LOS ANGELES (CN) – Drivers making their way to Los Angeles International Airport may have never noticed Inglewood or thought about stopping for a visit, but that will change thanks to a development boom spurred by city leaders and developers.
New entertainment projects are sprouting up across the city, boosting property values and bringing in construction jobs. And while rents are lower here than in other parts of LA County, more residents are receiving rent increase notices – leading many to worry they’ll be pushed out by projects they had little say in crafting.
Inglewood sits on the southwest side of the county, a short drive from Venice Beach. The city sits near the 405 and 105 freeways and lies directly under the LAX flight path.
Visitors will soon be able to ride in and out of Inglewood on Metro’s under-construction Crenshaw Line, which will offer the first public transit option to LAX.
Professional sports have also turned its eyes to the area: Hollywood Park, a 2,500-home residential community, will be part of the $2.6 billion Rams stadium project expected to open in 2020. The community will feature a revamped Hollywood Park Casino, a luxury hotel and an artificial lake.
An elevated tram line will connect visitors to all attractions, including a proposed NBA stadium for the LA Clippers.
Mayor James Butts told Courthouse News he envisions the city becoming a place where local kids can grow up, go to college and have “gainful employment without having to leave” the city.
“We want them to rise economically but also lift up residents that have lived here,” Butts said.
There’s no doubt Inglewood’s star is rising. But a county health report said economic conditions are worsening for the city’s 116,000 residents, 20 percent of whom live at or below the federal poverty line.
The majority of residents, 65 percent, rent in Inglewood and have seen housing costs climb by 25 percent since 2013, according to the county report. Only 35 percent own homes.
A closer look reveals bleak figures: 56 percent of residents spend 30 percent or more of their annual income on housing, and nearly a third spend 50 percent or more on housing costs.
Butts said housing costs are rising throughout the state but new development will lift all boats.
“What prices are rising in Inglewood that are not rising in other places,” he said.
The city is 53 percent Latino and has a larger black population – 43 percent – than the county as a whole, at just 8 percent.
“We’re not really united but there’s no tension between us,” said Hector Cervantes, whose family has owned a home in Inglewood since 2001.
Cervantes, who lives within walking distance from the renovated casino, said he’s worried about new projects increasing traffic.
“These projects are going to turn this city into another parking,” he said.
David Dang, a resident of Inglewood since 2012, said jobs are the “main selling point” of the projects but may not pay enough to allow residents to stay long term.
“Pretty soon these stadiums will kick people out and bring in new people,” Dang said.
Ivan Villanueva has lived in Inglewood for nearly 20 years. He says he can see both sides.