City officials and community stakeholders have broken ground on Phase I of the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza redevelopment, initiating work on one of South Los Angeles’ most historically and culturally significant properties. The ceremony marks the formal start of demolition at the former Sears building and the beginning of site preparation activities that will pave the way for new residential construction.
Phase I calls for the creation of 92 new residential homes, representing the initial step in a broader, city-approved, multi-phase plan to transform the 42-acre Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza site. The redevelopment is intended to reposition the long-standing retail property into a contemporary mixed-use environment that incorporates new housing on a location that has long served as a focal point for the surrounding community.
The Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza Partnership is leading implementation of the project in coordination with the City of Los Angeles and various public agencies. The effort brings together multiple development partners, including Harridge Development Group, Access Industries, Inc., Atlas and SilverPeak, to move the first phase of the plan into active construction.
Speaking at the groundbreaking, David Schwartzman, president and CEO of Harridge Development Group, noted that South Los Angeles has seen relatively limited new housing construction in recent years compared with demand. He described the community as having gone too long without meaningful new residential development and emphasized that there is substantial unmet demand for quality housing in this part of the city.
Schwartzman framed the launch of Phase I as the beginning of a process to deliver new homes that area residents have been anticipating, positioning the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza redevelopment as an early step toward addressing local housing needs. With demolition of the former Sears building underway and site work commencing, the Phase I residential component is moving from entitlement and planning into on-the-ground execution within the larger, approved master plan for the 42-acre property.
As the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza Partnership and its development partners carry out this first phase, the project will set the tone for subsequent stages of the multi-phase redevelopment. The progress at the Sears parcel and the delivery of the initial 92 homes will likely serve as a visible measure of momentum for the broader repositioning of this long-established South Los Angeles site.
