Chinatown leaders favor destruction of the Reading Viaduct

Weekly Press: Chinatown leaders favor destruction of the “Chinese Wall”

Written by Mark Brakeman:

In its quest for new, affordable housing, the neighborhood’s leaders are looking beyond Chinatown’s traditional boundary north of Vine Street. Already, new residences have been built near Ninth and Vine in what civic leaders are calling “Chinatown North,” but full development of the area is stymied by the presence of the hulking, abandoned Reading Viaduct.

John Chin, executive director of the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation (PCDC), said that the overhead railway – which in its day carried trains to points north and east of the city – slices diagonally across developable parcels of land, making building on them impractical.

In addition to expounding affordable housing north of Vine Street, Chin also said PCDC wants to spread Chinatown’s business sector in the area.

“That’s really, really hard with the Viaduct there.”

Click here to read the full article.

ALSO: Check out a Letter to the Editor from Andy Toy, board member of PCDC, about the Reading Viaduct.