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

Billionaire Elon Musk Building Tunnels Under The City

So apparently Billionaire Elon Musk has been boring under the City of Hawthorne in efforts to create this web of tunnels that would be attached to thousands of on/off stations the size of single parking spaces. The plans initially called for the the tunnels to transport cars but now has shift gears to transporting pedestrians and cyclist very close their destinations. Musk came up with the idea while stuck in traffic. The word on the street is that are already hundreds of abandon tunnels under LA, so creating a transport system to utilize these tunnels may not be so far-fetched. The Map of the completed project is pictured below,  I’m starting to wonder if Elon and Metro are in cohorts.  Metro proposed building an alternative to the 405 fwy through the Sepulveda Pass,  that looking more and more like Elon Musk Tunnel.   Musk is building a protype under Hawthorne, that h said eventually he wants to reach LAX.

Video of Elon Musk Tunnel

Boring Company

Traffic Tunnels

Tunnels Turning Toward Pedestrian

Carson Stadium Moving Forward

Carson’s City Council recently approved the two NFL team stadium that is to be built at the intersection of the 405 and 110 freeway, making the stadium on step closer becoming tangible.  The two-team football venue intended to house the Chargers and the Raiders is sporting new looks as well that includes a more airy, open layout and a tower over 100 feet tall that, on occasion, will shoot lightning bolts.  The updated plans show that the oval-shaped, roofless stadium will have a “contiguous exterior” with a large opening at its base. The seating would be arranged in a U around that gap, which the architects believe will “help surround the field with noise.” Seating colors are still being decided, but it’s possible that they’ll be clear so they can “reflect the color of lights shining on them.”  The most exciting feature of the updated Carson design is obviously its 115 to120-foot-tall tower, which will be encased in glass, topped with a cauldron, and transformed depending on which team is playing. When the Chargers are on the field, lightning bolts will zap around inside the tower’s glass enclosure. When the Chargers score a touchdown, lightning will shoot out of the top of the tower. When the Raiders are having a home game, the plan is for the cauldron to fill with fire, like the Olympic flame

Carson Greenlights Stadium

New Stadium Design

The latest renderings for the joint football venue come from Manica Architecture. Their version of the stadium is intended to recall the LA Coliseum, but was also inspired by the fluid movement of sports cars (that rendering with a Porsche in the foreground really drives this connection home).

The most exciting feature of the updated Carson design is obviously its 115 to120-foot-tall tower, which will be encased in glass, topped with a cauldron, and transformed depending on which team is playing. When the Chargers are on the field, lightning bolts will zap around inside the tower’s glass enclosure. When the Chargers score a touchdown, lightning will shoot out of the top of the tower. When the Raiders are having a home game, the plan is for the cauldron to fill with fire, like the Olympic flame, as a nod to the late Raiders owner/manager Al Davis. (Unfortunately, “The plan would not call for the flame toburst up from the tower in the event of a Raiders touchdown,” which just seems unfair.) If the Carson stadium ever hosted a Super Bowl, the plan is to turn the tower into an enormous Lombardi Trophy.

Hawthorne Mayor Chris Brown May Become Senator Chris Brown

Mayor Chris Brown has done awesome things for the city of Hawthorne, bringing several new businesses to the city, transforming Hawthorne’s major thoroughfare into a pedestrian friendly commercial core, and putting in the proper steps in order to bring back the infamous Hawthorne Mall as an outlet mall.  Well now there,s talk of Mayor Brown possibly looking at a seat on the Senate.  With all Mayor Brown’s accomplishments in the great city of Hawthorne I think he would make an awesome Senator.

Read More at the Sentinel 

Radiers and Chargers Propose Stadium In Carson

So this is all over the internet but I still decided to cover it, so the Raiders and Chargers are supposed to be teaming up to build a $1.7 billion stadium in Carson near the 110 and 405 Freeway interchange. I personally believe this is a last ditch effort for both teams to get new stadiums in there current markets, playing the whole “if you don’t build us a new stadium we’re moving to LA.”  The teams are working with “Carson2gether,” a group of businesses and labor leaders. The coalition announced the project today at a news conference near the 168-acre site, a parcel at the southwest quadrant of the intersection of the 405 Freeway and Del Amo Boulevard.  No shade Carson, but I still support the stadium in Inglewood but lets see how this pencils out.

Raiders and Chargers coming to LA

Carson2gether

West Carson To Receive A Regional Transit Hub

West Carson is getting some well needed attention with the announcement of a Regional Hub and even talk about building a community around it.  West Carson is slated to become Eastern South Bay’s regional transportation hub near the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (I believe Torrance is building one too).  The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a state grant that will use $491,770 develop a plan aimed at improving transportation, sustainability and increase housing in the area.  The Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning will  create a master plan that will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by developing a sustainable community project within a ½ mile radius of the West Carson Metro station.

East South Bay’s Regional Transportation Hub

Hawthorne Mall Making A Comeback!

So Hawthorne has been working on this secret mission to bring back the mall for about a year and now they finally have released the plans to public and they are awesome!  Hawthorne Mall is going Outlet Mall!  ABC did a interview with Mayor Brown and the City Planner and the plans look great.  There has not been a date set to break ground however the it was stated that the mall should be ready for shoppers in 2 to 3 years.  “There is going to be everything from high-end to the standard outlet stores, so it is going to be very attractive and it is going to be the only outlet mall for quite a distance,” City Planning Director Gregg McClain said.  Check out the video by clicking the link below.

ABC has the scoop on Hawthorne Outlet Mall

National BLACK OUT September 8!

African American life is obviously being expressed as something America can do without or holds no value, lets show America just how valuable we are. We need to continue to bond together and fight in numbers and Monday September 8th, TOMORROW, will be another chance to tell America its time to cut the crap, not only are we here but we belong here!

Mayor Robert Pullen-Miles of Lawndale

Three-term Lawndale City Councilman Robert Pullen-Miles was elected as that city’s first Black mayor on Tuesday April 8 with over 50 percent of the vote.  Now, he informed residents, he is ready to take Lawndale in a “new direction.”  His focus will be economic development, pushing for new businesses and making the city more appealing to visitors.  

Lawndales First Black Mayor

Hawthorne Dropping $11Million To Gussy Up Hawthorne Blvd

Hawthorne city officials have decided to spend $11 million on an overhaul of the city’s main thoroughfare in hopes it will spur new economic development along the sagging strip.

Modern crosswalks, bike paths, wider sidewalks, new storm drain pipes and catch basins and as well as better street lights and bus-stop shelters are among the planned improvements. Public Works Director Arnie Shadbehr said he expects construction to begin this spring and finish near the end of the year.

“The final product is going to be reliable infrastructure with all the amenities you need for the right type of development,” Shadbehr told the City Council on Tuesday. “Private-sector development needs reliable water lines and streets and, at the same time, modern amenities incorporated into design.”

Hawthorne is beautifying itself