DENVER — Plans to redevelop the Asia Center on Federal Boulevard at Tennessee Avenue have raised concerns among business owners and community members who fear for the preservation of the area's cultural history.
For decades, the center has been home to generations of culture and history.
Katrina Nguyen's family has owned businesses in the center, and she said shops like Kim Son Jewelers and Hong Kong BBQ are not just stores to her, but family.
"When the first Asian supermarket opened, it allowed other people to come into the area and also build other businesses as well," Nguyen told Denver7's Tyler Melito. "You call people aunts and uncles here, even if you're not directly related to them."
However, Nguyen's home away from home may soon look completely different.
On Monday, a plan for the center's future was submitted, proposing a four-story building with retail on the ground floor and affordable housing apartments on the upper three floors.
Shortly after the plan was submitted, Nguyen started a petition to help ensure the center's history and heritage don't get destroyed.
A petition that has almost 9,000 signatures at the time of writing.
"They're not against the change, because change is inevitable, but I think that they just want to be part of the conversation," Nguyen explained.
Nguyen said the support has meant the world to her.
"It's been a really emotional. It's been a very emotional few days because I didn't expect the story to blow up the way that it did," Nguyen said while crying after someone who saw the petition came up to her mid-interview.
► Watch Tyler Melito's report in the player below:
Tony Le has worked in and owned pho restaurants along South Federal since the 90s, opening his current shop, Tony Pho, in 2016.
Le said moving to the area and having a successful business has been the American dream.
Denver7 spoke to Le with the help of a translator.
"There's a rich history, particularly of the Vietnamese culture here that's been decades in the making. I'm afraid, and I know that the other tenants here are afraid too," Le said through a translator.
A letter obtained by Denver7 from the developer, Asia Center Development LLC, to tenants stated this is not an immediate project and there are no finalized plans.
The developer's attorney, Chuong Le, said in a statement to Denver7 that their goal is to preserve and celebrate the area’s cultural history and said that "community input will help shape what comes next."
His full statement is below:
We are aware of recent discussion regarding the possible future redevelopment of The Asia Center, and we want to provide context.
A preliminary conceptual rendering has circulated publicly that was included as part of an initial filing. That image reflects an early point in a much longer process and does not represent a final plan or defined outcome. We understand why an early preview shared without broader context can create concern, especially in a place that holds deep cultural meaning.
This project is still in a very early exploration phase. There are no finalized plans and no timeline for construction. At this stage, the work has focused on understanding possibilities, constraints, and context so that future conversations across the community can be practical, informed, and grounded in real options rather than abstract ideas.
We also recognize that for many years, needed repairs and improvements to the property have been delayed or left unaddressed. Part of this long-term effort is about taking responsibility for those needs in a thoughtful and respectful way. At the same time, the intention is to create a place that feels vibrant and welcoming, where people want to live, work, visit, and gather, and where the cultural history that shaped this area is visible and honored rather than overlooked.
The people leading the project are a large group of Asian American immigrants and children of immigrants who have grown with the South Federal neighborhood from the 1980s and continue to live, work, do business, and spend time here with our families. That perspective is central to how the project is evolving. What is guiding this work is not a standard development model, but a sense of generational responsibility to the history and community connected to this site.
The culture and history of the Asia Center are not abstract to us. This is personal. This place is part of our own family histories and lived experiences. We carry those memories and the intent is to honor its cultural significance and ensure it remains visible, respected, and relevant for future generations.
We recognize that real people, businesses, and livelihoods are connected to the Center. That reality is why this process is being approached slowly and thoughtfully, with respect for what this place has meant and continues to mean. There is still much listening and collaboration ahead, and community input will help shape what comes next.
Nguyen said she and business owners recognize that nothing lasts forever, but they don't want their history to be erased.
"We're already underrepresented in the community, already, when you lose an essential part like this, it you do feel, you do feel the loss," Nguyen said.
