Through persistent community advocacy, Chinatown CDC, CAIA, and CBP&RC successfully obtained $2.3 million in 1994 from Trammel Crow funds (gas taxes) to develop a master plan to improve and renovate 31 of Chinatown's alleyways over the next 10 years. In 1996, Chinatown CDC spearheaded a two-year comprehensive community planning process to develop the Chinatown Alleyway Master Plan, conducting numerous community meetings and extensive surveys to solicit community feedback for alleyway improvements under the Plan. Chinatown CDC also worked closely with the San Francisco Department of Public Works (DPW), as well as other city agencies, including the Department of Parking & Traffic (DPT), the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), and the Recreation and Parks Department to ensure that the recommendations made in the master plan can be and will be implemented.

The Plan contains five different "project plans":

1. Renovation Plan, which outlines physical improvements
2. Implementation Plan, which identifies construction phasing, budgets and schedules
3. Maintenance Plan, which recommends desired policies for the maintenance of the alleys
4. Enforcement Plan, which ensures the long term viability of the renovated alleyways
5. Community Education Plan, which emphasizes the importance of community involvement

Recently endorsed by the San Francisco Planning Commission, the Chinatown Alleyway Master Plan now serves as a guiding document in the implementation of the alleyway improvement projects, which have already begun with the first set of alleyways (3 in total), the construction for which will commence February 2000.