Crenshaw Mall Goes To…..Not The Highest Bidder

Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Mall was sold to Harridge Development Group for $111 Million.

For those who believe gentrification still doesn’t exist please explain how a predominantly black South LA community group was able to raise $115 million to buy Crenshaw Baldwin Hills Mall but lost the bid to a non-black, non-local developer who raise less then they did. DWS recently awarded the bid to Harridge Development Group, who appears to specialize in large-scale mixed-use projects throughout Los Angeles. Supposedly Harridge won the bid with financial backing from Russian American billionaire oil tycoon, Leonard Blavatnik but without his backing DCR had the highest bid. Harridge Development Group bought the mall from a Chicago private equity fund for about $111 million. Now they also bought the neighboring Macy’s building, which I guess is considered separate from the mall for an additional $30 Million, so some argue that’s what tilted the scale to Harridge.

The South LA community group known as Downtown Crenshaw Rising stated that DWS favored a non-black, non-local developer, which caused many race question in regards to areas of gentrification. The DCR was able to raise $59.5 million on top of $35 million in philanthropy that was already in their bank account. DCR wanted to build affordable housing, job train programs, a 6 acre park daycare, recording studio, and a production district with theater and a permeant home for us South LA food Co-Op. the proposal also included a hotel, restaurant, office space, and educational space. Even with a solid plan for the space and the highest bid this year, they still lost a bidding war. DCR is strongly worried about the gentrification is more displacing the black on businesses of the area.

Long Beach Shiny New Downtown

LA’s downtown isn’t the only one undergoing a major transformation, LA’s little brother Long Beach is also in the mitts of a construction boom.  Downtown Long Beach has over 20 projects either already
under construction, or proposed for development.  A few of the developments that will drastically change the image of Downtown LB will be a $250 Entertainment Center adjacent to the Queen Mary, 
a 35 story Residential tower (set to be the new tallest tower for LB), a flashy new Civic Center , and remodel of the Aquarium of the Pacific.  Curbed LA compiled a list of developments planned that has me pretty excited to see what DTLB will eventually grow into.

Queen Mary Development

New Civic Center

Aquarium of the Pacific

Jordan Downs aka “Urban Village”…?

Jordan Downs, one of LA’s neglected public housing complexes, with extremely bad soil is being transformed into a master-planned community to create a vibrant and sustainable mixed-used and mixed-income urban village with up to 1,400 units of Mixed-income housing & approx. 100,000 sq. ft. of neighborhood with shops, a much-needed grocery store, restaurants, community center, and green space. The area is set to serve low, very low and extremely low income families and unrestricted income households. The redeveloped Jordan Downs will include much needed neighborhood-serving retail, parks and a community center. The new vision promises to serve as a catalyst for the economic and social enhancement of the greater neighborhood of South Los Angeles. Comments can be submitted via email to sergio.rosas@hacla.org. The HACLA BOC meeting will be held on Thursday May 24th at 9:00 AM in the HACLA Board Room located at 2600 Wilshire Blvd, 1st Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90057.

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HACLA

Jordan Downs Project

Rams Owner Releases New Renderings For Inglewood Stadium

Inglewood’s planned football stadium may have hit a hurdle but St. Louis Rams owner, Stan Kroenke is not letting that slow down the project.  Kroenke will be fully prepared for a meeting with NFL owners in Arizona for his planned Inglewood Stadium.

Kroenke has in his posseion now,  finished schematic plans for what is said to be the world’s most interactive and integrated football stadium, a futuristic, $1.86-billion, privately financed venue proposed for the Hollywood Park site in Inglewood.  Here take a look for yourself.

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LA Times has the full scoop on the new plans

sports and real estate billionaire to show the small army of architects and engineers at his disposal have made significant progress.

Inglewood Football Stadium Gaining Momentum

I know we’ve been dazzled before with NFL talk [**cough**Farmers Field**cough**City of Industry**cough**Carson] however this Stadium in Inglewood may be really coming and the efforts from Stockbridge and the Owner of the St. Louie Rams are gaining more traction than I’ve seen from any of the other Stadium ideas (mainly because there’s an actual football team involved in the plans rather than just billionaire boy developers dreaming up ideas) So for some reason if you haven’t heard, the Hollywood Park Racetrack is being torn down and recreated into Hollywood Park Tomorrow.  The developer of this currently under construction mega-project has partnered with the owner of the Rams to build a 80, 000-seat NFL Stadium and a 6,000-seat Entertainment Venue adjacent to the stadium.  Now whats making this different than the other NFL Stadium ideas, beside the involvement of an actual football team, is that Stan Kroenke (the owner of the Rams) and Stockbridge are going to sidestep the usual pre-development process, which involves a lengthy environmental report, by putting the Stadium development on the Inglewood ballot.  The issue lies in the zoning changes necessary that’ll make it legal to build a stadium on the site.  If the planned stadium goes to a vote, Inglewood residents could be hitting the polls as soon as June to decide the stadium’s fate.  There are also regulations on building tall buildings near the airport, therefore the developers plans to sink the stadium 100 feet into the ground, making it low enough to avoid the FAA study.  The developers seem to have the communities support by collecting 20,000 signatures when only 8,400 were necessary.  So all in all guys we might actually be getting a football team……FINALLY!

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Curbed LA has the scoop on Inglewoods Stadium

HPT Gallery

Inglewood Putting Stadium on the Ballot

Senator Isadore Hall III on the Inglewoods Potential Stadium

Inglewood Stadium Developers Moving Along

 

South Los Angeles’s A C Bilbrew Library Getting $4.4-Million Makeover

A C Bilbrew Library of South Los Angeles is about to undergo $4.4-million transformation, slated to begin April of this year.  Located at  150 East El Segundo Blvd, the 21,000-square foot facility will receive a drastic renovation/well needed improvements.  I must stop and commend Chair of the Board of Supervisors, Supervisor Mark Ridley Thomas, this man does not take a break.  Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas has made amazing strides for our community and should be praised and applauded for all his accomplishments.  Lead by the Chair, The county Board of Supervisors approved $4.4-million plan to refurbish and update much of the interior and exterior of the library using environmentally friendly materials and sustainable design techniques. Workers will use recycled materials, incorporate energy-efficient lighting, cooling and heating systems and other consumption-reducing measures. They will also install new walls and custom cabinetry, replace the carpet and ceiling, and update the data systems and public restrooms.

The library was named after Madame A C Bilbrew, a community leader, poet, musician and deputy to the late Los Angeles County Supervisor James Hahn. She was also a radio pioneer, becoming the first black person in the country to have her own radio show.  A C Bilbrew Library houses the Black Resource Center, which supports research and study on social, historical, musical and cultural aspects unique to the black experience. It has hosted the Los Angeles County Public Library system’s African American History Month Celebration since 1980.

A C Bilbrew Library to Receive Huge Renovation

A C Bilbrew Project Approved

Holy Shih-Tzu, Rendering Relaeased of Inglewood’s Planned Football Stadium

You guys thought I was pulling your leg when I did the Rams are moving back to LA after Superbowl post,  well I kid-you-not, LA Times just confirmed it, St. Louis Rams owner is building a football stadium on 60 acrese of land between the forum and the, under construction, Hollywood Park Tomorrow Development.   LA Times has also blessed us with first conceptual design of the what the City of Champions Football stadium is to look like (pictured above).  We all know that design get transformed several times before they actually break ground on a project, so don’t expect the stadium to look exactly like the rendering above however I think this gives us the main idea.  As far as what I can see, there’s seems to be a large pedestrian/fan plaza directly in front of the stadium with another large body of water for the area ( the Hollywood Park Tomorrow Development has a huge lake in the middle of it with river leading to a lower lake, and I thought we were in a drought).

Rams owner Stan Kroenke, purchased the 60 acres a year ago, and has seemed to partner with the owners of the 238-acre Hollywood Park developer, Stockbridge Capital Group. The plan is to add an 80,000-seat NFL stadium and 6,000-seat performance venue to the already-massive development of retail, office, hotel and residential space, Stockbridge and the Kroenke Group confirmed with The Times.  The Inglewood site Kroenke bought last year is too small for a stadium and parking, but the deal with Stockbridge, the neighboring developer, provides ample space.  The Rams have the option to to convert their lease in St. Louis to year-to-year, so I assume there gonna stay in St. Louie till the stadium is completed. The Rams declined comment on any plans to move to LA times but at this point its obivious whats going down.

BUY IN INGLEWOOD NOW WHILE PRICES ARE LOW!

Inglewood Property Value is about to SKYROCKET!!

Inglewood Renaissance Is Coming!

Inglewood may be the new Brooklyn pretty soon.  Inglewood is on roll with the Fabulous Forum renovation completed courtesy of Madison Square Garden, Hollywood Park Tomorrow ( I hate that name, this should have some reference to Inglewood, ie Inglewood Towne Center, Inglewood Block, etc) under construction, Townehouse coming to the previous site of the Daniel Freeman Hospital, some Football Stadium talk, and now much needed attention is being focused on Downtown Inglewood as the Crenshaw Line prepares to cut right thru downtown.

The large empty lot and market Street are the focus of some extreme development.  The City of Inglewood has hired several developers to see who can put together the best idea for the the large empty parcel right at Florence and Market along with the rest of Market Street.  The city is asking for ideas to incorporate pedestrian friendly shopping, mixed use buildings, residences, and “possibly” entertainment.  This is awesome for the city Inglewood and proud such strides are being made to transform Inglewood into the world city it is.  The city has selected 5 developers to see who can come up with best most functional idea to make  Downtown Inglewood more pedestrian friendly and transit oriented.

 The New Downtown Inglewood 

Ribbon Cutting For MLK Outpatient Center

Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Wednesday May 28th 9:30am

The new Martin Luther King, Jr. Outpatient Center, with its bright floors and gleaming steel and glass picture windows, is ready for its close-up. On May 28, the doors will be opened for a ribbon cutting ceremony and public viewing. Whether it’s the high-tech specialized clinics such as the blood infusion bay for chemotherapy patients, the stroke rehabilitation suite or the oral surgery center, the MLK Outpatient Center promises to deliver the very best in preventive and primary care for residents.

“The main message coming out of this building will be that we can help you stay well and get well,” said Dr. Mark Ghaly, deputy director Los Angeles County Department of Health Services.

After nearly two years of construction, the $172 million-county-run center will begin serving the public on June 17. With approximately 70 specialty clinics offering a range of services from pediatric and obstetric care to orthopedics and neurology, the Outpatient Center is an important component of the county’s plan to deliver quality primary care and preventive services to keep people healthy.

There are five operating rooms for outpatient surgical procedures, in addition to rehabilitation services and a wide array of diagnostic services. The urgent care center will operate seven days a week, 16 hours-a-day for urgent needs.

New MLK Outpatient Center

LAX Master Plan Conceptual Designs

Great Hall and New Tom Bradley Terminal

Imagine LAX with one central ‘Great Hall’.  Well courtesy of Fentress Architects you can, here are the design concepts. LAX announce architectural vision design concepts for aircraft gates to accommodate current and next-generation aircraft (such as the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner) on the westside of Tom Bradley International Terminal and a new midfield concourse at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).  Also attending the event will be invitees representing aviation and travel-tourism industry, airport employees, airlines, neighboring communities, businesses, etc.,D who participated in input meetings with the architectural firm.  Design also call for a people mover!

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Back in 2009 this was said:

LAX is embarking on its first major expansion since the building of TBIT in 1983 and Terminal One on 1984. The first phase, due for 2012 completion, calls for a massive international concourse directly to the west of the current Tom Bradley International Terminal. It will be connected via a bridge that two Airbus A380 Superjumbos can pass under simultaneously. The TBIT is currently being remodeled in advance of this program. The next phase, due later in the decade calls for a 2nd concourse linked to the first as well as an enlarged ticketing area just to the East of TBIT between T3 and T4 which will necessitate the removal of a parking garage. Eventually, an AirTram similar to JFK and Newark will connect the terminals to each other and the LA Metro Green Line. The American Eagle, American hanger, and Continental hangers will be removed. This spectacular new expansion will give LAX a facilities edge on the San Francisco Airport International Terminals which opened in 2001. This impressive model is located at the base of the old Control Tower. Note that the rest of the terminals remain largely unchanged, including the near original Terminal 3.

LAX Specific Plan Amendment Study 

LAX Specific Plan Amendment Study (Doc)

Los Angeles World Airports