Inglewood awarded the disposition and development agreement to Astani almost four years after the city first issued its request for proposals for the site. Developer Shane Astani comments that the company's vision for the Art Deco shopping and entertainment center "has always beento serve as a catalyst to spur future redevelopment activity along the historic MarketStreet commercial corridor."

Astani points out that the parcel is strategically located in the city commercial core, adjacent to City Hall, the Los Angeles County courthouse, Kaiser Permanente hospital and a supportive professional and business community. He calls it "a unique destination center for an underservedcommunity where everyone comes together for a good meal, a cup of coffee with a friendand general services."

Astani anticipates that Market Plaza will significantly increase day and evening pedestrian traffic throughout the Market Street corridor, thereby serving as an economic basis for additional private and public investment. He notes that roadway congestion in the Greater Los Angeles area "has served as adisincentive for residents to patronize business establishments outside of their community," which in turn has created a mandate for cities such as Inglewood to revitalize their urban core to recapture local tax dollars.