Inglewood has kick-started the eminent domain process for a Market Street strip mall that the city wants to convert into a hub for its Inglewood Transit Connector project.
The Inglewood City Council voted 4-0 Tuesday to authorize attorneys to head to court and force the sale of eight properties in the shopping mall at Market Street and Florence Avenue. The mall’s businesses serve up everything from auto parts to medications. Fiesta Martin Bar & Grill shares the parking lot with Luxe Gold Salon and a DD’s Discounts store.
The council decision came despite starkly divided opinions from some of the businesses and locals who could be affected by the mall’s demolition.
“This didn’t need to be ram-rodded through,” said Rahab Mitchell, a longtime Inglewood resident who was one of ten people to give a public comment on the project during the city’s afternoon meeting.
Councilmember Dionne Faulk acknowledged locals’ concerns but pointed to the narrowing window the city has to build the bus-based phase of its transit connector project in time for the 2028 Olympics.
“This is not easy. Progress is hard. Our city is developing at leaps and bounds,” Councilmember Dionne Faulk said during the meeting. “We have to move this forward in order to keep this process moving on time.”
Inglewood plans to demolish the mall to make way for a bus hub that would link the Metro K Line stop on Florence Avenue with the city’s stadiums. The city is also hanging onto a long-term plan to use the site as one of the hubs for an automated people mover.
But even as city officials voted to start the eminent domain process, they say they’ll continue working to negotiate privately with property owners on selling. The city has made written purchase offers for each parcel, but hasn’t agreed on terms with anyone, according to city documents. They’ll also continue to try to give relocation assistance to eligible mall tenants.
The city has budgeted $125 million in transportation funding it received from the state for real estate and relocation costs for the transit connector project, according to city documents.
“I don’t want people to get the perception that we’re just slamming the door shut and we’re done and we’re doing this,” Councilmember Alex Padilla said. “This has taken us a lot of real soul-searching and talking with residents and even business owners that are going to be relocated.”
Inglewood officials hope the transit project will make it easier for people to use the Metro to travel to the city’s stadiums and alleviate some of the traffic that plagues Inglewood during big events.
Some business owners in the downtown Market Street commercial corridor think the transit connector project will also help to bring customers to their businesses.
“We need more traffic,” said Jeffrey Psalms, owner of the Cuban Leaf Cigar Lounge.
But people who work at the strip mall and live nearby said in public comments that its demolition will do more harm than good.
Amelia Hernandez, owner of mall business Selwyn Jewelers, Inc., said she sees the transit connector in its current guise as “nothing more than a beefed-up bus line.”
“Adding more buses will not help. Adding more parking spaces and taking away businesses that serve the community at affordable rates? Our family legacy will come to an end,” Hernandez said.
Rahab Mitchell, a longtime Inglewood resident, said the mall is a mainstay for senior citizens who live in the area.
“What’s going to happen to them when they can’t take their little walkers and go do their little shopping?” Mitchell said.
Here is what the city has planned for the Inglewood Transit Connector.
The Inglewood Transit Connector, a planned automated people mover that would link the Metro rail network to Inglewood’s sports stadiums, has been in the works since 2018.
Officials initially wanted to build an automated people mover system in time for the 2028 Olympic events that will be hosted at SoFi Stadium, the Kia Forum and Intuit Dome.
Time, though, is running short. Last year, the city decided to pause its people mover plans and instead construct a quartet of transit hubs along with dedicated bus lanes to shuttle visitors into the stadiums.
The city plans to start that bus project this year and complete it by 2028. An automated people mover is still on the table for the future.
The proposed Market Street hub would replace almost an entire city block. Designs include parking, electric vehicle charging stations, a cluster of bus stops and a pedestrian bridge crossing north over Florence Avenue to a Metro K Line stop.
Planners are also eyeing another downtown Inglewood transit hub and two more on the south side of the city, near the Hawthorne/Lennox Metro C Line station.