Council Approves General Plan

The Hawthorne City Council voted 4 to 0 Monday to give final approval to an updated General Plan that calls for commercial development near the I-105 freeway. The area, the Imperial Highway Corridor, contains a mix of residential and commercial uses.

The General Plan is a document that will be used to govern all future zoning for the city.

In anticipation of the completion of the freeway in 1993, several developers have already expressed an interest in commercial projects there. The city could begin the redevelopment process in the area as soon as next year, according to Bud Cormier, assistant redevelopment director.

At hearings on the updated plan, residents expressed concern that if development did not occur for several years, their properties would be left in limbo until the city had a development proposal in hand.

But the council, in a 4-0 vote giving initial approval April 24, said that because development is imminent, residents are likely to benefit financially from an increase in property values in the area. City consultants and others said that, in general, commercial property is more valuable than residential because it can be more intensely developed.