Little China Plaza, on Shelbourne and Rainbow, across the street from the school’s gym exits, is being built to  serve as a new Asian-themed outlet. It will feature new restaurants, stores and even a barbershop.

Construction began in October of 2025, and is expected to be finished around June of 2026. Students around the school are open to the short walking distance, alongside many new employment opportunities.

“I’ve been watching [the plaza get] constructed, and I was gone for like a week on the SkillsUSA trip,” junior Christian Reyes said. “And the day we got back, we were rolling into school, and I saw all of it coming along. I thought that was really cool, because construction was much faster than I thought.”

Some students say the project could bring greater convenience, especially with the opening of restaurants, shops, and jobs.

“I’m pretty excited. I think there’s a lot of new, cool places opening up,” senior Chinelo Umeh said. “I think it’d be cool to have those places near my house. I also think that those places would be cool for a summer job.”

Since the plaza is adjacent to the school bus lot, it is a convenient place for students to visit before or after school.

“I feel like [students] would [go after school], but it also depends on what restaurants or stores are going to be built there and also depends on pricing and stuff as well,” junior Myles Jenkins said. “I feel like they probably would, if it’s like a good price and they’re like decent stores or restaurants.”

While many reactions have been positive, some concerns remain about how the finished plaza could affect traffic and overcrowding in the area.

“I immediately thought of traffic,” senior Roman Maynigo. “[On] Rainbow, especially how the street is two lanes around our school, I just immediately thought it’s just gonna get congested and worse.”

If on schedule, Little China Plaza can bring new opportunities and nearby places for students to study or hang out after school.

“The project should finish in the middle of June and the TI’s, [which are] tentative improvements,” LM Construction Representative Anthony Dominguez said. “That’s when they’ll start building, usually around 90 days after that, and it should open somewhere around August.”

With construction proceeding smoothly, the construction representative reveals insight into what will be present and needed at the plaza.

“You have the TIs, they’ll have to drive up, they’ll need cooks, they’ll need waiters, they’ll need servers, they’re gonna have a place to cut hair,” Dominguez said. “It’s gonna be nice, I think.”