Central Los Angeles : WATTS DREAMS

The first phase of the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency’s plan to turn a 10-acre strip of forsaken land surrounding the Watts Towers into a cultural oasis and tourist draw is moving forward.

After four years of planning, contractor bids are being solicited to build the Watts Cultural Crescent Theme Park: a restaurant, retail and gift shops and an outdoor performance pavilion.

Residents and city officials envision the center as an outlet for local artists that would lure more tourists and serve as a catalyst for rebuilding surrounding neighborhoods.

An operator for a community market place featuring local handcrafted goods and foods has been selected. The outdoor pavilion and the marketplace, which make up the project’s first phase, should be constructed by early 1997, said Roy Willis, the redevelopment agency’s director of operations.