By Toi Creel
Recently an environmental study was approved for a new 18,000-seat sports and entertainment complex for the LA clippers.
The study for the arena, propsed at the intersection of Century Boulevard and Prairie Avenue, was approved recently by the Inglewood City Council.
In addition to the 18,000 seat stadium, plans also call for an 85,000-square-foot athletic training facility. 71,000 square feet of office space for the Clippers, a 25,000-square-foot sports medicine center and 63,000 square feet of retail.
While many have touted the new proposed Clipper’s arena for the revenue and jobs it will bring, it has also faced a lot of criticism.
Residents and concerned citizens have raised concerns about gentrification in Inglewood and potential displacement once the venue is up.
Skeptics have also disputed a claim from the environmental report that the project will “result in a reduction in air pollution and traffic congestion.”
According to urbanize LA, “A letter authored in June 2019 by State Assembly members Al Muratsuchi, Laura Friedman, Cristina Garcia, and Kevin McCarty argued that the project will in fact result in increased traffic and air pollution relative to the current Clippers arena – Staples Center in Downtown Los Angeles.”
Inglewood officials have also made plans to provide more ways for public transportation to the area site using Metro’s Crenshaw/LAX Line using a 1.6-mile transit system. From urbanize LA calculations, it would cost the city more than $1 billion, beginning service in 2026.
Despite its criticism, supporters of the project do estimate that it will bring around 7,000 full-time and part-time jobs during its construction and 1,500 jobs once completed.
The project is expected to begin in 2021.
