On Wednesday, January 21, the Chinatown International District Business Improvement Area (CIDBIA) held its annual ratepayer meeting at Theatre Off Jackson. During the meeting, CIDBIA Executive Director Tuyen Than and others discussed milestones from 2025, public safety, and preparations for the 2026 World Cup, including a new program to help small businesses with promotion and sustainability.
Than started by introducing the Ratepayer Advisory Board in attendance. She then briefly explained the history of CIDBIA and how local investment works. Business Improvement Areas are a way for local neighborhoods in Seattle to have more control in the planning, improvement, maintenance, and promotion of their commercial district. The CIDBIA was founded in 1994, and is primarily funded through a self-imposed assessment on local businesses and property owners (the aforementioned ratepayers) that supplements government services in the neighborhood, but does not replace them.
Aldeir Soleto, co-chair of the CID Public Safety Council, then presented public safety updates. Based on crime data from the Seattle Police Department (SPD), Soleto said that there has been some decline in violent and property crimes from 2024 to 2025, such as robberies, aggravated assaults, motor vehicle thefts, larceny thefts, and burglaries. However, the number of reported incidents of rapes has almost tripled within the same time frame (from 11 to 30). Since SPD’s publicly accessible crime data dashboard gives no further details, nothing much else is known about these incidents so far. However, Soleto stated that they are still exploring why these incidents are happening and if they are related.
Soleto acknowledged the recent news of a fatal shooting near an area hookah lounge, raising concerns of business owners that persisting criminal activities can drive customers away. That is why this year, the Safety Council aims to focus more on criminal activities and related environmental factors, as well as improve communication and coordination between the CID and the city.
Public Safety Ambassador program receives new funding to double outreach staff
Since June 2025, a pilot program has brought Safety Ambassadors to the streets of the CID seven days a week to de-escalate potentially violent situations and check in with businesses and residents.
The Ambassador Program is a partnership between the City, the CIDBIA, Amazon, and The Asian American Foundation (TAAF), a national philanthropic organization. The program was funded by TAAF and the City, $1 million dollars over two years.
Norman Chen, Chief Executive Officer of TAAF, presented information about the work of the Safety Ambassadors. Since June 2025, the Ambassadors had 1,745 unique interactions, 255 de-escalations, and 750 business check-ins. According to a business owner safety survey, a majority of respondents (80%) think the program is improving safety not only for their businesses but also for the entire CID. Due to their successes, Than announced that after successful results, the program recently received additional funding from TAAF to double the number of their Safety Ambassadors.
Preparations ahead of 2026 FIFA World Cup
Than said this will be needed, especially with the anticipated increase in foot traffic due to the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup “The world is coming, and the CID should benefit,” Than said. Accordingly, she announced that the CIDBIA will be providing CID businesses and nonprofits with opportunities for support in the coming months, such as mini grants to activate spaces or update signage, shared marketing campaigns, and a summer kickoff event.
Than also wants the World Cup to be an opportunity to initiate longer-term, sustainable improvement for businesses and for the CID as a whole, not only through lighting, beautification, and sanitation projects, but also by supporting small businesses after the World Cup is over.
Than also announced that the CIDBIA is partnering with the University of Washington’s Foster Consulting & Business Development Center and Seattle University’s Albers School of Business and Economics to launch the CID Business Accelerator Program. With the support of TAAF and JP Morgan Chase, the program is intended to provide culturally responsive and practical support at no cost through their expert student consultants. Interested businesses can get in touch with CIDBIA for more information.
Michael Verchot, Founding Director of the Foster Consulting & Business Development Center, said small businesses can not only learn new business skills, but build relationships with each other. As an example, he asked Brian Myers, founder and CEO of Tabletop Village, what his customers did after visiting his shop.
“They would go eat out at nearby places like Kilig or Crawfish King or Jade Garden or Kau Kau,” replied Myers. “We are always open to tie-ins. Feel free to bring in samples!”
“What I noticed about our community is that we work best together,” observed Than, hoping this will only be the beginning of more collaborations between businesses, nonprofits, and community members to make sure that the CID is a vibrant and healthy neighborhood.
Adrian Alarilla, PhD, is a program evaluator, writer, researcher, and filmmaker. Born and raised in the Philippines, he is currently based south of in Seattle, and has a PhD in History from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Besides contributing to the International Examiner, he is an associate with Alaska-based consulting firm Stellar Group, and has worked with Tribal, governmental, and nongovernmental agencies in Alaska, Hawaiʻi, and the Pacific Islands.
