Volleyballers vs. bulldozers: A Chinatown’s history at stake

BOSTON – The fate of a modest asphalt court near where Boston Chinatown immigrants developed a unique style of volleyball is uncertain.

The state is seeking proposals to develop a prime slice of real estate south of downtown that’s home to Reggie Wong Park, a steam plant and a state government office.

The state has required developers to preserve the park space somewhere on the site, but some community groups want the state to require a larger park with more amenities.

Russell Eng, who coaches teen volleyball, says the park named after his uncle help keeps the Chinese community connected even as more now live in the suburbs.

The park is the latest battleground in the long-simmering debate over gentrification in one of the nation’s oldest and largest Chinatowns.