Council Delays Vote on Little Saigon Bridge

A decision on the controversial plan to build a pedestrian bridge in Little Saigon has been delayed, at least until next month.

The City Council was scheduled to vote on the proposal Tuesday but decided to wait until the financing and the bridge’s exterior design, the most controversial aspect of the plan, could be finalized.

As proposed, the 500-foot-long, 30-foot-wide bridge would span Bolsa Avenue, connecting two of the area’s major shopping centers, the Asian Village Mall and the Asian Garden Mall.

One proposal for the bridge’s decoration includes dragons and has been criticized by some residents for its Chinese influence. Since the bridge will be a landmark for Little Saigon, they contend, it should be decorated in a traditional Vietnamese style.

“After 20 years, Vietnamese Americans now feel that Little Saigon is their home,” said Mai Cong, president of a social service agency that opposes the bridge’s original design. “We don’t want to lose that feeling.”

The bridge will be financed through a $3-million tax assessment district. The city will issue municipal bonds, and the developer of the bridge will repay the loan over 30 years. No taxpayer money is involved in the project, officials said.

The council has approved the financing plan in concept, but needs to approve the final documents and hold a public hearing before it issues the bonds, City Manager Bill Smith said.

In addition, Smith said, the council may delay voting on the project until the Planning Commission approves a design. That issue is expected to be resolved by the end of July.