic products at much better prices at the mom and pop Asain grocery stores than at Uwajimaya. I guess it’s just about what people know. I have never seen the big deal with this chain, but if they want to expand their empire, more power to them.
pdxyogi says
…for example, I’ve found better sake prices at Anzen, which I found it means “Safeway”.
MrDonutsu says
Yeah, and if you fly to Thailand, hop over to Laos & Vietnam and then stop back off in Japan on the way back you can really do better.
I roll my eyes…
fuudluvr says
Actually, MrDonutsu, you’re right, you can probably do better by hopping through all those countries. However, you forgot China and India (two major culinary influences in Asian cuisine). I suggest you stop there too.
We are all just sharing our experiences so there is no need to get defensive. We are not threatening your comfort zone any or asking you to go around to do comparative shopping. It’s just always good to be aware of what else is out there.
pdxyogi says
Chill out Mr Donut dude. It so happens that Anzen is infinitely closer to my house than Uwajimaya. Sake prices were but one of many examples I could have given. If I want only Japanese food and don’t want to trek out to the suburban wasteland, that’s where I’ll go. Lay off.
Cuisine Bonne Femme says
Whoa. Lots of discussion here, which I’m glad to see. However my excitement about Uwajimaya might be coming from a bit of a different perspective. Sure I prefer to get my radish kim-chee and dried persimmons at that little Korean grocery out in Beaverton, and it’s nice to say I have supported Anzen over the years, but Uwajimaya does have terrific fish (including sushi) and an excellent produce selection, I think the most exciting thing has to do with the development itself.
I lived on the border of Seattle’s International District in the late 80s and then again in the mid-90s. Having access to Uwajimaya as my main supermarket (hell, the only supermarket in the area) was wonderful (even when I was dirt poor since rice and veggies and a bit of meat really didn’t cost anymore than Safeway) and since that time, other smaller and more focused Asian grocers have popped up around it (such as a Chinese fish market and several Vietnamese grocers). And remember, this Uwajimaya will also include up to 160 mixed-income (with a requirement for some low-income units if they get a loan from the city) housing units which will only be a boon for that area. To see the Uwajimaya in Seattle attract diverse residents to their once down-on-its heals “Chinatown” and bring in new businesses that support the community (such as lower priced restaurants), well I can only think something like that would probably happen here too. It sure beats the empty 1-block parking lot and abandoned dark storefronts currently there (Have any of you had to wait for the bus on SW 4th and Couch after 8PM? No Fun, let me tell you). With the Max and streetcar extension, it will be extremely easy to get there without a car as well, and as a carless person that is a huge attraction.
I think its great that people can and like to shop at the Mom and Pop stores for their Asian foods. But I don’t really have the time (or the car) to drive around the far reaches of Portland to get this and that.
reflexblue says
Uwajimaya’s sushi grade fish is better and cheaper than Anzen’s. Overall, the selection is better at Uwajimaya, they even carry better frozen Unagi and their miso ramen is cheaper. Obviously, the deli is better than Anzen’s, Hong Phat’s or any place I’ve found on the Eastside.
polloelastico says
Show me another store that sells two types of ready-to-eat poke by the pound, lomi salmon, octopus salad, chuka wakame seaweed salad, has a dozen fresh ramen brands, an entire aisle dedicated to pickled vegetables, has live oysters, clams, mussels, crabs, roasted shoyu chickens for $6.99 and whole roasted ducks for $12 AND sells Chimay, La Fin Du Monde, Trois Pistoles, and Paulaner Hefeweissbier AND has a wonderfully twee kitchen/dishware section AND a large bookstore AND a solid and affordable sushi restaurant attached to the hip and I’ll go there as much as I go to Uwajimaya, which is weekly.
Dante Amorphic says
Interesting news – on one hand, I will be happy with this new store in Chinatown, based solely on convenience – a lot closer to where I live…. But on the other hand this will further solidify Uwajimaya’s consolidation of their monopoly on the Japanese grocery store market in Portland. We are totally settling for sub par….. If you have ever spent any time in Torrance, California you know what real Japanese grocery stores are like both in terms of quality and price. Marukai, Yaohan, Mitsuwa, Nijiya are just a couple examples of wonderful stores. I had heard anecdotally that Uwajimaya had lobbied very hard to keep a competitor from being able to get into the Seattle market a couple of years ago.
Yo says
The rest of the neighborhood better start planning for this to impact them. If I were developing this neighborhood, I would start by supporting more specialized stores, such as fish markets, vegetable markets, asian book stores, because once one of these boxstores moves in they are hard to leverage against (as far as other competition is concerned). When real diversity is an issue in this part of town, I believe big boxstores will render economic diversity out. Although the restaurants might benefit by bringing people to this area, long-term planning is what I find lacking by this store and thier prices (higher-than average). This neighborhood needs a real look at, in terms of long-term planning, very comprehensive plan that really, does this area justice. PDC and other Portland planning has been slowly killing our beloved “china town” and looking to other china-towns might be a great start as we begin planning for this neighborhood.
I would like to pressure our city officials to turn up the heat and give us something that really benefits, not just for tax purposes (that is all PDC looks at). UwaJimaya brings a big tax incentive, but we need to look beyond this.
Cuisine Bonne Femme says
The proposed Uwajimaya is not a boxstore. Get your facts straight before you make grandiose claims – and did you even bother to read the newspost above?. The City has and is looking at other Chinatowns, such as the International District in Seattle where a very successful and innovative renovated Uwajimaya sits. This is the model the Portland store will be based on. It is a high density mixed RETAIL and HOUSING development that contains several smaller independently owned restaurants (the food court) and close to 165 mixed use housing units for incomes of all types. It is several stories tall with underground parking. This is the antithesis of the term boxstore.
In addition, if you care to analyze neighborhood impact of the Seattle Uwajimaya (once again, not a box store) you’ll find that since it was redeveloped into the model as outlined above, many small independent businesses including restaurants, grocers, including at least several smaller markets shops have opened up, especially along King and Jackson streets. If anything the “boxstore” (as you ignorantly refer to it) of Uwajimaya has spurred smaller competition and complimentary businesses such as produce vendors, bookstores, video stores, etc. Your comments don’t match the reality there.
And Chinatown was on hospice watch decades before the City of Portland begin reinvestment of the area (remember – the streetscape was driven and managed as a Portland Department of Transportation project, not just PDC). In addition, The property owners, many of them tied up in complicated family trusts, corporations, benevolent societies and other less than local ownership and are owned outside of the U.S. let their properties decline and remain abandoned, as they continue to do so. Not much the city can do there if the property owners themselves care or want to work towards making the neighborhood better or spearhead some sort of community revitalization effort, outside of condemning them which the City has all authority to do – those properties being blighted and all and in an urban renewal area. However, to PDC’s credit, there are no plans to do that.
I think you need to “look way beyond this” and get your facts straight, pony up some more details (for example, what “really benefits the neighborhood”? That’s a little vague) then come back and chim in. I’d like to see an informed opinion from you next time that is not only fact based but offers some solid recommendations and ideas for solutions. Thanks.
pdxyogi says
CBF: Thank you for that; you said exactly what I would have. Yo is writing from a place of ignorance and bloated unfounded claims and assumptions (or perhaps a hidden agenda?), and clearly couldn’t be bothered to actually read the article. This is in no way a “big-box” store. And it is neither the city nor PDC that has been “slowly killing” the area. It is the uncaring, neglectful, and in some cases foreign property owners. I wouldn’t mind seeing the city condemn some properties.
I was in Seattle’s International District last week. The Uwajimaya there in no way resembles our suburban one. I agree that it complements the neighborhood and has spurred some exciting and positive growth and improvement.
pdxyogi says
…and it is disheartening seeing all the empty or half-empty derelict buildings in the area. Is that PDC/city’s fault, Yo?
mrg says
I shop at the Beaverton Uwajimaya probably once a week. I do not find the prices to be “higher than average” at all. Much of the produce, meat and seafood have lower prices than I see elsewhere. The quality and variety are also very good. And I like the people who work there. Seems like it would provide a good alternative for folks near the downtown area for food shopping.
Classic Girl says
I live in Old Town/Chinatown and I would be thrilled (THRILLED) if Uwajimaya opened down the street. This area desperately needs a grocery store and an Asian grocery store fits the bill for maintaining Chinatown in more than name only.
Nancy Rommelmann says
What Classic Girl said (except I live in NE).
Also, of the 1,386,502 items Uwajimaya offers, the most surprisingly wonderful was the chocolate layer cake they were givings samples of at the bakery.
Yo says
Cuisine Bonne Femme, first I must address the lack of planning that is being looked at because Uwajimaya is not even a Chinese based store. It is Japanese. From a planning perspective, I would say, what is the basis of this portion of town? Is it a beloved Chinatown, or a make believe Chinatown? You appear to be vying selfishly for the latter. To make a box store an antithesis box store??? I can build you a Wal-Mart with that same concept (downtown or anywhere), underground parking, with a food court, mixed use, etc., is that really an antithesis boxstore? I have no agenda other than seeing this city planned for well. Do you have an agenda (hidden)? Because you do not have a car, you might just want something for yourself??? In planning, you plan with what you have, if it happens to be immigrants, then you plan with them in mind. You appear to be pro-gentrification in your comments…That is disheartening in a town that is full of prejudice and ignorance (pdxyogi are you with me??).
Getting down to recommendations? Why is our Chinatown failing and NY or SF not? I would argue it comes down to city policy. In NY, they have storefront shops (small) independant stores, each block selling something different. Independence is the key. We might need to go deeper than just investing in one outside client. We might need to send a delegate to another Chinatown and see if they would like to invest here. What about a delegate to China? Might be hard work, but it can be done, the question is how serious are we? Of course, that means work…If we work hard, find some authentic investors from other places, that would be a great start. We might even find some more local investors, that are profiting locally and willing to invest (knowing they have the city on thier side (policy and vision)), investors that were once housed in Chinatown. After finding investors, you find out what kinds of design they would like to see, build it for them through PDC funding $$$ and other private investment. After you have a streghtened community then bring in your Uwajimaya, etc., but have something first that is grounded! We have half a vision for this side of town, as we speak, and a quarter Chinatown, if that. We spend millions building a Chinese Garden, but we want to take the Chinese out of it? I don’t follow the vision…This has been a historic problem in planning here in Portland, look what is happening to MLK? We have a historic place for MLK, Jr., but taking the Black out of it. It comes down to seriousness of our policy makers. But they are supposed to reflect the vision of thier constituents so maybe the city residents want a failed town. I don’t believe that is the case….
Chop Suey says
Very exciting news. We were just there at the Beaverton store a couple of days ago. I got the roasted duck. I wasn’t too impressed. I don’t blame them. Many of the stuff in Beaverton store might have been on the shelf for quite a while….
I love the store in Seattle. The thought of those delicious vender foods make me wanted to move there….
How cool. I think this project is going to be great. No more driving to Seattle just to go to Uwa anymore.. Yay! Can’t wait..
TM says
There is an unsubstantiated rumor around Happy Valley that they may be coming there. Heard anything about that?
PDX Food Dude says
I haven’t heard a thing. These rumors have come up now and then over the years, but Happy Valley seems like a better location for them than downtown ever did.