Tyler Melito joined the Denver7 newsroom in February 2026 as a multimedia journalist.
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: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.
Asian Community Denver Federal Blvd Little Saigon
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