Hawthorne Press Tribune
Herald Publications - Inglewood, Hawthorne, Lawndale, El Segundo, Torrance & Manhattan Beach Community Newspapers Since 1911 - Circulation 30,000 - Readership 60,000 (310) 322-1830 - September 28, 2017
Los Angeles Rams Beautify
Area Elementary School
This past Tuesday, Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Paul McRoberts—along with team cheerleaders and staff were on-hand to help paint and landscape Warren Lane Elementary School in neighboring
Inglewood. The Rams also engaged Sharefest, a local nonprofit, to assist with the beautification effort. Photo Provided by the LA Rams
City Council Narrowly Moves Forward
on High Density Housing Project
By Derrick Deane
delay tactic by some of his colleagues. “I’m
After a contentious debate about the
looking at it like we’re looking at a different
ongoing approval of a high-density housing
project,” Awad said. “The issue with what
project along Crenshaw Boulevard and 120th
Hawthorne has had before is that they’re
Street, the City Council voted narrowly
quick to kill anything without looking, without
to move forward on the development on
vetting, without researching. If now we’re
Tuesday night. Councilmembers Olivia
proposing something new, to not give us the
Valentine and Angie Reyes English showed
chance to see what it looks like, it could be
full support for the project while Mayor
something different. We don’t know.”
Pro Tem Hadir Awad took a more reluctant
Vargas quickly fired back that regardless
approach while still voting yes. Mayor Alex
of how many units the project has, it still
Vargas and Councilmember Nilo Michelin
ends up being high-density housing. “This
voted against it.
is still in the realm of the high-density
The Transit Oriented Development is
housing,” he said before being interrupted
planned to create 274 residential units along
by English, who claimed that the two were
Crenshaw Boulevard, although that number
delaying the vote.
was later revised down to 230 units by Reyes
“Your views are your views--keep them.
English. The development will also include a
You want to support high-density housing,
first floor restaurant as well as several open
you want to support developers, that’s fine.
space areas for residents and the public to
That’s your tradition and I have mine and
congregate.
it’s against high-density housing in the city
“This vote says that this is the best that
of Hawthorne,” said Vargas to applause from
the City of Hawthorne can get,” Vargas
the audience. “The only change here is drop
said before voting against the project.
from 274 to 230 units. What else is there to
“More apartments, more apartments, more
say? This is still a high-density project.” Awad
apartments. We’re saying that we can’t do
replied that “something might be changed.”
better than this and that we can’t entice
Vargas addressed Awad, saying that by not
businesses to come here. We just throw up
standing against the project that the latter
our arms and this is it.”
was still open to the idea of high-density
Vargas continued, “We as the guardians
housing in the area.
of this city have a bigger issue to face. We
When the resolution was passed, those in
passed development standards and this project
favor of the project applauded while those
flies in the face of what our development
against booed. “In my opinion, I’m still
standards are under the pretext that it’s going
concerned by a high number of apartments
to be for the millennials.”
on Crenshaw Boulevard,” Michelin said.
Awad addressed his reluctance to neither
The Council flipped its votes on Resolution
approve nor deny the project. His yes vote
7395, which would deny specific plan
came with a call to further research the
application for the project. Vargas and
development--a move that was seen as a
Michelin voted in favor or denial while
English and Valentine voted against it. Awad
abstained from voting on the resolution.
The development still needs approval of
Ordinance 2150 before the project can fully
move forward. Since it was amended, the
ordinance was re-introduced Tuesday evening
and will go to a vote in two weeks. If the
ordinance passes, the project will officially
get the green light from the City Council to
move forward.
“Thank you, Councilmembers for your vote
of confidence,” Reyes English said in her
closing remarks. “This is something we need
to stand up to when it comes to improvements
to our city--moreover moving our city forward
productively. It doesn’t make sense to have
something city there doing nothing, bringing
nothing…and at the end of the day, we have
investors--not developers that want to come
in to our city and invest. More importantly,
they are providing a community benefit.
Whether it be the arts, whether it be nonprofit
organizations--and I have to say this
because it’s very disappointing that several
people came up here with no idea what they
were doing in opposing it because those
same groups are the ones that are receiving
assistance.”
Regarding one critical Hawthorne resident,
Reyes English said, “This individual doesn’t
deserve what he’s deserved for the last two
years-plus. And it’s sad that there’s certain
individuals up here on the Council and in
departments that had a play in that. It’s
very sad and I’m very disappointed, but at
the same time I’m glad that this is finally
over with. It’s been over two years in the
making. Enough is enough and I’m glad that
this Council got it and said yes versus no.” •
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