Marlton Square

Marlton Square is a one-block, retail, residential (and future medical facility) portion of Marlton Ave, located in the Crenshaw district in the city of Los Angeles, California.[1] The site was once the center of a long running controversy involving the developer Capital Vision Equities, the Los Angeles City Redevelopment Agency, and the tenants of Marlton Square.[2] It is bordered by Martin Luther King Jr Blvd on the north, Marlton Ave on the east, Santa Rosalia Dr on the south, and Buckingham Road on the west. Across from Marlton Square is the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza shopping mall.

History

Marlton Square was created in the early 1950's. and was then known as Santa Barbera Plaza due do the fact it was on Santa Barbara Avenue before it was changed to MLK Blvd.

Redevelopment

In 2003, developers broke ground in the first phase of the 22-acre (89,000 m2) Marlton Square redevelopment project. This phase involved constructing the Buckingham Place Senior Housing project, a 180-unit apartment complex. The project was scheduled to be completed in spring of 2004. Several million dollars of public and private funding have been awarded to the project.[3][4] Although the redevelopment project began with concerns of political favoritism, it was billed as "the catalytic project for the Baldwin Hills, Crenshaw communities", and a lynchpin development project for the entire area.[5]

While initially promising, financial difficulties and other problems quickly beset the project. Capital Vision Equities' first check to the city bounced in 2001[6] and the testimony of whistle-blowers lead to an audit by the Ethics Commission early on in the project.[7] Ultimately these problems overwhelmed the developer, and amid complaints of mismanagement the redevelopment of Marlton Square has stalled in bankruptcy. Several other agencies have been involved with the development project, including Keyshawn Capital Development, which is run by pro football player Keyshawn Johnson. The old stores were demolished on May 2011.

Construction

It is currently building a new state-of-the art 100,000 sq ft Kaiser Permanente medical facility office building with a two-mile walking path and outdoor plaza. It is slated for completion in early 2017.[8] New restaurants and retail stores are being planned to be built in the future.

Transportation

The under construction Martin Luther King Jr. station will provide access to the new medical facility and the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza via the Metro Crenshaw/LAX Line.

Buckingham Place

By the end of 2009 Buckingham Place was largely finished but remained unopened due to bankruptcy. Much of the retail space in Marlton Square has been empty for years and has fallen into disrepair. In 2008 there were no visible signs of redevelopment for that project of the retail space. However, in 2012 Buckingham Place complex officially opened.[9]

External links

References

  1. ↑ http://nreionline.com/property/multifamily/real_estate_public_investment_support/
  2. ↑ http://www.lasentinel.net/Marlton-Square.html
  3. ↑ http://www.allbusiness.com/real-estate/commercial-residential-property/5686010-1.html
  4. ↑ http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-104542691.html
  5. ↑ McGreevy, Patrick; Shuster, Beth (November 15, 2002). "$123-Million Crenshaw Project Goes to Council". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  6. ↑ http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-100106472.html
  7. ↑ http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-100426195.html
  8. ↑ Jennings, Angel (October 20, 2015). "Long-stalled Marlton Square project makes a move forward". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  9. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zyNIMQAWO8
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