Just 2 days after Watsonville Mayor Francisco Estrada told KSCO they weren’t certain yet what they would or would not do in the Watsonville Plaza…..heavy equipment was driven in, and workers removed long-standing vegetation, and leveled an area near the historic gazebo. All of that to make way for a new stage. A layer of decomposed granite will serve as a hard surface for the new stage….which city leaders say will eventually have columns and lights added, as well as a permanent structure.
Although city officials say that the project is consistent with the city’s recently approved concept plan for the plaza, members of the Pajaro Valley Historic Association say the plaza has been on the National Register Of Historic Places for decades….and that means that there are very definite rules about what is and isn’t ok to do there.
Local preservation societies may add restrictions to what is already in place, so people and entities are encouraged to contact their local society/office before making any major decisions.
The Watsonville Plaza was donated to the people of watsonville back in 1860.
