Towering ambitions for Chinatown

To explain why Chinatown needs a community center, John Chin likes to point out a tight, dead-end alley behind his father's old restaurant on 10th Street near Cherry.

This was his childhood "playground" - a quiet spot where Chin and his pals played soccer.

Chin, 46, born and bred in Chinatown, said the alley was the best the neighborhood had to offer. The nearest city recreation centers were in Northern Liberties or Queen Village.

"This was our little, safe space," Chin said.

Chin has spent much of his professional life trying to improve the situation.

As executive director of the Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corp. (PCDC) for 12 years, he has led the nonprofit group's crusade for a community center. After fits and starts, the project has finally moved off the mark in recent months.

In the process, it has evolved from just a $6 million community center to a $66 million mixed-use complex. Besides a second-floor basketball court and multipurpose rooms and offices, the plan calls for 144 apartments - a fourth of which would be rented to lower-income residents - and ground-floor retail space.

The proposed 23-story building, on the northwestern corner of 10th and Vine Streets, has cleared the city Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Adjustments. PCDC, meanwhile, has assembled the land, with PennDot agreeing to sell most of the parcels for $1.

The next hurdle: money.

Chin is hopeful the project can line up financing this year, despite the ongoing economic slump. Since it is in a distressed area, it qualifies for a special type of "new market" tax credits, which are allocated by the U.S. Treasury for certain low-income communities.

PCDC has teamed up with Teres Holdings L.L.C. to develop the project, called Eastern Tower. Teres built The Hub on Chestnut Street near the University of Pennsylvania, as well as the Shops at Liacouras Walk at Temple University.

Chin says Eastern Tower is vital to the neighborhood's future. "For Chinatown to survive, it must grow," Chin said.

The Eastern Tower would be another boost for the growing neighborhood north of the Vine Street Expressway and south of Spring Garden Street, between Eighth and Broad Streets.

Chin calls it Chinatown North; others prefer the Loft District. Whatever its name, the area is quickly changing as old factory space is converted into apartments and offices.