Local
Chinatown-International District Rallies Against Proposed McDonald's at 4th and Jackson
About 80 residents packed a historic preservation board meeting Tuesday to oppose a McDonald's franchise planned for a vacant storefront at 4th Avenue South and South Jackson Street, with board members signaling the proposal is unlikely to win approval.
SEATTLE â A proposed McDonald's franchise at the corner of 4th Avenue South and South Jackson Street drew fierce opposition Tuesday night as roughly 80 Chinatown-International District residents and supporters packed a meeting of the International Special Review District board, the neighborhood's historic preservation panel.
The crowd carried handmade signs in Chinese and English, and several attendees wore Ronald McDonald-style clown masks. Public comment ran overwhelmingly against the plan. According to meeting accounts, the only voices supporting the store were McDonald's employees and the property owner's manager.
The site, a busy corner near the regional transit hub and the sports stadiums, has sat vacant since a Bartell Drugs store closed four years ago. A consultant for McDonald's presented designs for the building's exterior and said the franchise would create 60 jobs and bring activity back to the empty commercial space.
Residents raised a range of concerns: that a global fast-food chain would undercut the district's many independent restaurants, that it clashes with the neighborhood's Asian character, and that it could draw homeless people and drug users to the corner.
"We want something that represents and takes care of this neighborhood," said Karen Sakata Akada, owner of the karaoke bar Bush Garden. "All the small businesses, not large corporations, is part of what makes this neighborhood special."
The board received more than 100 written comments opposing the proposal. State Rep.-elect Kelabe Tewolde and Seattle City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck attended the meeting to register their opposition.
Under city and state law, McDonald's must secure the review board's approval to develop within the historic district. Board member Huy Pham suggested the company would be wasting its resources pursuing the plan.
"I think you did your job in presenting and providing the pro forma behind why McDonald's and the property owner might choose this proposal," Pham told the consultant. "But there isn't really anything you can modify to gain mine or a community consensus to approve. So I would suggest saving your time and money on moving with a different project."
It is not the chain's first attempt to enter the district. In 2000, McDonald's sought to open a store at 5th Avenue South and Jackson Street but withdrew after strong community pushback.
The episode highlights a broader tension in the CID, where rising rents and development pressure have threatened long-standing small businesses. Residents and elected officials framed the fight as part of a larger effort to preserve the neighborhood's cultural identity and economic ecosystem against outside corporate interests.