Renewal Plans Presented for Northern Hawthorne

After an intensive study of the 139-acre Imperial Highway Corridor, a consulting firm has come up with four alternatives for redeveloping the blighted area in northern Hawthorne.

In a 22-page report presented to the Hawthorne City Council on Monday, Environmental Science Associates said city revenues would be increased if the area, straddling Imperial from the San Diego Freeway to Prairie Avenue, is rejuvenated.

The Century Freeway is the northern boundary of the redevelopment area, and city officials hope to capitalize on development opportunities that will arise when the freeway is completed in 1993. They also cite expansion of Los Angeles International Airport as a spur to development.

Of the four plans, the two that would provide the city the most revenue are also the riskiest, according to the consultants’ report.

The plan “with the highest prospects for successful market performance” is for a retail center with community shopping centers on the four corners of Imperial and Hawthorne Boulevard, the consultants said. That plan, which would yield $2.8 million a year in sales and property taxes, also includes a business park for research and development, low-rise offices and industrial freight-handling uses.

The two plans with the “greatest market risk,” according to the consultants, are an innovative Auto Galleria mall that would generate $8.6 million a year in municipal revenues and a mixed-use complex and retail center that would generate $6 million a year.

A traditional auto center, with eight dealerships and a mix of other industrial and retail uses, would generate more than $3.6 million a year, the report said.