LA TIMES July 18, 2001

The Los Angeles City Council ordered a study Tuesday on the feasibility of building a privately developed recreation center in Little Tokyo, a dream of local Japanese Americans for a quarter-century.

More than 100 people, ranging from elementary-school pupils in basketball uniforms to senior citizens holding canes, applauded the unanimous vote.

"This is the first time we can smile about this project in a long time," said Bill Watanabe, executive director of the Little Tokyo Service Center, the prime mover behind the plan to build the 40,000-square-foot center on land now used for city employee parking. "I am ecstatic," said the Rev. Mark Nakagawa, senior pastor at Centenary United Methodist Church in Little Tokyo, whose congregation has long wanted such a facility.

Until Tuesday, supporters of the recreation center had not been able to persuade City Hall to take a serious look at the venture despite seven years of lobbying. With "this first step," Nakagawa said, he hopes the process will advance.

The land became available last month when the city decided to demolish the existing multilevel parking structure there and have developer Tom Gilmore build a new, 1,000-car facility on a different site, at 3rd and Main streets.

The council instructed Chief Legislative Analyst Ronald F. Deaton to report on funding and design of the recreation center and its impact on other occupants of the area, bounded by Alameda, Temple and Judge John Aiso streets.

Deaton told the council Tuesday that constructing the center in the area known as 1st Street North had "the potential for generating significant additional patrons" at the Children's Museum, which is building a new downtown facility at Temple and Aiso, next to the site of the proposed recreation center.

Among gym supporters at City Hall was Kimi Maru, who took the day off from work to attend the hearing with her two children.

"The 1st Street North block is a historic part of Little Tokyo," she told council members. "In 1942, our community was unjustly sent to concentration camps. From the 1950s through the 1970s more of Little Tokyo was lost to the Parker Center, luxury hotels and expensive tourist shops."

The board of the Little Tokyo organization says it has raised more than $1 million and has received support from more than 100 civic and community organizations throughout Southern California.

Tony Ricasa, an aide to Assemblyman Gil Cedillo (D-Los Angeles), whose district includes Little Tokyo, said the legislator is committed to helping secure state money for the project.